Skip to main content

How To: Register an Apple iPad

When you purchase an iPad and boot it up for the first time, Apple will ask you to register the device. Now, you don’t necessarily have to register your device in order to use it. Even if you don’t, you can still download apps and take full advantage of your tablet’s capabilities. Basically, registration helps if your device is lost or stolen, and also helps Apple keep you up to date with the latest software updates and product releases.

Registration is an incredibly simple process that only takes a few minutes to complete. Here’s how to do it:

Step One

Go to Apple’s product registration website.

Step Two

Here, you’ll be asked to choose your location and set your preferred language from two drop-down menus. After you do this, the site will prompt you to log in with your Apple ID credentials. If you don’t have one, go ahead and create one.

Step Three

Select the number of products you’d like to register (probably just one) and then click Next.

Step Four

On the next screen, you’ll be prompted to select the device you wish to register. Select “iPad” from the categories list. Be sure to specify whether you have a Wi-Fi or 3G model, and then click “Continue.”

Step Five

Figure out your iPad’s serial number. These are always printed on the back of the tablet, right below the product details.

Step Six

To finish things up, just indicate how you will use the device and set your location. Click “Continue” to complete your iPad’s registration!

Now that you’re all registered, be sure to check out our Best iPad Apps, Best iPad Games, Best iPad Cases, and Best iPad Accessories lists.

Editors' Recommendations

Drew Prindle
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
You may have to wait a while longer for new iPads
The backs of Apple's iPad Air and iPad Pro, with the tablets place on a table.

Just days ago, the Chinese website IT Home said Apple would announce the launch of its 2024 iPads on Tuesday, March 26. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman — who still believes new iPads will arrive this spring — has debunked this rumor. In other words, we'll probably have to wait a little longer for new Apple tablets to arrive.

Gurman had previously stated that Apple's next-generation tablets would arrive in late March or April.  Of the March 26 rumor, Gurman took to X, formerly Twitter, to say it was "not true."

Read more
The DOJ has sued Apple over the iPhone. Here’s what it means for you
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro seen from the back.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro (left) and iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

If you're reading this article, chances are you have an iPhone. It's also quite likely that your friends and family members also use an iPhone. The iPhone is the smartphone of choice for millions of people in the U.S., and now, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing Apple over the iPhone monopoly it has established over the years.

Read more
UPS worker accused of nabbing $1.3M worth of iPhones and other Apple gear
A MacBook and iPhone in dark red light.

The desirability and high value of iPhones and other Apple devices make the gear a popular target for criminals looking to make a fast buck.

In the latest such case, a now former UPS employee is accused of stealing more than $1.3 million worth of Apple iPhones and laptops from the shipping company’s warehouse in Winnipeg, Canada, before selling them in an operation that continued for seven months, the Winnipeg Free Press reported this week.

Read more