How to Fix an iPad's Home Button Not Working (2024)

> Apple

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Try taking off your case, and then do a restart

Jerri Ledford

Senior News Editor, Fact Checker

Western Kentucky University
Gulf Coast Community College

Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.

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Updated on May 9, 2022

Why Is My iPad Home Button Not Working?

To determine why your iPad home button isn't working, you should visually inspect the button. Does it press freely? Can you see it sink into the recess and pop back out? If you can, then there are a couple of things that might be going on:

There could be a software error interfering with the functions of the button.
There could be a hardware issue behind the screen of your iPad that is preventing the button from connecting properly.
The button may well be broken and need to be replaced.
There may be an external reason your button isn't working properly.

If you physically inspect your iPad Home button and it seems to be stuck or sticking when you depress it, then there might be a couple of problems causing the issue:

The button may well be completely broken.
An external screen or protective case could be causing the problem.

How Do You Fix an Unresponsive Home Button on iPad?

Once you've determined whether your button is physically broken or not, then you can figure out how to move forward. If the button is obviously broken, you'll need to have your iPad repaired at an Apple-approved service center. Otherwise, try these troubleshooting steps, starting at the top and working your way down until you find the problem.

If you don't have time to troubleshoot and just need to get something working, turn on assistive touch on your iPad. While this won't fix the problem you're having with your Home button, it will give you a virtual Home button you can use until you can assess the button properly.

Remove any external protective gear. This includes screen protectors, cases, or anything that might interfere with the Home button in any way. Once you've removed the protection, then try your Home button again. If it works, then the problem was with the gear you were using to protect the device, and you may need to replace it with a better-fitting case.
If you took the protective gear off and it didn't fix the problem, leave it off until you finish troubleshooting your device.
Restart your iPad. If there's a glitch in the software or the operating system for your iPad, a simple restart might get everything working again.
Make sure there's nothing physically interfering with your Home button. Inspect it for dirt, sand, debris, food crumbs, or anything which might prevent the button from being depressed completely. Clean the device with a clean, soft cloth to remove anything that might cause interference.
Gently pat the back of your iPad for a few seconds. If there's something loose inside the case of the iPad interfering with the Home button, this could joggle it loose. Tap the back of your iPad in the general vicinity of the Home button. Don't tap too hard or too light, as neither will do you much good. Just a firm, solid tap, much like you might use when you're clapping your hands.
Reset All Settings on your iPad. This won't completely erase your iPad, but it will reset all settings (including any settings which might be interfering with your Home button) back to factory defaults. To reset your settings go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Reset > Reset All Settings. Once you've reset all the settings, try to your Home button again.
Reset your iPad. This step will erase all the data on your iPad, so be sure to create a backup before moving forward. Once the reset is complete, and before you restore the iPad using your old data, check the status of your Home button. Once you know whether it's working or not, you can try restoring your data.
If nothing works, then it's like the button is broken or there is another internal issue. Reach out to Apple to begin the repair process on your iPad.

FAQ

How do I screenshot on an iPad without the Home button?
On iPads without a Home button, the button shortcut to take a screenshot is Sleep/Wake + Volume Up. You can also use Siri to take screenshots without pressing any buttons. First, go to Settings > Siri & Search and turn on the option next to Listen for "Hey Siri." Then, navigate to the screen you want to capture and say, "Hey, Siri, take a screenshot."
Where is the Home button on my iPad?
Not every model of the iPad has a Home button. First, find your iPad's model number to confirm which one you have. While all models of the base iPad have a Home button, the iPad Mini 6 and later, iPad Air 4 and newer, and iPad Pros made in or after 2018 (3rd generation and up) don't include the feature. If your iPad does have one, however, it will be in the bottom-center of the unit when you hold it vertically.

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