Restoring the iPad 2

Download the right file below, then use it to restore the iPad from Finder on the MacBook.

1Turn the iPad over and look at the top edge of the back

Most likely

Wi-Fi only

The back is all aluminum. There's no black plastic strip along the top.

Download (Wi-Fi)
1.4 GB · model A1395
Cellular

AT&T / SIM card

Black strip across the top, and a small SIM-card tray on the side.

Download (AT&T)
1.4 GB · model A1396
Cellular

Verizon

Black strip across the top, but no SIM-card tray.

Download (Verizon)
1.4 GB · model A1397

If you pick the wrong one, the restore just says it won't work. Nothing breaks, so try another.

2Restore using the file

  1. Let the download finish. It goes into your Downloads folder and ends in .ipsw.
  2. Plug the iPad into the MacBook and open the iPad in Finder (the screen with the Update and Restore iPad… buttons).
  3. Hold down the option key and, while holding it, click Restore iPad…
  4. A window opens. Pick the .ipsw file from Downloads and click Open, then Restore.
  5. Leave it plugged in. It takes 10–20 minutes, and the iPad restarts a few times.

3Setting it up

  1. Keep the iPad plugged into the MacBook while you go through the setup screens. If Wi-Fi activation fails, the Mac activates it for you.
  2. If it asks for an Apple ID and password, use the one that was on it before.
If the Mac says "The iPad software update server could not be contacted" again, that's fine. Holding option and choosing the downloaded file (step 2) is how to get past it.