How to Turn Off a New iPad: Every Method Explained

Whether you just unboxed a brand-new iPad or recently upgraded to a model without a Home button, powering it down isn't always obvious. Apple has changed the shutdown process across iPad generations, and the steps vary depending on which hardware you have. Here's a clear breakdown of every method.

Why Turning Off an iPad Isn't One-Size-Fits-All

Apple has produced several distinct iPad hardware configurations over the years. The key difference that affects shutdown behavior is whether your iPad has a Home button or not. Face ID-enabled iPads — including newer iPad Pro and iPad Air models — use a different button combination than older Touch ID models with a physical Home button.

Getting this wrong is common. Many users press buttons in the wrong order, trigger Siri or a screenshot instead, and give up assuming the process is more complicated than it is.

Method 1: Using the Settings App (Works on All iPads) ⚙️

This is the most reliable method regardless of your iPad model or iPadOS version.

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap General
3. Scroll to the very bottom
4. Tap Shut Down
5. Slide the power icon across the slider that appears

This method works on every iPad running a modern version of iPadOS and requires no button combinations at all. It's particularly useful if your physical buttons are hard to press or if you keep accidentally triggering other functions.

Method 2: iPads Without a Home Button (Face ID Models)

This applies to iPad Pro models from 2018 onward and iPad Air models from 2020 onward — any iPad that unlocks with Face ID rather than a fingerprint on the front.

Steps:

1. Press and hold the Top button (power button) and either Volume button simultaneously
2. Hold both until the slide to power off slider appears on screen
3. Drag the slider from left to right
4. The screen will go dark within a few seconds

Important: Don't hold the buttons too long or you'll trigger an Emergency SOS call. A brief hold — around two to three seconds — is all that's needed before the slider appears.

Method 3: iPads With a Home Button (Touch ID Models)

This includes the standard iPad (most generations), older iPad mini, older iPad Air, and older iPad Pro models with a circular Home button on the front bezel.

Steps:

1. Press and hold the Top button (or Side button on some older models)
2. Hold until the slide to power off slider appears
3. Drag the slider across

No volume button combination is needed here. A single button hold is enough.

Quick Reference by iPad Type

If you're unsure which generation you have, go to Settings → General → About and check the model name.

Restart vs. Shut Down: They're Not the Same

Shutting down fully powers off the device. No background processes run, no battery is consumed, and the device is in a completely off state until you press the Top button to power it back on.

Restarting (also called a soft reset) shuts down and immediately powers back on automatically. To restart, you can either shut down and manually press the Top button, or — on newer iPads — go to Settings → General → Shut Down, power off, then press Top to restart.

A force restart is different again. It's used when an iPad is frozen or unresponsive. On Face ID iPads, this involves pressing Volume Up, then Volume Down, then holding the Top button until the Apple logo appears. On Home button iPads, it's holding both the Home button and Top button simultaneously. A force restart doesn't erase any data — it's a hard reboot.

When You Might Not Want to Fully Power Off

Completely shutting down an iPad has some trade-offs worth knowing:

• Find My tracking is significantly reduced when an iPad is off (though newer iPads have a low-power tracking mode)
• Scheduled updates and background app refresh won't run
• Alarms set through third-party apps won't fire — though the built-in Clock app alarm will trigger even from a powered-off state on some models

For many users, simply letting the screen sleep or enabling Low Power Mode (Settings → Battery) accomplishes what they actually need without a full shutdown.

AssistiveTouch as an Alternative 🖱️

If physical buttons are damaged or difficult to use, AssistiveTouch provides a software-based power menu.

Enable it via Settings → Accessibility → Touch → AssistiveTouch. Once on, a floating button appears on screen. Tapping it gives access to a Device menu that includes a Lock Screen option — and holding that triggers the slide to power off slider.

This is also useful on iPads where the Top button has become less responsive over time.

The Variable That Changes Your Experience

The steps above are consistent within each hardware category, but a few personal factors affect which method makes the most sense in practice — how often you actually need to fully power down versus sleep the device, whether you're managing an iPad for someone with accessibility needs, and whether you've customized any button behaviors through AssistiveTouch or accessibility settings. Those configurations can change how button combinations behave, and what works on a default setup may behave differently on a device that's been adjusted for a specific user.