iPad: Charging the battery

Summary

iPad has an internal, rechargeable battery. Read on to learn how to charge the battery and identify supported iPad USB adapters.

Products Affected

iPad

To charge your iPad battery, try one of the following:

Connect iPad to a power outlet using the included cable and USB power adapter (use the table below to determine which adapter is intended for your iPad.)
Connect to a high-power USB 2.0 port using the included cable.

Note: Some USB 2.0 ports and accessories do not provide enough power to charge iPad. When this occurs the message "Not Charging" appears in the status bar next to the battery icon.

An icon in the upper-right corner of the screen shows battery charging status and approximately how much charge is left in the battery. If you charge the battery while syncing or using iPad, it can take longer to charge.

Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and the number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. For information on how long the battery is expected to last between charges, see the iPad Technical Specifications.

Charging tips

iPad is designed to charge with the USB Power Adapter provided in the box. iPad will charge with any Apple USB Power Adapter and will also charge, although more slowly, when attached to a computer with a high-power USB port. When attached to a computer through a standard USB port (most PCs or earlier Mac computers) iPad will charge, but only when it's in sleep mode. Make sure your computer is on while charging iPad through USB. If iPad is connected to a computer that’s turned off or is in sleep or standby mode, the iPad battery will continue to drain.

Additional Information

If iPad is very low on power, it may display one of the following images indicating that the device needs to charge for up to twenty minutes before you can use it. If the device is extremely low on power, the display may be blank for up to two minutes before one of the low-battery images appears. If you don't see the white charging or plug icons, try connecting to the USB Power Adapter included with your iPad.

Battery charging Wrong adapter

When charging iPad using a computer's USB 2.0 port, make sure the computer is plugged in to power and not in standby, sleep, or hibernation mode. iPad does not charge when connected to an older accessory that only supports FireWire charging. When connected to these accessories, iPad will display the following alert:

Charging is not supported

"Charging is not supported with this accessory."

Identiyfing your USB Power Adapter

Picture	Agency Marking	Name	Wattage	Works with…
		Apple 10W USB Power Adapter	10W	All iPhone models All iPad models
		Apple USB Power Adapter	5W	All iPhone models iPad mini
		Apple 12W USB Power Adapter	12W	All iPhone models All iPad models
		Apple 5W USB Power Adapter	5W	All iPhone models iPad mini
		Apple 5W USB Power Adapter	5W	All iPhone models iPad mini