You typed the unlock code of your iPad several times in a row, on the display of the Apple tablet appeared the message “iPad disabled” and now you can not use it anymore? Do not worry, this is an easily resolvable question, you just have to have a minimum of patience and a few moments of free time. This is in fact a condition that occurs systematically when more than six times in a row the wrong unlock code is entered for the device but luckily can be faced without too much difficulty, provided, of course, to be the rightful owners of the tablet.

If you are therefore really interested in the question I can explain, step by step, how to unlock iPad disabled. Before giving you all the explanations of the case, however, it seems right to make a small but very important clarification: since the one in question is a security measure taken by Apple to prevent unauthorized third parties from handing the reference device, unless you has not created a backup of the contents of your device, as I have spinned in my article on how to back up iPad, all the data on the same will be inexorably lost once you have proceeded to enable the iPad again. I’m sorry, this is how it is.

That said, if you want to know more about what to do I can not do anything but advise you to get comfortable, to grab your tablet to Apple and to read very carefully the information on the topic that you find below. I sincerely hope that in the end you can feel very happy and satisfied with what you have learned. Happy reading and … good “work”!

 

Procedure through iTunes

If you want to discover how to unlock a disabled iPad, what you need is a computer with iTunes installed, Apple’s home software for managing multimedia files as well as iDevice. If you have a Mac iTunes is already available “standard”, while if you’re using a Windows PC you should have it first downloaded and installed, as I also reported in my article on how to install iTunes. To use it for the purpose in question it is also essential that you have used iTunes at least once to synchronize the device.

Without the above premises, then connect your iPad to a USB port on the computer using a special Lightning cable, wait a moment for the iPad to be recognized by iTunes and the software will open automatically (if this does not happen you open it) and then wait for the pairing process to start and complete (it should take a few minutes).

Then click on the icon depicting an iPad that you see at the top left in the iTunes window, then make sure that the Summary tab is selected, which is always on the left side of the program (in the opposite case, select it) and click on button Restore iPad … which is on the right. Then accept the conditions of use of iOS by clicking on Restore / Restore and Update, then on Next and on Accept.

Once this is done, the latest version of iOS available for your device will be downloaded (the duration of the procedure depends on the speed of your Internet connection). When the download is complete, a message will appear to alert you that the iPad has been reset to factory status.

At this point you will have to decide, by selecting the relevant option on the tablet screen, whether to configure your iDevice as a new one or to restore your data, apps and settings from a previous backup.

Note: If after connecting your iPad to iTunes in the software window you will see a warning appear asking you to enter a code, try to perform the procedure in question on another computer or switch to recovery mode, which you find always indicated in this guide of mine, in the final part.

Procedure through Find my iPad

Do not you have a computer at your fingertips, or do you prefer to go along an alternative route to the one above? Then you can unlock your iPad disabled through Find my iPad, the anti-theft system that Apple has made available for all its devices and that, as easily understood by the name itself, also allows you to identify the lost iDevice on the map.

Obviously, to be able to serve you find my iPad for the purpose in question is essential that the functionality has been previously activated on the tablet, otherwise … nisba! For your knowledge, I would like to point out that to enable the Find my iPad function on the device you need to access the iOS home screen, tap on the Settings icon, press on your name in the upper part of the screen that is displayed, then on iCloud and then on Find my iPad. To conclude, you must turn ON the switch present at the item Find my iPad.

If you respect the above requirement, the first thing you need to do to unlock your disabled iPad is to connect to the home page of iCloud.com from a computer, another tablet or smartphone with an active and working Internet connection. Then log in to your Apple account by typing user name and password in the fields on the screen and then pressing the arrow symbol on the right. If two-factor verification or two-step verification is enabled on your account, please also provide authentication as indicated.

On the Internet page that you will see later, set the language and time zone (only if this is the first time you connect to the Web service) and then presses the Save button and select the Find iPhone icon. Type the password for your Apple ID again and press Login.

Within a few moments you will find yourself in front of a map with the indicated geographical position of the iPad and that of all other devices of the “bitten apple” connected to the same Apple ID. Then select the words All devices in the upper right corner of the Web page, then select the name of your iPad (eg Frank’s iPad) from the list that appears and, from the box appeared laterally, choose the option Initialize the iPad.

Finally, enter the password for your Apple ID and choose whether to receive a message at the end of the operation and / or display a personalized message on the device screen. Once this is done, your iPad will be immediately restored to factory status and on the iCloud web page you will see a warning indicating that the tablet has been initialized and that the entire procedure has been successfully completed.

Continuing from the iPad screen you will then have to decide whether to configure the device as a new one or to restore data, apps and settings from a previous backup.

Procedure by way of How to unlock iPad disabled

How to unlock iPad disabled

Have you never synchronized between the iPad and iTunes and / or have not configured Find my iPad on your positive so you can not put into practice the procedure indicated in the previous step? So to succeed in your intent there is nothing left to do but take advantage of the recovery mode (you need a computer and iTunes). By doing so, the iPad and its code will be initialized and then you can start using the tablet as if nothing had ever happened.

To put the iPad in recovery mode, to start with use the Lightning cable to connect the Apple tablet to one of the USB ports of your computer and then wait a moment for iTunes to start. If you are using a Windows computer – and then unless you have already done the installation, iTunes is not pre-installed – you can download and install the program by following the instructions in my guide on the topic that I reported to you at the beginning article.

While the device is connected, you must then force it to restart. To do this, press and hold the Standby / Restart and Home keys simultaneously. Continue to hold down both keys even when the Apple logo is displayed. Release them only when you see the recovery mode screen appear.

After that, on the computer desktop you will see a window appear indicating that there is a problem with the tablet and that then you have to update or restore the device. You respond to the notice by pressing the Reset button.

At this point, it will start downloading through iTunes the latest version of iOS compatible with your iPad and when the download is complete (the duration of the procedure depends on the speed of your Internet connection) a message will appear on the desktop indicating the fact that the device it has been brought back to the factory state.

To conclude, decide, by selecting the appropriate option on the tablet display, whether to configure the device as a new iPad, or to restore data, apps and settings using a backup made previously.

Note: If downloading the latest version of iOS compatible with your iPad takes more than 15 minutes, the device will exit the recovery mode and you will need to repeat the procedure described in this step all over again.

In case of further problems

Even though I followed the instructions on how to unlock a disabled iPad that I have provided to you on the previous lines, have you not succeeded in your intent? While practicing one or more of the procedures described above, some other problem arose and you could not complete it all? So I strongly suggest you get in touch with Apple support in order to try to solve the issue with them.

Based on what are your personal preferences and the means in your possession, you can get in touch with Apple by choosing one of the following systems.

How to unlock iPad disabled

• By phone – Call the toll-free number 0800 048 0408 directly from your smartphone or landline and follow the instructions in the guide item. The call is free and the number is active from Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 7:45 pm.
• Online – Connect to the online support page on the official Apple website, select the icon for the iPad and follow the on-screen wizard to indicate the type of problem encountered and get the help you need .
• App Apple Support – Download the app for Apple support on iOS (it does not have to be the iPad), start it, connected to your Apple iPad, select your iPad from the list of devices for which you want to get help and you’ll see a list that contains numerous entries. Then tap on the one that interests you and proceed following the on-screen instructions.
• Twitter – Visit the verified account @AppleSupport, and forward a tweet or a direct message indicating those that are the problems you encountered. In a short time you should receive an answer.
• Apple Store – Go directly to one of the various Apple Stores on the Italian territory (and not) asking for support “in person”. To find out where is the nearest Apple Store you can refer to the list on the appropriate Internet page.

For more details on what to do for  How to unlock iPad disabled , I strongly suggest you read my article dedicated, in fact, how to contact Apple through which I proceeded to talk to you about the matter in great detail.