iPad Basics

iPad Overview

Your iPad comes with a paper handout from Apple in the box and Apple’s full iPad User Guide is online at support.apple.com. The information here on our webpages has some of the same information but in a simpler format. It also includes additional information that you may find helpful.

If you see words or terminology that you do not know, please click here for our list of iPad Word Definitions.

Here is a 35-minute video overview of some iPad basics on YouTube from a young man named Thomas Jadallah. The video is from May 2020 and was made for beginners and seniors:

Here is 3-minute iPad basics video from GCFLearnFree.org from 2017:

iPad Buttons and Ports

How to Charge Your iPad

Connect iPad to a power outlet using the included cable and power adapter.

How to set up your iPad

Click here for steps to set up your new iPad.

How to Connect to Wi-Fi

After you join the network, you’ll see a blue checkmark next to the network and the connected Wi-Fi icon in the upper corner of your display. If you don’t know the password to the Wi-Fi network, contact your network administrator.

iPad Settings

The Settings app is on the Home screen.

It contains menus that do many things:

Accessibility Settings

The iPad has many accessibility features to support vision, physical and motor, hearing, and learning needs and preferences.

Go to Settings, then find the Accessibility icon:

Then choose any of the following features. Click on each tab for more information:

Camera and Photos

The camera app can be used to take different types of photos such as live photos, selfies, time-lapse, slo-mo, panoramic pictures, and HDR pictures, as well as videos. These different types of photo settings can be found in the menu in the Camera app.

You will also find settings to adjust the flash and timer on your camera. You can take a picture by pushing the shutter button on the screen, or pressing the “volume up” button on your device.

Photos and videos are stored in the Photos app. Screenshots are also stored in the Photos app and can be found in the albums section. You can crop and edit your pictures and videos in the Photos app.

You can also take pictures using the Photo Booth app. Photo Booth is always in “selfie” mode and lets you take pictures using the front camera of your device. It has fun effects and filters such as X-Ray, Comic Book, and Kaleidescope.

Dock

The Dock is the row of apps in the highlighted bar at the bottom of your Home screen. It lets you open and switch apps from any app you are in. You can customize the left side of the Dock with your favorite apps. On the right side, you can see apps that you recently used and apps that are open on your iPhone and Mac. To see the Dock while you’re using an app, slide one finger up from the bottom edge of the screen until the Dock appears. 

To customize the Dock with your favorite apps, touch and hold an app on the Home screen, then drag it to the left side of the Dock. To remove an app from the Dock, touch and hold an app on the left side of the Dock, then drag it off.

Here is a 1-minute video from Apple Support on using the Dock:

Tip: How to find your iPad

Use the Find My app to locate and play a sound on a missing iPad or other Apple device. Turn on Find My before your device is lost. To turn it on, go to your Settings, tap your Apple ID, and scroll down to Find My.

If you lose your iPad and do not have access to the Find My app, go to iCloud.com and log in using your Apple ID and click on “Find My.” A map will open, then click on the dot that shows your iPad’s location and choose “Play Sound.”

This 3-minute video from Apple Support shows how to use the Find My app: