How to fix an Apple iPad Pro 2018 that won’t turn on [Troubleshooting Guide]

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There are many reasons as to why a device won’t turn on and it’s not always due to a bad battery or hardware damage. In fact, many devices would fail to power on because of software-related factors like errant apps, corrupted files, bad updates, and fatal system errors. In this case, the device is likely turned on but just stuck on blank or black screen. That being said, rushing to a service center isn’t always the main option whenever your device doesn’t power on.

To give you some inputs, I’ve mapped out a few suggested workarounds that will help rule out software-related factors that might have prevented an iPad Pro from turning on. Read on to learn what options to try on whenever your iPad Pro suddenly refuses to power on.

Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed most of the commonly reported issues with the phone. We’ve already provided solutions to some of the problems reported by our readers so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, fill up our iPad issues questionnaire and hit submit.

First solution: Force restart.

Devices that won’t turn on aren’t always having trouble powering up. In fact, some devices that are thought to be not turning on are actually powered on but just stuck on black screen. Many factors can make this happen and both old and new devices can give into this issue. To make sure that your iPad Pro isn’t just stuck on black screen, try to do a forced restart. This will help clear out any erratic apps and services that might have caused your device to get stuck on black screen and failed to work as intended. Here’s how to force restart an iPad Pro:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Press and hold the Side/Power button until you see the Apple logo.

The problem can be considered solved, if your iPad Pro managed to boot up after performing a forced restart. However, you can also consider performing some other workarounds that would prevent the problem from recurring. Among your options are as follow:

Reset all settings. This reset wipes all customized settings including invalid configurations that might have caused conflicts on your iPad’s power and battery system operations.

  • To reset all settings on your iPad Pro, head over to Settings-> General-> Reset menu, then select the option to Reset All Settings. If prompted, enter your passcode to continue and confirm settings reset.

Wait for your iPad to restart by itself and then it should be all set for use again. To use features that are disabled by default, you need to enable them first.

Install new updates. It is highly recommended to keep apps and device firmware updated so as to ensure optimum performance. Updates usually offer fix patches to get rid of existing errors and problems caused by random bugs and malwares. If you haven’t updated your apps or iPad already, then you should consider doing so.

  • To check for and install pending app updates, simply open the App Store then navigate to the Updates section. To update individual apps, tap on the Update button next to the name of the application. Otherwise, tap the Update All button to update all apps at once.

Restart your iPad Pro after installing new updates to ensure that all new system changes are properly implemented. Doing so will likewise refresh the internal memory and iOS.

Second solution: Force restart while charging.

If performing a forced restart alone doesn’t solve the problem, then try to force restart your iPad Pro while it’s charging. Your device might be experiencing rapid battery draining due to some bad apps, malwares or system bugs. As a result, it’s completely dead. To clear out all the said triggers, performing a forced restart while the iPad Pro is charging is recommended. As mentioned earlier, a forced restart on an iPad eliminates erratic apps and services that are inflicting adverse symptoms, particularly rapid battery draining. If these triggers aren’t eliminated, the device may not be able to power up as expected. To fix the problem, plug your iPad Pro into the charger and allow it to charge for a few minutes. While charging, force restart your iPad Pro. Just refer to the outlined steps above to carry out a forced restart.

Also ensure that your device is charging properly. If it’s not charging or charging intermittently, then you need to deal with that first. Your device might have totally run out of power and wouldn’t turn on because it’s not charging in the first place.

Third solution: Connect your iPad Pro to a computer then try restoring through iTunes.

If you have a Mac or Windows computer that has the latest version of iTunes installed, then you can use that to try to access your iPad Pro system in iTunes. This can potentially fix the problem if your device is actually stuck on black screen due to fatal system errors like when it’s operating system (iOS) has been totally corrupted. In this case, your device may need a full system restore either via recovery  mode or DFU mode. So here’s what you can try doing then:

Connect your iPad to the computer using the Apple-supplied USB cable or Lightning cable.

Then open iTunes on the computer and wait for your iPad to be recognized in iTunes. If iTunes is able to detect your iPhone, then you have a chance to fix it by performing an iOS restore. And as mentioned earlier, you’ve got two options to choose from.
If you wish to carry out a recovery mode restore, then follow these steps to put your iPad Pro in recovery mode and then restore iOS through iTunes:

While your iPad Pro is connected, continue with these steps:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Press and hold the Top button until your device reboot. Keep holding the Top button until it goes into Recovery Mode.
  4. When you see the option to Update or Restore, select Update first. Doing so will command iTunes to try to reinstall iOS without erasing your data. If that doesn’t work, then choose the option to Restore instead.

Wait for iTunes to finish downloading the software for your device. If the download takes more than 15 minutes and your device exits the Connect to iTunes screen (recovery mode screen), just let the download finish and then go back to the prior steps to enter recovery mode again.

If you wish to perform a DFU mode, then you may start by connecting your iPad to the computer and then perform these subsequent steps:

  1. Press then quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Press then quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Then press the Side button for a few seconds.
  4. If the screen turns off, press and hold the Volume Down button for about 5 seconds and then release the Side button. Your iPad screen will then turn completely black.
  5. On your computer, iTunes will prompt an alert saying that it has detected a device in Recovery Mode. If you see that warning prompt, release the Volume Down button.

By then you can start restoring your iPad by following the onscreen commands in iTunes.

Please note though that a DFU mode restore is only recommended if your device doesn’t have any sort of liquid damage. If you suspect that liquid damage is present, then you better take your iPad to a service center. Performing a DFU mode restore on a liquid-damaged iOS device could end up to a worse problem as the device could become totally bricked or dysfunctional. And you don’t want that to happen for sure.

Other options

  • Third-party iOS repair/recovery software. Aside from iTunes, you can also use non-Apple software to fix major system errors that might prevent your iPad Pro from turning on. These tools can be downloaded and installed on a compatible computer (Mac or Windows) just like iTunes. Once you have the software installed, connect your iPad to the computer via USB or Lightning cable, run the software and then start fixing your iPad using the available commands.
  • Service/iPhone repair. Your iPad might have obtained some sort of physical or liquid damage  and so none of the given solutions is able to get it back up and running again. In this case, you have no choice but to seek for a technician’s aid. You can visit the nearest Apple-authorized service center in your place and ask a technician to run some hardware assessments and if necessary fix your iPad.

If your iPad Pro is still eligible for warranty, then you should contact your iPad provider/carrier for more information on how to avail for service warranty or new unit replacement.

I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your device. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!

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