How to Turn Off iPad Kiosk Mode (Every Method, 2026)

A panicked iPad locked into a single app. A visitor is waiting, the badge printer needs reconfiguration, and no one wrote the passcode down.

This is the quick-reference for every way to turn off iPad kiosk mode — Guided Access, Single App Mode via Apple Configurator, Single App Mode via MDM, and Autonomous Single App Mode (ASAM) — plus the force-restart fallback for a forgotten passcode. Pick the section that matches how the iPad was locked. For the full setup story see the iPad kiosk mode pillar guide.

The four locks behave differently, and the difference decides what you can and can’t do. Here are all four on one screen:

Is your iPad supervised? Check this first

Before you try anything, find out whether the iPad is supervised. Supervision is the on/off switch that decides whether Single App Mode and MDM kiosk locks are even possible — an unsupervised iPad can only run Guided Access.

Open Settings → General → VPN & Device Management. A supervised iPad shows a banner: “This iPad is supervised and managed by [your organization].” Apple documents what that state means in If you have a supervised iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Vision Pro.

• Banner present, management profile listed → an MDM is in charge. Jump to the MDM section; you can release the lock from the console without touching the iPad.
• No banner, but the iPad still boots back into one app after a reboot → Single App Mode was set from Apple Configurator on a Mac. You need that Mac.
• No banner, triple-click ends the session → plain Guided Access. Start there.

Supervision can’t switch itself on by accident. It’s set either by erasing and re-enrolling the iPad or by assigning it through Apple Business Manager, so if the banner is there, someone in your org put it there on purpose. Apple’s device supervision overview covers the enrollment paths.

Exit Guided Access

Guided Access is the per-session lock most small offices use. To end it:

1. Triple-click the side button (or the Home button on older iPads).
2. Enter the Guided Access passcode.
3. Tap End in the top-left.

If Face ID or Touch ID is enabled for Guided Access, double-click the side button and authenticate instead. Guided Access uses its own passcode, not the device unlock passcode. Apple’s official walkthrough is in Use Guided Access on iPhone or iPad.

Exit Single App Mode (Apple Configurator)

Single App Mode pushed from Apple Configurator 2 on a Mac is persistent — the iPad reboots back into the locked app every time. It cannot be ended from the iPad itself.

1. Connect the iPad to the Mac running Apple Configurator 2 via USB.
2. Click the iPad in the Configurator window.
3. Choose Actions → Advanced → Stop Single App Mode.

The iPad relaunches to the Home Screen within seconds. If the Stop Single App Mode action is greyed out, the iPad is supervised by an MDM rather than by this Mac — Configurator no longer has authority over the lock, so release it from the MDM (next section). Apple documents the start/stop flow in Set Single App Mode in Apple Configurator for Mac.

Exit MDM-deployed kiosk mode

For fleet deployments, the Single App Mode Configuration Profile is pushed over the air by Jamf, Microsoft Intune, Mosyle, Kandji, or ManageEngine. To release a single iPad or the whole fleet, the admin un-scopes the profile.

• Microsoft Intune: Devices → iOS/iPadOS → Configuration → open the Single App Mode profile → Assignments → remove the device or group. The kiosk (app lock) settings live under the Apple device-restrictions template — see Microsoft’s Apple device restriction settings reference.
• Jamf Pro: Mobile Devices → Configuration Profiles → open the Single App Mode profile → Scope → remove the smart group or specific device.
• Mosyle Manager: Profiles → iOS/iPadOS → open the Single App Mode profile → Assignment → remove.
• Kandji: Library → Single App Mode item → remove the Blueprint assignment.
• ManageEngine MDM: Profiles → Apple → open the iOS Profile → remove from group.

The iPad relaunches to the Home Screen on the next check-in (typically within a few minutes). If the iPad is offline, the change applies the next time it phones home. To turn the lock back on later, re-scope the profile — no on-device action needed.

If the kiosk profile rides alongside a Restrictions payload that blocks screenshots, AirDrop, or AirPrint, those restrictions stay until the Restrictions profile is also removed. Remove both if you want the iPad fully unmanaged.

Exit Autonomous Single App Mode (ASAM)

ASAM is app-controlled. The kiosk app calls UIAccessibility.requestGuidedAccessSession(enabled: false) from its own admin or settings flow to release the lock. Most purpose-built kiosk apps — InstaCheckin’s iPad app included — expose this through an admin login or a long-press unlock gesture.

If the app is stuck in ASAM and the in-app unlock is unreachable:

1. Force-quit the kiosk app, or kill it from the multitasking switcher if accessible.
2. Restart the iPad. ASAM does not persist across an app crash plus restart cleanly — the next launch typically opens unlocked.
3. Remove the com.apple.app.lock allowlist profile from the MDM. Without the allowlist entry, the app cannot re-enter ASAM, so the iPad behaves normally on the next launch.

If you need the app to support ASAM again later, push the allowlist profile back. The bundle ID list is the only state ASAM relies on.

Force-restart the iPad (last resort)

When Guided Access has eaten the passcode and the front desk is locked out, force-restart is the fastest way out. The exact button sequence depends on the model — Apple documents both in Force restart iPad.

iPads with Face ID (no Home button):

1. Press and release Volume Up.
2. Press and release Volume Down.
3. Press and hold the top button until the Apple logo appears, then let go.

iPads with a Home button:

1. Press and hold the Home button and the top (or side) button simultaneously.
2. Keep holding both until the Apple logo appears.

The iPad reboots out of any active Guided Access session. Single App Mode, MDM-deployed kiosk lock, and ASAM all survive a force-restart — those need the admin actions in the earlier sections.

After the reboot — reset the Guided Access passcode:

1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access.
2. Tap Passcode Settings → Set Guided Access Passcode.
3. Enter a new 6-digit passcode and confirm. Store it in a shared password manager so the next person on shift can find it.
4. (Recommended) Toggle Face ID or Touch ID on so authorized staff can end sessions without typing the passcode at all.

If the same iPad keeps losing its passcode, the underlying problem is usually that the passcode lives in someone’s head instead of in 1Password / Bitwarden / your IT runbook. Move it.

Which method are you actually using?

If you are not sure which kiosk-mode mechanism is engaged, look at the symptoms:

• Triple-click does something → Guided Access. Use the passcode or biometrics.
• Triple-click does nothing, the iPad survives reboots in the locked app, no MDM profile is visible in Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → Single App Mode pushed by Apple Configurator. Connect to the Mac that originally locked it.
• A management profile is listed in Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → MDM-deployed Single App Mode. Release it from the MDM console.
• The locked app has its own admin login that unlocks the iPad → ASAM. Use the in-app unlock.

For the full setup-side counterpart of this guide, see the iPad kiosk mode pillar, the Guided Access setup walkthrough, or the Single App Mode deep dive.