How to Take an iPad Out of Recovery Mode
By Melissa King
Your iPad may have entered recovery mode after a failed operating system update or another problem with the device's software. You can also place the iPad in recovery mode yourself to troubleshoot or restore the device. When your iPad is in recovery, you can't use it until you exit the mode. It's possible to force the device to exit recovery mode without restoring. If that doesn't work, though, you'll need to restore the iPad in iTunes.
Exit Recovery Without Restore
Step 1
Press the "Sleep/Wake" and "Home" buttons together.
Step 2
Hold the buttons down for a few seconds until the iPad turns off.
Step 3
Press "Sleep/Wake" to turn the iPad back on. The iPad should exit recovery mode and start normally. If this doesn't work, proceed to restore the iPad with iTunes.
Exit Recovery With Restore
Step 1
Power on the iPad and connect one end of a USB cable to the device.
Step 2
Connect the other end of the cable to your computer. If the computer doesn't recognize the iPad, disconnect it. Hold down the "Home" button on the iPad while reconnecting it to the computer.
Step 3
Click "OK" at the prompt to restore your iPad with iTunes. ITunes will erase everything on the iPad and then restore all of your backed-up content.
References
Warnings
- This article applies to iPads running iOS 6. Instructions may vary for other versions.
Writer Bio
Melissa King began writing in 2001. She spent three years writing for her local newspaper, "The Colt," writing editorials, news stories, product reviews and entertainment pieces. She is also the owner and operator of Howbert Freelance Writing. King holds an Associate of Arts in communications from Tarrant County College.