Setup

These are the gestures you use on all iPad models to go to the Home Screen, switch between recent apps, access controls, and more. A few gestures are done differently on an iPad with a Home button. If you’re using Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse, there are gestures that work on your trackpad or mouse, too.

They let you go Home, quickly access controls, open Exposé, switch between open apps, open the Dock within an app, use Siri, use Accessibility Shortcut, take a screenshot, turn off iPad, and force restart it.

Gesture	Description
	Go Home. Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen to return to the Home Screen at any time. See Open an app.
	Quickly access controls. Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center; touch and hold a control to reveal more options. To add or remove controls, go to the Settings app, then tap Control Center. See Use and customize Control Center.
	Open Exposé. Swipe up from the bottom edge, pause in the center of the screen, then lift your finger. To browse the open apps, swipe right, then tap the app you want to use. See Switch between apps.
	Switch between open apps. Swipe left or right along the bottom edge of the screen to quickly switch between open apps. (On an iPad with a Home button, swipe with a slight arc.) See Switch between apps.
	Open the Dock within an app. Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and pause to reveal the Dock. To quickly open another app, tap it in the Dock. See Open an app from the Dock.
	Use Siri. Just say “Siri” or “Hey Siri.” Or press and hold the top button while you ask a question or make a request. (On an iPad with a Home button, press and hold the Home button while you make a request.) See Learn how to use Siri.
	Use Accessibility Shortcut. Triple-click the top button. (On an iPad with a Home button, triple-click the Home button.) See Quickly turn accessibility features on or off.
	Take a screenshot. Simultaneously press and quickly release the top button and either volume button. (On an iPad with a Home button, simultaneously press and quickly release the top button and the Home button.) See Take a screenshot.
	Turn off. Simultaneously press and hold the top button and either volume button until the sliders appear, then drag the top slider to power off. (On an iPad with a Home button, press and hold the top button until the sliders appear.) Or go to the Settings app, tap General, then tap Shut Down. See Turn iPad off (models with the Home button).
	Force restart. Press and quickly release the volume button nearest the top button, press and quickly release the other volume button, then press and hold the top button until the Apple logo appears. On iPad mini (6th generation) and iPad mini (A17 Pro), the volume buttons are at the top left. See Force restart iPad.

Using a Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse? Read our guide, use trackpad gestures for iPad, or our article, Mouse actions and gestures for iPad, for gestures that work with it.

See also

• Learn basic gestures to interact with iPad

Control iPad and its apps using a few simple gestures—tap, touch and hold, swipe, scroll, and zoom. Each one has its own symbol in the table below. If you’re using Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse, there are also gestures that work on your trackpad or mouse, and they’re covered in their own guides.

Symbol	Gesture
	Tap. Briefly touch an item on the screen with one finger. For example, to open an app, tap its icon on the Home Screen.
	Touch and hold. Press an item on the screen until something happens. For example, if you touch and hold the wallpaper of the Home Screen, the app icons begin to jiggle.
	Swipe. Move one finger across the screen quickly. For example, swipe left on the Home Screen to see more apps.
	Scroll. Move one finger across the screen without lifting. For example, in Photos, you can drag a list up or down to see more. Swipe to scroll quickly; touch the screen to stop scrolling.
	Zoom. Place two fingers on the screen near each other. Spread them apart to zoom in, or move them toward each other to zoom out. You can also double-tap a photo or webpage to zoom in, and double-tap again to zoom out. In Maps, double-tap and hold, then drag up to zoom in or drag down to zoom out.

For gestures that work on a Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse, see our guide, Trackpad gestures for iPad, or our article, Mouse actions and gestures for iPad.

See also

• Learn gestures to navigate iPad

You can turn on and set up your new iPad with an internet connection, or set up iPad by connecting it to your computer. If you have another iPhone, an iPad, or an Android device, you can transfer your data to your new iPad.

To make setup as smooth as possible, it helps to have an internet connection, your Apple Account and password, and your previous iPad or a backup of your device. And you can create an Apple Account during setup if you don’t have one.

Note: When a company, school, or other organization deploys or manages your iPad, ask an administrator or teacher for setup instructions.

Prepare for setup

To make setup go as smoothly as possible, have the following items available:

• An internet connection through a Wi-Fi network (you may need the name and password of the network) or cellular data service through a carrier (Wi-Fi + Cellular models)
• Your Apple Account and password; if you don’t have an Apple Account, you can create one during setup
• Your credit or debit card account information, if you want to add a card to Apple Pay during setup
• Your previous iPad or a backup of your device, if you’re transferring your data to your new device

  Tip: If you don’t have sufficient storage space to back up your device, iCloud will provide enough storage to complete a temporary backup, free of charge, for up to three weeks from the purchase of your iPad. On your previous device, go to the Settings app, tap General, then tap Transfer or Reset [device]. Tap Get Started, then follow the onscreen instructions.

• Your Android device, if you’re transferring your Android content

Turn on and set up your iPad

1. Press and hold the top button until the Apple logo appears.

   

   If iPad doesn’t turn on, you might need to charge the battery.

   Tip: If you’re blind or have low vision, you can triple-click the Home button (on an iPad with a Home button) or triple-click the top button (on other iPad models) to turn on VoiceOver, the screen reader. You can also double-tap the screen with three fingers to turn on Zoom. See Get started with accessibility features.

2. Do one of the following:
   • Set up with another device: If you have another iPhone or iPad with iOS 11, iPadOS 13, or later, you can use it to automatically set up your new device. Bring the two devices close together. Follow the onscreen instructions to securely copy many of your settings, preferences, and iCloud Keychain. You can then restore the rest of your data and content to your new device from your iCloud backup.

     Or, if both devices have iOS 12.4, iPadOS 13, or later, you can transfer all your data wirelessly from your previous device to your new one. Keep your devices near each other and plugged into power until the migration process is complete.

   • Set Up Manually: If you don’t have another device, tap Set Up Without Another Device. Follow the onscreen setup instructions.

Move from an Android device to iPad

Switching from an Android device? The Move to iOS app can transfer your data when you first set up your new iPad.

Note: Already finished setup and want to use Move to iOS? You’ll need to erase your iPad and start over, or move your data manually.

1. On your device with Android version 4.0 or later, download the Move to iOS app.
2. On your iPad, do the following:
   • Follow the setup assistant.
   • On the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, tap From Android.
3. On the Android device, do the following:
   • Turn on Wi-Fi.
   • Go to the Move to iOS app.
   • Follow the onscreen instructions.

WARNING: To avoid injury, read Important safety information before using iPad.

See also

• Wake, unlock, and lock iPad
• Connect iPad and your computer with a cable

There are multiple ways to turn your iPad on and off—you can use the buttons on the top and side of your iPad, or you can use the controls in Settings and Control Center.

An iPad that doesn’t turn on might need its battery charged. And if your iPad isn’t working as expected, restarting it by turning it off and then on can help, and if that doesn’t fix the issue, you can force it to restart.

Here’s how to turn iPad on or off.

Turn on iPad

Press and hold the top button until the Apple logo appears.

When iPad won’t turn on, you might need to charge the battery.

Turn off iPad (models with Face ID or with Touch ID in the top button)

If your iPad doesn’t have the Home button, do the following:

1. Simultaneously press and hold the top button and either volume button until the Power Off slider appears.

   

2. Drag the slider to turn off iPad.

Turn iPad off (models with the Home button)

If your iPad has the Home button, do the following:

1. Press and hold the top button.

   

2. Drag the slider to turn off iPad.

Turn off iPad in Control Center

1. Open Control Center.
2. Touch and hold the Power button in the top-right corner of your screen.
3. Drag the slider to turn off iPad.

Turn off iPad in Settings

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap General and scroll down. Tap Shut Down.
3. Drag the slider to turn off iPad.

Restarting your iPad by turning it off and back on can help when it isn’t working as expected. Still having the issue? Try forcing it to restart.

See also

• Wake, unlock, and lock iPad
• Force restart iPad
• Use and customize Control Center on iPad

iPad turns off the display to save power, locks for security, and goes to sleep when you’re not using it. You can quickly wake and unlock iPad when you want to use it again.

You can unlock iPad with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, depending on your model. And iPad locks by itself after a certain amount of time without use, though you can lock it manually, too.

Wake iPad

You can wake iPad in a few different ways:

• Press the top button.

  

• Tap the screen (supported models).

  

• Open a Smart Folio, Smart Cover, or Magic Keyboard cover.

Unlock iPad with Face ID

If you have an iPad with Face ID, but you didn’t turn on Face ID during setup, see Set up Face ID. Then follow these steps:

1. Tap the screen, then glance at your iPad.

   The lock icon animates from closed to open to indicate that iPad is unlocked.

2. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

To lock iPad again, press the top button. iPad locks automatically if you don’t touch the screen for a minute or so. However, if Attention Aware Features is turned on, iPad won’t dim or lock as long as it detects attention. To turn it on or off, go to the Settings app, then tap Face ID & Passcode.

Unlock iPad with Touch ID

Have an iPad with Touch ID that you didn’t set up during setup? See our guide, Set up Touch ID. On an iPad with a rectangular button on the top edge, use the top button; with a circular button at the bottom of the screen, the Home button is the one to use, and after that, do one of the following:

• On an iPad with a Home button: Press the Home button using the finger you registered with Touch ID.

  

• On iPad (10th generation and later), iPad mini (6th generation), iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad Air (4th generation and later): Rest your finger on the top button (Touch ID) using the finger you registered with Touch ID.

  

To lock iPad again, press the top button. iPad locks automatically if you don’t touch the screen for a minute or so.

Unlock iPad with a passcode

If you didn’t create a passcode when you set up iPad, see Set a passcode. Then follow these steps:

1. Press the Home button (on an iPad with a Home button) or swipe up from the bottom of the Lock Screen (on other iPad models).
2. Enter your passcode.

Lock iPad

You can lock iPad and turn off the screen in the following ways:

• Manually: Press the top button.
• Automatically: iPad locks on its own if you don’t interact with it for a certain amount of time. To change how long iPad waits before locking, see Change when iPad automatically locks.

See also

• Find settings on iPad
• Set up cellular service on iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models)