iPad Is Disabled Connect To iTunes Error Message Explained!
One of the most frustrating iPad issues I sometimes face is the “iPad is disabled connect to iTunes” error message.
Table of Contents
- What does the iPad is disabled connect to iTunes” message mean?
- Why Does My iPad Say iPad Is Disabled Connect To iTunes?
- How Do I Fix iPad Is Disabled Connect To iTunes?
- Restore Your iPad To Its Factory Settings
- How To Back Up Your iPad
- Key Takeaways
What does the iPad is disabled connect to iTunes” message mean?
If you see “iPad is disabled connect to iTunes” on your iPad screen, you will need to restore your iPad from a backup or perform a factory reset. All of the data on your iPad will be erased and replaced by your backup or factory data.
It can be a major bummer to have to lose data you didn’t back up before the error message appeared. Facing this issue made me realize I need to back up my iPad data as often as possible, which you should do as well.
Why Does My iPad Say iPad Is Disabled Connect To iTunes?
I’ve had several iPads and never ran into any major problems with any of them for a few years.
Other people used my iPads from time to time, so someone was bound to enter my passcode incorrectly at some point.
Sure enough, someone eventually entered an incorrect passcode too many times and caused my iPad to lock.
Though my iPad would sometimes show a message about waiting a certain amount of time, the “iPad is disabled connect to iTunes” ended up showing that time.
Unfortunately, I was now required to restore my iPad to a backup, which meant I had to erase all my current photos, videos, and other valuable data.
Most non-Apple devices I had never locked me out this harshly, but I was now forced to wipe my iPad clean to get back into it.
How Do I Fix iPad Is Disabled Connect To iTunes?
When you see the “iPad Is Disabled Connect To iTunes” message, you will need to restore your iPad to a backup or its default factory settings.
There are several ways you can restore your iPad to a backup, but I feel the easiest method is to use iCloud.
Using iCloud is convenient for me since I don’t have to use any physical devices to restore my iPad data.
I can save and restore files through my iCloud account from any location and can quickly move files to and from other devices as needed.
I used to own tons of external hard drives and other storage devices, only to lose some of them or have them break down over time.
Though there are great solid-state drives on the market today, many of the external hard drives I had were traditional disk drives with a needle reader.
My traditional disk drives were often cheap and had good storage capacity, but they were more prone to breaking down compared to solid states drives.
When it comes to backing up data for my iPad, iCloud is much faster and safer than using an external drive or computer.
If you don’t have an iCloud account, I’ll go over ways you can restore your iPad with a computer later.
For now, I’ll now go over how to restore your iPad using an iCloud account.
Restore Your iPad To A Backup With iCloud
- Make sure your iPad has a strong and stable internet connection.
- Use your Apple ID to log in to your iCloud account.
- Select the iPad backup you want to restore.
- If prompted to enter your Apple ID login details at any time, you should go ahead and do so.
- Wait for the files to finish transferring to your iPad.
To be on the safe side, I also try to back up my iPad to my computer whenever I can.
Restoring a backup from my computer is helpful when I don’t have an internet connection.
I’ll now go over how you can restore an iPad backup using iTunes (on a Mac or PC) or Finder (on a Mac).
Restore Your iPad To A Backup With iTunes
- Open the iTunes app on your computer.
- Select your iPad from the list of devices.
- Choose Restore from this backup and choose the backup you want to restore.
- Select Continue.
Restore Your iPad To A Backup With Finder
- Open Finder on your Mac computer (with macOS 10.15 or a later version).
- In the sidebar menu under your computer, choose your iPad.
- Select Trust.
You should note that all the existing data on your iPad will be erased.
If you didn’t back up your iPad data before receiving the “iPad Is Disabled Connect To iTunes” message, you will need to restore your iPad to its factory settings.
I’ll now go over how you can restore your iPad using iTunes (on a Mac or PC) or Finder (on a Mac).
Restore Your iPad To Its Factory Settings
Restore Your iPad To Its Factory Settings With iTunes
- Open the iTunes app on your computer.
- Choose your iPad from the list of devices towards the left.
- Choose Summary.
- Choose Restore iPad and follow the instructions.
Restore Your iPad To Its Factory Settings With Finder
- Open Finder on a Mac with macOS 10.15 or a later version.
- Choose your iPad.
- Choose General towards the top.
- Choose Restore iPad.
How To Back Up Your iPad
To make sure you don’t lose valuable data like photos, videos, and other files due to iPad errors, you should try to back up your iPad data as much as possible.
Backing up your iPad is a relatively simple process that can be done in multiple ways.
Though it’s possible to back up an iPad through a computer, I like to back up my iPad through my iCloud account since there is less red tape involved.
iCloud lets me smoothly save my iPad files without plugging in other devices.
I’ll now go over how you can back up your iPad to your iCloud account.
How To Back Up Your iPad With iCloud
- Open the Settings app on your iPad.
- Select your name.
- Go to iCloud.
- Go to iCloud Backup.
- Enable iCloud Backup by toggling the switch to the on position.
Your iPad will now be automatically backed up to iCloud when your iPad is connected to the internet.
You can also back up your iPad using iTunes or the Finder app on a Mac computer.
As much as I like to use iCloud, it can come in handy to use iTunes or Finder to restore my iPad when I don’t have an internet connection.
I’ll now go over how you can back up your iPad using iTunes (on a Mac or PC) or Finder (on a Mac).
How To Back Up Your iPad With iTunes
- Connect your iPad to a computer that has iTunes installed on it.
- Load the iTunes app on the computer.
- Select your iPad in the list of devices.
- Choose Summary.
- Choose Back Up Now.
How To Back Up Your iPad With Finder
- Connect your iPad to a Mac computer that has macOS Catalina or a later version of macOS.
- Open Finder.
- Follow any on-screen steps regarding your passcode and computer access.
- Choose your iPad on your computer.
- Choose Back Up Now.
Key Takeaways
- To avoid getting the “iPad is disabled connect to iTunes” message, you should try not to incorrectly enter your iPad passcode too many times.
- To remove the “iPad is disabled connect to iTunes” message, you will need to restore your iPad to a backup or its default factory settings.
- You can use iCloud, iTunes, or Finder (on a Mac with macOS 10.15 or a later version) to restore your iPad and access it again.