iPad stuck on the Apple logo after an update? How to fix it

An iPad stuck on the Apple logo after an update needs a force restart first, and if the logo comes back, recovery mode on a Mac or PC with Update selected reinstalls iPadOS without erasing your data.

This guide covers what the logo with and without a progress bar means, force restart steps for every iPad, recovery mode, a full restore, and the errors that stop a recovery from finishing.

How to fix an iPad stuck on the Apple logo after an update

An iPad you cannot turn off still responds to a force restart, because that button sequence works even when the screen ignores touch.

1. Plug the iPad into power so the battery cannot run out during the next steps.
2. If a progress bar sits under the Apple logo, leave the iPad alone a while longer, because Apple says the bar can move slowly, look static, or finish and start again.
3. If there is no progress bar, force restart the iPad: on a model without a Home button, press and quickly release the volume button nearest the top button, press and quickly release the volume button farthest from it, then hold the top button until the Apple logo appears.
4. On an iPad with a Home button, hold the Home button and the top button together until the Apple logo appears.
5. If the iPad comes back to the same frozen logo, connect it to a Mac or a Windows PC with a USB cable and open Finder or the Apple Devices app.
6. Repeat the force restart button sequence while the iPad is connected, but keep holding the top button past the Apple logo until the recovery mode screen appears.
7. Choose Update when your computer offers Update or Restore, and wait while it downloads and reinstalls iPadOS.

If Update fails or the logo returns again, choose Restore instead. Restore erases the iPad, so set it up from your most recent backup afterwards.

Why is my iPad stuck on the Apple logo?

What the screen shows tells you whether the update is still running or has stopped. Match your screen to a row before you press anything.

What your iPad shows	What it means	What to do
Apple logo with a progress bar	The update, restore or erase is still running; the bar can move slowly or start over	Keep the iPad on power and wait; press a button to see whether an updating message appears
Apple logo with no progress bar for several minutes	Startup has stalled after the update	Force restart, then use recovery mode and choose Update
Black or frozen screen that ignores touch	iPadOS is not responding	Force restart; if it stays black, charge it for up to an hour and try again
Red or blue screen during startup	Startup failed before iPadOS loaded	Connect to a computer and use recovery mode with Update
Recovery mode screen (a computer and cable)	The iPad is already waiting for a computer	Open Finder or Apple Devices, then choose Update or Restore
Recovery Assistant appears on every startup and cannot fix it	The on-device recovery could not repair the install	Use recovery mode on a computer and restore the iPad

iPad stuck on Apple logo with a progress bar

A progress bar means the iPad is still working through the update, a restore from backup, or an erase. Interrupting it too early only makes the job start over.

1. Connect the iPad to its charger, because Apple warns that an over-the-air update needs power so the battery does not run out mid-install.
2. Leave the iPad untouched while the bar moves, even if it moves slowly or fills and then starts again.
3. If the bar seems frozen, press the top button once and look for an updating message on screen.
4. If an updating message appears, the update is still running, so put the iPad back on the charger and keep waiting.
5. If the update never completes or the iPad stops responding, force restart it with the steps in the next section.
6. If the logo and progress bar return after a force restart and recovery mode, book a repair through Apple, because Apple says the iPad might need service.

How to force restart an iPad stuck on the Apple logo

A force restart is the only way to turn off an iPad that is stuck on the Apple logo, because the power off slider never appears. It does not erase anything, and the button sequence to hard reboot an iPad depends only on whether your model has a Home button.

Your iPad	Button sequence	When to let go
iPad without a Home button (Face ID, or Touch ID in the top button)	Press and quickly release the volume button nearest the top button, press and quickly release the volume button farthest from the top button, then press and hold the top button	Release the top button when the Apple logo appears
iPad with a Home button	Press and hold the top button and the Home button at the same time	Release both buttons when the Apple logo appears

The Apple logo appearing again is the expected restart, not a failure. Give it a few minutes; if it stops at the logo again with no progress bar, move on to recovery mode.

If the screen stays black after the force restart, charge the iPad for up to an hour and repeat the sequence.

How to update iPad in recovery mode without losing data

iPad recovery mode lets a computer reinstall iPadOS on an iPad that cannot finish starting up. Choosing Update keeps your apps, photos and settings.

1. Update your Mac to the latest macOS, or install the latest Apple Devices app or iTunes on your Windows PC.
2. Connect the iPad straight to a USB port on the computer, not to a hub or a keyboard port.
3. Open Finder on a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, iTunes on a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier, or the Apple Devices app on a PC.
4. On an iPad without a Home button, press and quickly release the volume button nearest the top button, press and quickly release the farthest volume button, then hold the top button past the Apple logo until the recovery mode screen appears.
5. On an iPad with a Home button, hold the Home button and the top button together, and keep holding through the Apple logo until the recovery mode screen appears.
6. Select the iPad in the computer's sidebar when the Update or Restore prompt appears, and click Update.
7. Wait while the computer downloads the software and reinstalls iPadOS, keeping the cable connected until the iPad reaches the Lock Screen.

If the download takes more than 15 minutes, the iPad leaves recovery mode on its own. Let the download finish on the computer, then repeat the button sequence to return to recovery mode.

Update vs Restore in iPad recovery mode

The two buttons on your computer do very different things to your data. Apple's advice is to try Update first and use Restore only when updating does not work.

	Update	Restore
What it does	Reinstalls iPadOS over the existing system	Erases the iPad and installs a fresh copy of iPadOS
Your apps, photos and settings	Kept	Erased; you need a backup to get them back
When to choose it	First attempt on an iPad stuck after an update	Update failed, or the iPad starts in recovery mode during the update
After it finishes	Set up again only if asked	Set up from the Hello screen and restore a backup

How to restore iPad stuck in recovery mode

Restore is the step to take when Update fails or the iPad keeps returning to recovery mode. Apple says that if a device starts up in recovery mode during an update, you should restore it and then set it up from a backup.

1. Connect the iPad to the Mac or PC and put it into recovery mode with the button sequence for your model.
2. Select the iPad in Finder or the Apple Devices app when the Update or Restore prompt appears.
3. Click Restore, then confirm that you want to erase the iPad and reinstall iPadOS.
4. Keep the cable connected while the computer downloads the software and restores the iPad.
5. Repeat the recovery mode button sequence if the download passes 15 minutes and the iPad exits recovery mode.
6. Wait for the Hello screen, which means the restore finished and the iPad is ready to set up.

For advanced cases, you can also restore the iPad with an IPSW file that you downloaded yourself.

How to restore iPad from an iCloud backup after a restore

A restored iPad starts empty. Your apps and data come back from the last iCloud or computer backup made before the update.

1. Turn on the iPad and follow the setup screens from Hello until you reach Transfer Your Apps & Data.
2. Tap From iCloud Backup and sign in to your Apple Account.
3. Check the date and size of each backup and choose the most recent one.
4. Sign in again when asked so your apps and purchases restore.
5. Keep the iPad on Wi-Fi and power until the progress bar finishes, then complete setup.
6. To use a computer backup instead, open Finder or the Apple Devices app, select the iPad, click Restore Backup, choose the newest backup and click Restore.

Photos, music and apps keep downloading from iCloud after setup ends, so leave the iPad on Wi-Fi and power for a while, then back up the iPad to iCloud or a computer so the next update has a fresh copy to fall back on.

How to tell if an iPad update is still installing

Before you force restart, make sure the iPad is not simply in the middle of a long install.

1. Look below the Apple logo for a progress bar; any bar means an update, restore or erase is in progress.
2. Press the top button once; an updating message on screen means the update is still running.
3. If the iPad is connected to a computer, open Finder or the Apple Devices app and select it.
4. If the computer shows sync options for the iPad and lets you sync content, the update has finished and only the data migration is still running.
5. If none of these show anything after a long wait and the logo has no progress bar, the update has stalled and a force restart is the right next step.

iPad still stuck on the Apple logo after recovery mode

These are the problems that stop recovery mode from finishing, grouped by what you see.

iPad stuck in recovery mode and leaves it before the update finishes

The computer took more than 15 minutes to download iPadOS, so the iPad timed out of recovery mode.

1. Leave the iPad connected and let the download finish on the computer.
2. Repeat the recovery mode button sequence for your model.
3. Choose Update again; the computer uses the software it already downloaded.

Computer does not recognize the iPad

A hub, a faulty cable, an outdated Apple Devices app or security software is blocking the connection.

1. Plug the iPad directly into a USB port on the computer, not into a hub or keyboard.
2. Try a different Apple USB cable and a different USB port.
3. Update macOS, or update the Apple Devices app or iTunes on Windows.
4. Restart the computer and force restart the iPad, then try recovery mode again.
5. Try another computer on a different network if it still is not detected.

Error 9, 4005, 4013 or 4014 during the update or restore

The iPad disconnected during the update, or the computer lost its connection to it during the restore.

1. Update the Mac to the latest macOS, or the PC to the latest Apple Devices app or iTunes.
2. Force restart the iPad, connect it with a USB cable and click Update instead of Restore.
3. If the iPad starts in recovery mode during the update, restore it and set it up from a backup.
4. Try another USB cable or another computer if the error comes back, then contact Apple Support.

iPad keeps starting to Recovery Assistant

Recovery Assistant downloads a repair package over Wi-Fi, and it cannot use networks that need a login page or 802.1X authentication.

1. Select Continue on the Recovery Assistant screen and join a home Wi-Fi network with a normal password.
2. Wait several minutes for the recovery to complete, then restart the iPad.
3. If the startup problem continues, use recovery mode on a computer and restore the iPad.

iPad is stuck on the iPad Unavailable screen after the update

Too many wrong passcode attempts locked the iPad, which is separate from the update.

1. Keep entering the passcode until the iPad Unavailable screen offers Forgot Passcode? (iPadOS 17 or later) or Erase iPad (iPadOS 15.2 and 16).
2. Tap Forgot Passcode?, then Start iPad Reset, and enter your Apple Account password.
3. Tap Erase iPad, then set it up again and restore from a backup.
4. If the option never appears, use recovery mode on a computer and choose Restore.

iPad button is stuck or does not work, so recovery mode will not start

Recovery mode and force restart both depend on the physical buttons.

1. Try the force restart sequence once more, pressing each button firmly.
2. If a button sticks or does nothing, request a repair through Apple's Get service page, because Apple says an iPad in this state needs service.

iPad stuck on Apple logo FAQ

Why is my iPad stuck on the Apple logo?

An iPad stays on the Apple logo when an update, restore or erase is still running, or when startup stalls after one. A progress bar means it is still working. No progress bar for several minutes means it has stalled, so force restart it and then use recovery mode with Update.

Why is my iPad stuck in recovery mode?

An iPad stays in recovery mode when the update could not finish and it is waiting for a computer. Connect it to a Mac with Finder or a PC with the Apple Devices app, then choose Update. If Update fails, choose Restore, which erases the iPad and reinstalls iPadOS.

Why is my iPad stuck on the charging screen?

An iPad that will not get past a charging or low-battery screen does not have enough charge to start. Apple says to check your hardware and charge the iPad for up to an hour, then force restart it. If it still will not turn on, it may need service.

My iPad is stuck on the restore screen. What do I do?

The restore screen with a computer and cable is recovery mode. Connect the iPad to a computer, open Finder or the Apple Devices app, select the iPad and choose Update to keep your data. Choose Restore only if Update does not work.

What do I do if my iPad is stuck on the iPad Unavailable screen?

On iPadOS 17 or later, tap Forgot Passcode on the iPad Unavailable screen, confirm the reset and enter your Apple Account password to erase the iPad. This needs Find My turned on and a Wi-Fi connection. Without those, use recovery mode on a computer and choose Restore.

Will I lose my data if my iPad is stuck on the Apple logo?

A force restart and the Update option in recovery mode both keep your data. Only Restore erases the iPad, and then you get your apps and files back from your latest iCloud or computer backup. Try Update before Restore every time.

What if an iPad button is stuck?

A stuck or broken top, volume or Home button stops both a force restart and recovery mode from working. Apple says an iPad in that state might need service, so request a repair through Apple Support rather than forcing the button.

Why is my iPhone stuck on the Apple logo?

An iPhone gets stuck on the Apple logo for the same reasons as an iPad: a stalled update or startup. To force restart an iPhone 8 or later, press and release Volume Up, press and release Volume Down, then hold the side button. If the logo returns, use recovery mode on a computer and choose Update.