How to restore your iPad from a backup after resetting it, so you never have to lose your data

While the iPhone and iPad usually suffer far fewer problems than traditional computers, sometimes the unexpected happens.

If your iPad is giving you serious problems, one way to get things back to normal is to perform a factory reset. This erases all the data and apps from your iPad and restores it to its original condition, as if it just arrived from the factory.

After resetting your iPad, you can restore all of your apps and data from a recent backup, or — if you suspect that something in the backup is what caused your iPad to have problems to begin with — reinstall all of the apps you want manually from the App Store and ignore your backups.

A word of caution: restoring your iPad is the "nuclear option" when it comes to troubleshooting your device. It's time-consuming and whenever you erase a device, there's always some risk, however small, that restoring from a backup will fail.

If possible, see if there's a particular misbehaving app and uninstall it first. You might also try some of the troubleshooting tips found in our article, "Can iPads get viruses?"

But if you know that you want to backup and restore your iPad, here's how to do it safely.

Check out the products mentioned in this article: 

iPad (From $329 at Apple)

How to backup your iPad so you can restore it later

Before you reset your iPad, make sure you have a current backup of your data. To check that you have a backup or make one:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap your Apple ID at the top of the left sidebar, and then tap "iCloud."

3. See if "iCloud Backup" is turned on. If it isn't, tap it to turn it on.

4. Check when the last successful backup occurred; if it was within the last few hours, that might be good enough. Otherwise, tap "Back Up Now" and wait for the backup to complete.

How to reset and restore your iPad

You're about to lose all of your apps and data, so don't proceed past this sentence without making sure you have a recent backup. Also, be sure that you have your Apple ID and password available, since you'll need it to sign in and retrieve your backup.

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap "General," and then tap "Reset."

3. On the Reset page, tap "Erase all Content and Settings," and choose "Erase Now." If, for some reason, you haven't already backed up your iPad, you can choose "Backup then Erase."

Your iPad will spend a few minutes resetting itself to factory conditions. Once it's done, you'll be greeted with the iPad's initial welcome screen.

At this point, follow the instructions of the setup assistant to sign in with your Apple ID — the same Apple ID you saved your backup on.

Once you sign into your Apple ID, you'll be able to automatically restore the iPad from the most recent backup on your iCloud account.

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