3 Simple Ways to Lock or Freeze Your iPad Screen

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Prevent unintended presses by locking your iPad's screen

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: January 9, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Locking to a Specific App
|
• Locking with a Passcode
|
• Locking the Screen Rotation
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

There are several ways to lock an iPad screen, depending on your intended use. You can lock the screen so no one else can get into your iPad, so one app stays on the screen, or so the screen doesn't rotate when you turn the iPad. In this article, we teach you how to lock your iPad screen. Read on to learn more.

Ways to Lock an iPad Screen

• Set up Guided Access to lock your iPad's screen to one app.
• Set a passcode on your iPad, then lock the screen by pressing the top or side button.
• Use the Control Center to lock your iPad's screen orientation, so it doesn't rotate when you turn it.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Locking to a Specific App

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1. 
   1
   Open the Settings app. It's the app icon of gears. It's on your Home Screen by default, but if you've removed it, swipe over to the App Library and search for "settings."
2. 
   2
   Tap on Accessibility. It's in the left-hand sidebar, under "General." It has an icon of a person.
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3. 
   3
   Tap on Guided Access. It's in the right-hand panel once you open the Accessibility tab. You will have to scroll to find it, as it's in the "General" section at the bottom of the menu.
4. 
   4
   Enable Guided Access. To do this, tap the toggle next to "Guided Access." If Guided Access is already enabled, you can skip this step.
5. 
   5
   Configure Guided Access. If you want to change your Guided Access settings, you can do so in this menu.

   • Passcode Settings: In this menu, you can set a Guided Access passcode that can be used to end a session. You can also enable Touch ID or Face ID to end a Guided Access session.
     • If you don't set a Guided Access passcode, you'll use your iPad passcode to end the session.
   • Time Limits: Choose Sound or Speak to have Guided Access play a sound before the Guided Access time ends.
   • Accessibility Shortcut: A toggle that will display or not display Accessibility Shortcut settings when the Home or top button is triple-pressed.
   • Display Auto-Lock: Choose how long it will take for your iPad to lock when using Guided Access. "Default" will use your automatic lock settings in the Display & Brightness menu.
6. 
   6
   Open the app you want to lock on the screen. Tap the Home button or swipe up on the screen to get out of the Settings app, then open the app you want to lock.
7. 
   7
   Triple-press the Home or side button to start Guided Access. On iPads with a Home button, you'll press the Home button. If your iPad doesn't have a Home button, you'll want to triple-press the side button.

   • You can also use Siri to enable Guided Access. To do so, simply ask Siri to turn on Guided Access when you have the app you want locked to the screen open.
8. 
   8
   Circle the areas of the screen you want to disable. When Guided Access is active, any circled areas can't be interacted with.
9. 
   9
   Choose which buttons you want to disable. To do so, tap Session Settings, then choose the buttons you want to disable. You can choose to disable as many or as few buttons as you want.
10. 
    10
    Tap Start to begin Guided Access. The screen will be locked to the app you chose until you decide to turn off Guided Access.
11. 
    11
    Turn off Guided Access when you're done. There are two ways you can do this:

    • If you set a passcode (or are using your iPad passcode), triple-click the Home or side button, then enter the passcode.
    • If you're using Face ID or Touch ID, double-click the Home or side button, then use your face or fingerprint to turn off Guided Access.
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Section 2 of 3:

Locking with a Passcode

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1. 
   1
   Set a passcode if you don't have one. To lock your iPad's screen with a passcode, you must first set one. To do this, open your iPad's settings and choose Touch ID & Passcode if you have an iPad, iPad mini or iPad Air, or Face ID & Passcode if you have an iPad Pro.

   • You can set your passcode in this menu, with several options available.
2. 
   2
   Press the button on the top of your iPad. This will turn off the iPad's screen and lock it with your passcode. Whenever someone wants to use the iPad, they will have to wake up the screen and then enter the passcode to unlock it.
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Section 3 of 3:

Locking the Screen Rotation

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1. 
   1
   Hold your iPad in the orientation you want to lock it in. If your iPad screen keeps rotating when you turn the iPad vertically or horizontally, you can stop it by locking the screen rotation. Start by holding your iPad vertically or horizontally (whichever orientation you want to lock it in).
2. 
   2
   Swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen. This will open the Control Center.
3. 
   3
   Tap the icon of a lock with an arrow around it. This button is right above the "Focus" button. Once you tap this button, your iPad's screen orientation will be locked. If you want to turn off the screen lock, simply open the Control Center again and tap the lock button again.
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