How to connect my disabled ipad to itunes

Many business owners are using iPads to collect data from consumers at trade shows, out of office visits, and even within the office for various meeting requirements, including presentations. The iPad could become disabled if someone entered the wrong password multiple times. Although this is a great feature to protect the iPad from potential thieves, it can interrupt your work day if you can't unlock it quickly. There are a couple ways to unlock and reset iPad functions.

Table of Contents Show

Reset iPad From iTunes
Recovery Mode Without iTunes
Third-Party Software
Get back into your iPad using iTunes or Finder
iPad Passcode Woes
What Causes a Disabled iPad That Needs to be Connected to iTunes or Finder?
How to Fix an iPad That Is Disabled and Says 'Connect to iTunes or Finder'
How do you unlock an iPad that is disabled and says connect to iTunes?
How do you unlock your iPad that has been disabled?
How do you connect a disabled iPad to a computer?

Reset iPad From iTunes

Connect your iPad to your computer with a USB cable. On the computer, open iTunes and locate your device in the upper right-hand corner of iTunes. Select your device and two options appear on the screen: Back Up Now or Restore Backup. If you haven't backed up the iPad ever or haven't done it in quite some time, select Back Up Now. This should sync the iPad to iTunes. The first part of the sync process is to enter the password on your iPad. If you know your password, enter it and you can continue with the backup or cancel this and proceed to use your device. You have successfully reset the iPad.

If the iPad is disabled and you are unable to sync the device, select Restore Backup. This will only work if you have previously backed up the iPad. When you Restore Backup, select the most recent backup you have to reclaim as much of your data as possible, including pictures, files and downloads. The restore process takes a few minutes, while the data transfers to the iPad from the computer.

Recovery Mode Without iTunes

If you have never synced with iTunes, you can still enable the iPad, but you may not restore all data to the device because you don't have a backup. Connect your iPad to a computer that has iTunes. While the device is connected via USB port, conduct a Force Restart by holding the Home button while also holding the Power button, until the Apple logo appears.

After a few minutes, you are prompted to either Restore or Update. You can try to Update to give yourself a chance of maintaining your data. However, if the iPad is disabled, you more than likely will need to Select Restore. This process restores the device to its original factory settings. It takes 15 minutes or more to complete this process. You will need to set up the device again. As long as you have your iTunes password, you should be able to reload all of the pertinent apps on the iPad to use, but you will not have data restored.

Third-Party Software

There are third-party software solutions that help unlock iOS devices while bypassing password protections. Always do your due diligence on third-party programs to prevent unwanted malware or virus infections.

LockWiper is one such third-party program that bypasses the password. Install the program and connect the device with the USB port to reset the iPad. Follow the prompts that put the device into a mode it can recognize. The device details get confirmed and firmware is updated. After verification, the unlock process is started when you click Start Unlock. The password to use in the system is "000000" to Unlock. Once completed, backup iTunes in the normal fashion and go back to using the device.

Get back into your iPad using iTunes or Finder

This article will explain what to do when your iPad tells you to connect it to a computer. It will explain why it's happening and how to get it working again.

iPad Passcode Woes

An iPad can become disabled from entering in the wrong passcode too many times (Passcode disabling happens to iPhone, too). When that happens, you'll see a message saying your iPad is disabled and to try again later—sometimes it says in a few seconds, sometimes in hours or days. No matter what the screen says, it really means wait a few minutes and try again.

What Causes a Disabled iPad That Needs to be Connected to iTunes or Finder?

When you see the message on an iPad's screen saying "iPad is Disabled Connect to iTunes" it's most likely caused by an operating system update that failed or other serious software problem. When that happens the iPad stops responding to anything you do and needs to be put into Recovery Mode to get it working again.

How to Fix an iPad That Is Disabled and Says 'Connect to iTunes or Finder'

When you see the connect-to-computer icons on your disabled iPad, follow these steps to unlock it and return it to working order:

There are different steps depending on what computer you are using. We'll point out the differences so no matter what you have, you can still get your iPad working again.

You'll need a Mac or PC in order to continue. Make sure the computer you are using is up to date and running the latest version of its operating system.
If you are using a Window-based PC or a Mac running macOS Mojave (10.14) or earlier, make sure to have the latest version of iTunes.
With your software up to date:
- On a Mac running macOS Catalina (10.15) and higher, open a Finder window.
- On a PC or Mac running macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes.
If you can, turn off your iPad. How you do this depends on which model of iPad you have:
- For iPads without a Home button, press and hold Volume Down and the top button.
- For iPads with a Home button, press and hold the Home and top buttons.
When the power-off slider appears, slide it from left to right.

Apple Inc.
If you can't turn off your iPad, it's fine to skip this step.
Using the cable that came with your iPad, connect the iPad to your computer.
Put the iPad into Recovery Mode. Again, how you do this depends on your iPad model:
- For iPads with a Home button, press and hold the Home and top (or side) buttons at the same time.
- For iPads without a Home button, press and release Volume Up, press and release Volume Down, and press and hold the top button.
Keep holding until the Recovery Mode screen appears on the iPad.
Again, the steps differ based on your computer:
- On a Mac running macOS Catalina and higher, click your iPad in the Finder sidebar (if you don't see it, expand Locations).
- On a PC or Mac running macOS Mojave, click the iPad icon in the top left corner in iTunes under the playback controls.
Click Update and follow the onscreen prompts to update your iPad's software. Always try this first, since you don't have to delete any data from your iPad if this works.
If updating the iPad didn't work, you'll have to restore it.
The Restore process will delete all of the data on your iPad and there is no undo, so hopefully you have a recent iPad back up. If you do, you'll be able to recover that data in the next step. Click Restore and follow the onscreen instructions.
Once the Restore process is complete, your iPad will be back to its factory-new state.
You'll now need to set up the iPad as if it were brand new. When you get the step with a choice, you can choose to restore the iPad from back up.

FAQ

How do I fix a disabled iPad?
If your iPad is disabled because you've made too many incorrect attempts to enter the passcode, you don't have many options. More than likely, the easiest fix is to return it to factory settings by going to iCloud.com > Find iPhone > choose your iPad > Erase iPad.
How do I fix a frozen iPad?
A frozen iPad may have several fixes. First, try holding the Home and Power buttons to force a restart. If your iPad doesn't have a Home button, hold Volume Down and Power. You can also try freeing up storage, charging the battery, or, if nothing else works, a factory reset.

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How do you unlock an iPad that is disabled and says connect to iTunes?

Unlock Disabled iPad with iTunes.

If you are a Windows user, open iTunes. And if you are a Mac user, open Finder..

Boot the iPad in Recovery Mode using the buttons. The method differs for iPads with Touch ID and those with Face ID. ... .

Locate the device on the computer. ... .

From the options that appear, select Restore..

How do you unlock your iPad that has been disabled?

To unlock a disabled iPad if you forgot the password, you can restore it with Finder or iTunes. You can also unlock your iPad by doing a system restore using the Find My website or app. You'll need a recent iPad backup to get your data back after you restore and unlock it.

How do you connect a disabled iPad to a computer?

While pressing and holding the Home button, reconnect the USB cable to the device. The device should turn on. Continue holding the Home button until you see the Connect to iTunes screen. iTunes will alert you that it has detected a device in recovery mode.