How to Turn Find My iPad On or Off (2024)

> Apple

You can find your iPad on a map if this feature is turned on

Daniel Nations

Writer

University of Texas at Arlington

Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, and other publications. He is a developer who has published apps in the Apple App Store, Google Play marketplace and Amazon Appstore; he also has worked as a data analyst and DB administrator.

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Updated on October 30, 2021

Apple

iPad
Macs

What to Know

Go to Settings > your name > Find My, and then toggle the Find My iPad switch to turn the feature on and off.
Toggle on Send Last Location to send Apple the iPad's location data so you can find the device even if it's off or the battery dies.
Track a lost iPad: Go to iCloud.com, select Find iPhone > All Devices, and choose your iPad. Select Play Sound, Lost Mode, or Erase iPad.

This article explains how to turn the Find My iPad feature on or off. Turning the feature on allows you to track the device. You'll need to turn the feature off before selling your iPad or giving it away. Instructions cover iPadOS 14 through iOS 9.

How to Turn Find My iPad On and Off

Access your iPad's settings to enable or disable Find My iPad.

Open the Settingsapp.
In the Settings pane, tap your name.
Tap iCloud in iOS 12 and earlier. (In newer iPadOS versions, select Find My instead and jump to Step 5.)
In the Apps Using iCloud section, tap Find My iPad.
Turn on the Find My iPad toggle switch to enable the feature or turn off the toggle switch to disable it.
For Find My iPad to work, Location Services must be turned on. In the Settings app, go to thePrivacyarea and confirm Location Services is turned on or turn it on.
See Also
Find, secure, or erase a lost Android device
Turn on the Send Last Location toggle switch to send Apple the iPad's location information when the battery is low, so you can find it even if its battery ran down and it is turned off.
When this feature is turned off and the iPad is powered down or not connected to the internet, you won't be able to see a location.

How to Use Find My iPad

A benefit to Find My iPad is that you don't need an iPad to use it. Here's how to use it to track a missing tablet:

Open a web browser and go to iCloud.com.
Tap Find iPhone.
Use Find iPhone to locate any device set up on Find My, including desktop and laptop computers, Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad.
In the default Find My iPad screen, click theAll Devicesdrop-down arrow and choose a specific device.
When using an iPad to locate another iOS device, hold the tablet in landscape mode so that the list appears on the side of the screen.
The device screen zeroes in on the location of that device and offers these options:
- Play Sound: Plays a sound on the iPad to locate the tablet when you're sure it's somewhere within hearing range.
- Lost Mode: Locks the iPad so that nobody else can access it. You can also type a message to appear on the iPad screen. Use this option if you left the iPad and want to protect it from being used. This also tells anyone that finds it your phone number, email address, home address, or other contact information so that they can return it to you.
- Erase iPad: Erase the iPad when you know you will not get it back and want to clear it for security reasons. Another reason to erase an iPad is to reset it without plugging it into a computer if it keeps freezing up.
You can manage every device on your Apple ID from this site.

What Is Find My iPad?

The Find My iPad option on the iPad is one of the most important features on the tablet.It can locate an iPad using GPS or locate an iPad that's hiding under a couch or beneath a pillow. To locate a missing device, use an iPhone or a computer to play a sound on the iPad. Find My iPad has other features, such as Lost Mode, and you can completelyerase the iPad remotelyif someone steals it.

If you plan tosell your iPad orgive it to a friend, turn off the Find My iPad feature and thenreset the iPad to its factory default settings. Also, turn off Find My iPad before you have any repairs done to it.

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How to Turn Find My iPad On or Off (2024)

FAQs

How do I turn off my iPad Find My? ›

Turn off Find My on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

When you turn off Find My on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Activation Lock is automatically removed. On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > Find My. Tap Find My [device], then turn off Find My [device].

Read On ›

Should I have Find My iPad on or off? ›

Find My can help you recover a lost or stolen device. If you're preparing to sell, trade-in, or give away your device, make sure that you turn off Find My.

Discover More Details ›

Should Find My iPad be turned on? ›

Set up your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or Apple Watch

To set up Find My on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or Apple Watch, sign in to the device with your Apple ID, turn on location sharing, and turn on Find My [device]. You need to set up Find My before the device is lost.

How do I disable Find My Without password? ›

Part 1: How to Turn Off “Find My iPhone” without Password

Step 1: Open your iPhone, go to Settings>iCloud>Account.
Step 2: Delete the current password and input any code into it, then click Done.
Step 3: There will be a pop-up window shows you that “User name or password is incorrect”.
Step 4: Tap Ok and then Cancel.

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Aug 28, 2023

See Details ›

Can iPad be tracked if turned off? ›

The clear answer is No, it is not possible to track a tablet if it is turned off. Tracking a device requires it to have power and be connected to a network, such as Wi-Fi or cellular data. When a device is turned off, it is not connected to any network, so there is no way to track its location.

Find Out More ›

How do I turn off Find My Device? ›

Open Settings. Tap Security. Go to Find My Device, and tap the switch to turn it off.

Tell Me More ›

How do I know if my iPad is being tracked? ›

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking. The list shows the apps that requested permission to track you. You can turn permission on or off for any app on the list. To stop all apps from asking permission to track you, turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track (at the top of the screen).

Show Me More ›

How long does Find My iPad last? ›

Locate your device

The last known location is displayed for up to 24 hours. Select “Notify me when found” to get an email when it's online again. If you turned on the Find My network, you can use the Find My app on any device that's signed in with the same Apple ID to see your device's location, even if it's offline.

Explore More ›

Should you always turn off your iPad? ›

It's not necessary to periodically turn off IPhones or iPads. They can be left on indefinitely because that's how they were designed to be used. Using them as designed wont damage them.

How do I turn Find My iPhone off without others knowing? ›

If you turn on Airplane Mode or disable Location Services, the other user will not be notified. However, they will certainly know if you go to the Find My app and stop sharing your location with the person.

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What does Find My iPad do? ›

You can use Find My on your iPad to see the location of your device on a map.

Read The Full Story ›

Should Location Services be on or off? ›

Turning off the location service on your phone can help conceal your location. This is important if you don't want third parties knowing where you are or being able to track your movement. However, a smartphone can still be tracked through other techniques that reveal its general location.

See Details ›

What happens if you turn off Location Services? ›

Turn Location Services on or off

You can individually control which apps and system services have access to Location Services data. When Location Services are off, apps can't use your location from Location Services in the foreground or background. This will limit the performance of various Apple and third-party apps.

Get More Info Here ›

What happens if I cant Find My iPad? ›

Mark as Lost on iCloud.com/find to lock your device

When you mark your iPhone or iPad as lost, your device is put in Lost Mode — it's locked with a passcode, payment cards and passes that you use with Apple Pay are suspended, and you can display a phone number and message for someone who finds your device.