The Spinning Wait That Never Ends
You turn on your old iPad and the Apple logo appears. Normal. But then it just… stays there. Minutes pass. The screen goes black, the Apple logo comes back, and you’re watching the same cycle on repeat. Or it hangs on the logo with a progress bar that never moves.
This is a boot loop, and it’s one of the most common problems when you pull an old iPad out of storage. A failed update, corrupted software, or a battery that drained completely can all cause it. The good news is that most of the time you can fix it without losing everything.
Try a Force Restart First
This fixes the problem more often than you’d expect. A force restart clears whatever got jammed during startup and gives the iPad a clean boot attempt.
iPads with a Home button (iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, and older):
Hold the Home button and the Top (power) button at the same time. Keep holding both for about 10 seconds – past the point where the screen goes black. When the Apple logo appears again, let go. This time, give it a full 2-3 minutes to boot. Sometimes the first attempt after a force restart takes longer than usual.
iPads without a Home button (iPad Pro 2018+, iPad Air 4+):
Press and quickly release Volume Up. Press and quickly release Volume Down. Then press and hold the Top button until the Apple logo appears. Let go and wait.
If the iPad boots normally, you’re done. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and make sure you’re running the latest iOS your iPad supports. A pending or failed update is often what caused the loop in the first place.
If It Keeps Looping: Recovery Mode
When a force restart doesn’t break the cycle, you need a computer. Recovery mode lets iTunes (Windows) or Finder (Mac) reinstall the iPad’s operating system.
What you need: A Mac or Windows PC, a USB cable that fits your iPad (Lightning or USB-C), and an internet connection.
Steps:
- Connect your iPad to the computer with the USB cable
- Open Finder (macOS Catalina or later) or iTunes (Windows or older macOS)
- Put the iPad in recovery mode:
- Home button iPad: Hold Home and Top button together. Keep holding even when you see the Apple logo. Don’t let go until you see the recovery mode screen (a picture of a cable pointing at a computer)
- No Home button: Press Volume Up, then Volume Down, then hold the Top button until you see the recovery mode screen
- Your computer will show a message: “There is a problem with the iPad that requires it to be updated or restored”
Now you have two choices:
Update keeps your data and reinstalls the operating system. Try this first. It downloads the latest compatible iOS and installs it over your existing setup. Your photos, apps, and settings stay intact.
Restore wipes everything and starts fresh. Use this if Update fails or if the iPad loops again after updating. You lose all data unless you have a backup, but the iPad will work.
The download can take 15-30 minutes depending on your internet speed. Don’t disconnect the iPad during this process.
The Progress Bar That Won’t Move
If your iPad shows the Apple logo with a progress bar underneath, it’s trying to complete an update or restore. The bar can sit at the same spot for a long time – 20 minutes or more – before suddenly jumping forward.
Don’t unplug it. Don’t force restart it. Don’t assume it’s frozen. Let it run for at least an hour before deciding it’s actually stuck.
If the bar genuinely hasn’t moved in over an hour:
- Force restart the iPad (Home + Top button, or the Volume Up/Down/Top sequence)
- Try recovery mode from the section above
A stalled progress bar usually means the previous update or restore was interrupted (the battery died, the cable got bumped, Wi-Fi dropped). Recovery mode will finish the job properly.
Stuck on “Connect to iTunes” Screen
If your iPad shows a cable icon pointing at the iTunes logo (or a computer icon on newer iOS versions), it’s already in recovery mode. It got here on its own because the operating system is too corrupted to boot.
Connect it to a computer and follow the recovery mode steps above (step 2 onward). The computer should detect it immediately.
Stuck on the Activation Lock Screen
This is different from a boot loop. The iPad boots fine but demands an Apple ID and password before you can use it. This is Apple’s anti-theft system (Find My iPad), and it triggers after a factory reset.
If it’s your Apple ID: enter your credentials. Forgot the password? Reset it at iforgot.apple.com from another device.
If it’s someone else’s iPad: the original owner needs to remove it from their iCloud account at icloud.com/find. Without the original Apple ID, neither you, Apple, nor a repair shop can bypass this lock. See our reset guide for more on dealing with Activation Lock.
When the Hardware Is the Problem
If none of the software fixes work, the iPad may have a hardware issue. Signs that point to hardware:
- The iPad gets very hot during the boot loop
- The screen flickers or shows colored lines before going to the Apple logo
- The boot loop started immediately after a drop or water exposure
- Recovery mode restore fails repeatedly with error messages
For old iPads with hardware problems, repair usually costs more than the device is worth. An iPad Air 1 or older isn’t worth a $150 logic board repair. But even a hardware-damaged iPad isn’t trash – Apple will recycle it for free, and some buyers on eBay purchase broken iPads for parts.
Quick Fix Checklist
- Force restart – Home + Top button for 10 seconds (or Volume Up/Down/Top sequence)
- Wait – give it 2-3 minutes to boot after a force restart
- Recovery mode Update – reinstalls iOS while keeping your data
- Recovery mode Restore – wipes and reinstalls if Update fails
- Check for hardware signs – heat, screen artifacts, physical damage
Most boot loops are software problems, and software problems are fixable. Plug it into a computer, let recovery mode do its work, and your old iPad should boot normally again. If you’re pulling it out of the drawer to repurpose it anyway, a fresh restore is actually the perfect starting point.