How to sync the iPad to an existing iTunes account

August 21, 2011 by bcuedtech 2 Comments

If you already have apps – maybe for an iPhone or iPod Touch – you will need to reset your iPad and sync to the computer where you sync your other Apple devices.  This will transfer the apps you already own to the iPad.

Anything you have already added to the iPad will be wiped out when you reset it.

To reset your iPad, tap on Settings > General > Reset (at the bottom of the General settings).  Then tap on “Erase All Content and Settings” and tap Erase to confirm.

This will set the iPad back to factory default.  Now you will need to plug the iPad into the computer where you sync your other Apple devices.

If you would rather not reset the iPad, plug it into your computer and open iTunes.  The iPad icon should appear in the left sidebar under “Devices”.  Click on it and then click “Sync” at the bottom of the iTunes screen.  iTunes might prompt you to transfer purchases from the iPad to iTunes, and it will warn you that it is replacing all apps on the iPad with apps from your iTunes Library.

How To
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2 Responses to “How to sync the iPad to an existing iTunes account”

  1. Craig Kalicki September 13, 2011 at 6:12 pm

    Instead of using sync, can you manually manage your apps from iTunes like you do songs?

    • bcuedtech September 15, 2011 at 1:04 pm

      Hi Craig,

      Yes indeed, you can select which specific apps are on your iPad just as you would with songs. When the iPad is plugged into iTunes, go to the App tab in the iPad section of iTunes and you’ll see the check boxes for apps. This is also where you can turn off “automatically sync new apps” in case you are using the same iTunes account on another device, like an iPod Touch, and you don’t want all those apps added. If this doesn’t answer the question, feel free to call me. 🙂