How to Power Off iPad (Buttons, Settings, Control Center)

To power off iPad with no Home button, hold the top button and either volume button together until the power off slider appears, then drag it right. On an iPad with a Home button, hold the top button alone. On any model you can skip the buttons: open Settings, tap General, scroll to the bottom and tap Shut Down.

Most people try to power off iPad the way they power off a phone, and on newer iPads that habit is what fails. The top button on its own no longer brings up the slider on models without a Home button — it just locks the screen. The combination changed when Apple moved Touch ID off the front of the device, so the right button depends on which iPad is in your hands.

One thing to know before you start: a full shut down is not the same as locking the iPad, and it is not the same as a force restart. The section below spells out which is which.

How to Power Off iPad With the Buttons

1. Work out which iPad you have. A round Home button below the screen means a Home button model. A screen that runs edge to edge means one of the newer ones — iPad Pro, recent iPad Air, iPad mini and the current base iPad.

2. No Home button: press and hold the top button and either volume button at the same time, until the sliders appear on screen.

3. Home button: press and hold the top button on its own until the slider appears. No volume button is involved.

4. Drag the slide to power off slider from left to right. Apple says to wait about 30 seconds afterwards — the screen goes black before the device is actually off, so give it the full half minute before you pack it away.

5. To switch it back on, press and hold the top button until the Apple logo appears, then let go.

The Settings Route, If the Buttons Are Awkward

Every current iPad can power off from software instead. Open Settings, tap General, scroll to the very bottom and tap Shut Down. The same slider appears, and you drag it the same way.

Use this if a physical button is unreliable, if the iPad is in a bulky case, or if you cannot remember which combination your model wants. Apple documents it for all models, so it is the one instruction that does not change from iPad to iPad.

The Control Center Shortcut on iPadOS 18 and Later

There is a third route on recent software. Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, press and hold the power button in its top-right corner, then release. The slider appears, and again you drag it right and wait about 30 seconds.

Apple describes this as an iOS 18 and later feature on a page about iPad, so if the power button is not in your Control Center you are on an older release — use the buttons or Settings instead.

What Powering Off Does Not Do

It is not the same as locking the screen. A single press of the top button sleeps the iPad. The screen darkens and the device locks, but it stays on, stays on Wi-Fi and keeps receiving notifications. A shut down ends all of that until you press the top button again.

It is not a force restart. A shut down is the orderly version: apps close properly and the system writes everything out before the power goes. A force restart is for an iPad that has frozen and will not respond to the slider at all. The same split exists across Apple's hardware — it is why turning off an Apple Watch and force restarting one are two separate button sequences.

It does not erase anything or sign you out. Apps, files, your Apple Account and saved Wi-Fi passwords are all still there when it comes back on. Powering off is not a reset.

It does take the iPad off Find My. Apple lists the ability to be located while powered off for iPhone models; no iPad is included. Once an iPad is genuinely off, Find My can only show where it last was.

Common Questions

Do I need to power off my iPad at night? No. The iPad is built to be left on and locked, and sleeping it with the top button is enough day to day. A shut down earns its place before long storage, before a flight, or as the first thing to try when something is behaving oddly.

The slider appeared but nothing happened when I dragged it. Drag it the full width of the track rather than flicking it. If the touchscreen is not registering the drag at all, use the Settings route, which puts the same slider on a different screen.

Is the top button the same as the power button? Yes. Apple calls it the top button in its iPad documentation, and it sits on the top edge — the long edge above the screen when you hold the iPad in portrait. On models with Touch ID built into it, it is the same button you unlock with.

If the Option Isn't There

If Shut Down seems to be missing from the bottom of Settings → General, scroll again. It sits below the software update, transfer and reset rows, and it is easy to stop one row short.

If a physical button has failed, Apple's AssistiveTouch puts an on-screen menu over the interface. Turn it on under Settings → Accessibility → Touch → AssistiveTouch. Apple documents that menu as able to lock the screen and restart the device; it does not document a shut down action there, so to actually power off an iPad without the top button, the Settings → General → Shut Down route is still the one to use.

If nothing responds — no slider, no Control Center, nothing on screen — the iPad is frozen rather than switched on, and a force restart is the next step. The button logic mirrors restarting an iPhone 14. A device that stays black through a full force restart, or will not show the Apple logo on the charger, needs Apple Support or an authorised service provider rather than another attempt.