This article explains what to do if your iPad is disabled, either because you entered the wrong passcode too many times or because you forget your passcode and can't unlock it.
Facing this situation with an iPhone instead of an iPad? We've got instructions on how to fix an iPhone when you've forgotten the passcode.
If you enter the wrong passcode when trying to unlock your iPad too many times in a row, your iPad may become disabled.Sometimes, the screen will show that your iPad is disabled. In other cases, it may ask you to try again in five minutes or tell you that your iPad is disabled for many days or years (that's not true; it just means that you should wait a minute) or to connect to your computer.
Apple Inc.Apple disables your iPad because the passcode is a security measure. If you enter the wrong passcode too many times, your iPad assumes that you must not be the owner and that this is an attempt to break into it. Temporarily disabling the iPad stops that.
If you still know the correct passcode and just entered the wrong thing, the problem is easy to solve: Wait a few minutes. Once the disabled message disappears from the screen, try unlocking it again and, if you use the correct passcode, it will work, and you'll be back to using your iPad.
The more significant challenge is unlocking an iPad when you either don't know the passcode or have forgotten it. In that case, there's bad news: your only option is to put your iPad into Recovery Mode, totally erase the data from your iPad, and set it up fresh. Hopefully, you have a recent backup of your data and can restore that onto your iPad.
Here's how to factory reset an iPad without the passcode:
Make sure your iPad isn't connected to a computer using a cable or over Wi-Fi.
You can also erase your iPad and restore it using iCloud.
Turn off your iPad. How you do this depends on the model you have:
TheSlide to Power Offslider appears; let go of the buttons and move the slider.
Again, the next step depends on what model you have:
If your iPad boots up like normal, you haven't done it right and need to try steps 2 and 3 again.
However, If you see the Recovery Mode screen-an icon of a computer with a cable pointing it-you're ready to proceed. (see image above)
On your Mac or PC, you need to follow the onscreen steps to Restore your iPad.
ClickRestore. It erases your iPad and restores it to factory settings. Click any onscreen pop-ups to proceed.
When your iPad is erased, you'll go through the standard set-up steps.
If you have a recent backup of your data that you want to use, when you get to the screen about setting up your iPad, chooseRestore from Backup.
Learn much more about restoring an iPad from backup.