Use the Home, side, and other buttons on your iPad

Learn about the buttons and switches on your iPad.

If your iPad has a Home button

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Top button

Press to wake your device or put it to sleep. Press and hold the top button to turn your device off or on.

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Home button

Use the Home button to unlock your iPad or make purchases using Touch ID. Press the Home button once to go to the Home screen. Press and hold to activate Siri.

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Volume buttons

Use to adjust the volume when listening to music, watching videos, or playing games.

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Side switch (certain iPad models)

Use to mute sounds and alerts from your iPad or turn Rotation Lock on or off.

If your iPad doesn't have a Home button

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Top button

Press to wake your device or put it to sleep. Press and hold the top button to activate Siri. If your iPad has Touch ID, use the top button to unlock your iPad or make purchases using Touch ID.

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Volume buttons

Use to adjust the volume when listening to music, watching videos, or playing games.

Use the volume buttons

On many iPad models, by default the volume button closest to the top button increases the volume and the volume button furthest from the top button decreases the volume, regardless of how you hold your iPad:

Image points out location of buttons on iPad.

Dynamic volume buttons adjust automatically as you rotate your iPad. So you increase volume with the button on the right or top, and you decrease volume with the button on the left or bottom, regardless of how you hold your iPad.

These iPad models feature always-on, dynamic volume buttons:

  • iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation)

  • iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation)

  • iPad (10th generation)

  • iPad mini (6th generation)

  • iPad Air (5th generation)

On other iPad models with iOS 15.4 and later, you can turn dynamic volume buttons on or off:

  1. Make sure that your iPad has iPadOS 15.4 or later.

  2. Go to Settings > Sounds.

  3. Turn on Fixed Position Volume Controls if you want the volume buttons to always have the same behavior. Turn it off if you want the volume buttons to change dynamically depending on the orientation of your iPad.

With languages that have writing that goes from right to left, you increase volume with the button on the left or top, and decrease volume with the button on the right or bottom. If your iPad has Rotation Lock on, the volume buttons will function based on the orientation that the iPad is locked to.
Image points out location of buttons on iPad.
Image points out location of buttons on iPad.

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