How to Reset iPad Mini
If you’re used to working with old school iPads, your new iPad mini may have you stumped. With no home button, how do you restart and hard reset your device when it’s stuck on something? As it turns out, it’s not difficult, and you don’t even have to remove your iPad mini 6 case. Here we’ll go over what you need to know, and we’ll also discuss how to completely erase and factory reset your device if that’s what you need to do.
How to Soft Reset: Shut Down and Restart Your iPad
If all your iPad mini needs is a soft reset, just shut down and restart your device. To shut down and restart, all you have to do is press and hold down the top button and either of the volume buttons. A slider will appear, and you’ll want to slide your finger left to right.
Your iPad will turn off, and you can then restart it by holding down the top power button again. It won’t be long till you see the Apple logo, and then you can release your .
Note that this is a two step procedure, vs. the one-step restart you’ve done in previous iPad models. Back when the Home button was a thing, all you needed to do was hold down the Home and Side buttons and the same time. This one-step restart is no longer an option, and you’ll have to actually turn off your iPad and then restart it.
If you want to try an alternate way of shutting down your iPad mini, here’s another option:
- Open Settings
- Choose General
- Select Shut Down
It takes a little longer, but it does the same thing! Of course, you need to follow this up by restarting. Hold down your top power button till you see the apple logo if you want to finish with your tablet on.
How to Hard Reset Your iPad Mini 6
Hard reset is what you do when your iPad mini is being ornery and you want it to start with a clean slate. Also known as a force restart, this procedure is the best one to follow if your apps are stalling, response time is slow, and you want your iPad to recalibrate and start again.
To hard reset your iPad, simply:
- Click volume up
- Click volume down
- Press down and hold the power button
That’s all! Sometimes a hard reset is all it takes to get your iPad mini working like new.
How to Erase and Factory Reset your iPad
There aren’t many times when you need to factory reset your iPad, but when you need to, you need to. One scenario might be if you’re faced with a black screen: your iPad simply won’t turn on. Be aware that when you factory reset your iPad you loose anything on your device: pictures, files, everything. Anything you have backed up, you’ll be able to put right back on your device with iTunes. If you haven’t run a recent backup, though, you’re out of luck.
This is the same procedure you’ll want to follow if you’ve sold your iPad mini and want to give it to its new owner looking fresh and new, like it can out of the factory. After a reset, all your passwords are gone,
There are two ways to do this. The first is with iTunes. If it seems a long procedure; there’s a reason: this is a no-going back decision, and you want to make sure you really want to do it.
One note: before factory reseting your iPad, you should always first turn “Find my iPad” off in iCloud. This is especially important if you’re handing your iPad off to another person, but is also a good step to take if you just plan to recover from your own backup.
- Connect your iPad mini to your computer
- Open iTunes (if you’ve set it up to do so, iTunes might open automatically)
- Select the device icon ( you’ll find this in the upper left of the iTunes window)
- Choose ‘Summary’ (you’ll find this in the left panel)
- Select the ‘Restore iPad’ button
- You may be given an option as to whether you’d like to do a back up first. Choose the appropriate option, then select ‘Restore’
- Your device will be erased and reset. When the process is over, iTunes will give you the option to restore from a backup.
If your iPad is in working order and responsive, you can also do a factory reset from your settings without connecting to iTunes on a computer. To do this:
- Click on Settings (that grey wheel icon next to your other apps
- Choose General
- Choose Reset
- Click on ‘Erase all content and settings’
- A confirmation window will pop up. Confirm by clicking ‘Erase’
- Wait while your device erases all content and settings and restarts
Be aware that when you do this every piece of personal material will disappear from your iPad. Pictures, docs, apps, you name it. If you want to restore from a backup, you will need to connect to iTunes on the computer that has your backups.
Related Reading: How to Call an Emergency Number if your iPad Display is Broken
Use Your Knowledge
Knowing how to do a soft reset, hard reset and factory reset of your iPad can be incredibly enabling. Now if your microphone is quirky, your procreate is lagging, or your 3G malfunctions you’ll know just what to do! Resetting you iPad mini won’t solve all your problems, but you may be surprised at how many it does solve.
If your device is still having problems, try the next hardest reset. And if you’ve gone in for a factory reset and it still isn’t working, it may be time to go follow up some more specific troubleshooting methods— or, if all else fails, call up the Apple team. They’re expensive, but they know their stuff! Just don’t be the guy (or girl) who calls in the big guns for something that can be fixed by a simple restart. There’s nothing like paying a technician to perform a thirty-second reset of your device!