You were tapping around on your iPad when suddenly the screen went blank. Whether the screen turned black, white, or a completely different color, you can’t use your iPad at all! In this article, I’ll explain why your iPad screen is blank and show you to fix or repair the problem.
Why Did My iPad Screen Go Blank?
Many people believe that there’s a hardware issue when their iPad screen goes blank. However, a lot of the time, iPad screens turn blank because of a software crash, making the screen appear completely black or white. The steps below will first walk you through two important troubleshooting steps you should take before exploring screen repair options!
Did Your iPad Go Blank When Using An App?
If you were using an app when the screen went blank, it’s possible that app is causing the problem rather than your iPad. Closing and reopening the app can sometimes fix a minor software crash or bug.
If your iPad has a Home button, double-press it to open the app switcher. Swipe the app you were using up and off the top of the screen.
If your iPad doesn’t have a Home button, open the app switcher by swiping up from the very bottom of the screen to the center of the screen. Swipe the problematic app up and off the top of the screen to close it.
Check out our article on how to fix crashing apps if your iPad screen goes blank when using a specific app or apps. If an app isn’t the cause of the problem, move onto the next step!
Hard Reset Your iPad
The first step to take when your iPad screen is blank is to hard reset your iPad. If a minor software crash made your display blank, a hard reset should temporarily fix the problem. I want to emphasize that this won’t fix the root cause of the problem — we’ll do that in the next step!
There are a few different ways to hard reset an iPad depending on which model you have:
- iPad without a Home button: Press and quickly release the volume button closest to the top button, press and quickly release the volume button farthest from the top button, then press and hold the top button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
- iPad with a Home button: Press and hold the Home button and the top button at the same time until you see the Apple logo appear on the display.
If your iPad has turned back on and the screen looks normal, that’s great! As I mentioned earlier, we still haven’t fixed the real reason why your iPad display is blank. If your iPad screen is still blank after you tried hard resetting it, you can still put your iPad into DFU mode and restore it! Let’s move onto the next step.
Back Up Your iPad
Before moving on, it’s a good idea to back up your iPad immediately. If the problem recurs, or if there’s a hardware issue with your iPad, this could be your last chance to save a backup. A backup is a copy of all the information on your iPad, including your photos, contacts, and apps.
There are a few ways to back up your iPad. We’ll walk you through each option and let you decide which is best for you.
Back Up Your iPad To iCloud
Open Settings and tap on your name at the top of the screen. Tap iCloud > iCloud Backup and make sure the switch next to iCloud Backup is on. Finally, tap Back Up Now.
Note: Backing up to iCloud requires a Wi-Fi connection. Check out our other article if you don’t have enough iCloud storage space to back up your iPad.
Back Up Your iPad To iTunes
If you own a PC, open the Apple Devices app to back up your iPad to your computer. If your PC doesn’t have the Apple Devices app, open iTunes instead. If you own a Mac running macOS 10.14 or older, you’ll use iTunes. Plug your iPad into your computer and open the Apple Devices app or iTunes. Click on the iPad — in the Apple Devices app, it appears in the sidebar; in iTunes, click the device icon in the upper left-hand corner of the window.
Click General (Apple Devices) or Summary (iTunes). Click the circle next to This Computer. We also recommend checking the box next to Encrypt local backup for extra security, and to back up your account passwords, Health data, and HomeKit data.
Finally, click Back Up Now to begin backing up your iPad. When the backup is finished, the current time will be displayed under Latest Backup.
Back Up Your iPad To Finder
If you own a Mac running macOS Catalina 10.15 or newer, you’ll use Finder instead of iTunes to back up your iPad. When Apple released this update, functionality like syncing, backing up, and updating was separated from iTunes. iTunes was replaced with Music, where your media library now lives.
First, plug your iPad into your computer and open Finder. Click on your iPad under Locations. Next, click the circle Back up all of the data on your iPad to this Mac and check the box next to Encrypt local backup. Finally, click Back Up Now.
Put Your iPad In DFU Mode
Deep software problems, like the one that’s probably making your iPad screen blank, can be nearly impossible to track down. Fortunately, we have the DFU restore, which erases then reloads all of the code on your iPad. A DFU restore can fix even the deepest iPad software issues!
I recommend backing up your iPad before putting it in DFU mode so you don’t lose any of your photos, videos, contacts, and other data. When you’re ready, check out our step-by-step guide that’ll show you how to put your iPad in DFU mode!
iPad Repair Options
Water damage or a drop on a hard surface can dislodge or damage your iPad’s internal components, causing your iPad screen to go blank. Schedule a Genius Bar appointment at your local Apple Store if your iPad is covered by an AppleCare+ plan. If water damage caused your iPad screen to go blank, AppleCare+ covers liquid damage as part of its accidental damage protection — you’ll pay a service fee for the repair.
Not Drawing A Blank!
You’ve successfully fixed your iPad and the display isn’t blank anymore! Next time your iPad screen is blank, you’ll know exactly how to fix the problem. Leave a comment down below if you have any other questions about your iPad.
