<p>The iPad Sleep/Wake button is the small, black button at the top right-hand corner of the iPad. It is one of the few hardware buttons on the iPad and is primarily used to put the iPad to sleep or to wake it up. Because it is used to put the iPad into a suspended mode, the Sleep/Wake button is sometimes referred to as the suspend button or the hold button.</p><p>It is a common misconception that pressing this button is like turning the power off on the iPad. This is not true. The iPad doesn&#39;t run a shutdown procedure when the Sleep/Wake button is pressed. It powers down the screen and various other functions, but part of the iPad remains awake and ready to alert you to incoming email messages, text messages and certain forms of push notification. </p><p>The iPad also <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/best-ipad-cases-for-protection-1994421" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="1">supports &#34;Smart&#34; cases</a> that will automatically wake the iPad up when the case is opened and suspend the iPad when it is closed. Ensuring the iPad is properly suspended when not in use is a <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/tips-save-ipad-battery-life-1994488" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="2">great way to save battery life</a>. The iPad will automatically go into suspend mode after a certain amount of time has passed without any activity. By default, the iPad will suspend after a few minutes, but this interval can be <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/delay-auto-sleep-mode-passcode-lock-1994632" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="3">changed in the iPad&#39;s settings</a>.</p><h3>Additional Uses for the Sleep/Wake Button:</h3><p><strong>Reboot</strong>. A popular use for the Sleep/Wake button is to power down the iPad. While pressing the button doesn&#39;t shut down the iPad, you can initiate the process by pressing it and holding the button down until the iPad changes to a screen that instructs the user to slide a button to power down the iPad. After the iPad shuts down, it can be turned back on by pressing the Sleep/Wake button again. <em><a href="https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-reboot-your-ipad-1994495" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="4">Read more on rebooting the iPad.</a></em></p><p><strong>Screenshot</strong>. The Sleep/Wake button is used to take a picture of the screen by pressing it down at the same time as <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-ipad-home-button-1994353" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="5">pressing the Home button</a>. The screen will flash, which indicates an image of the screen has been saved. These images can be retrieved in the Photos app. <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/take-ipad-screenshot-1994513" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="6"><em>Read more on taking screenshots.</em></a></p><p><strong>Hard Reboot</strong>. A hard reboot is used when the iPad is completely frozen and the power down screen doesn&#39;t appear when holding the button down. If the user continues to hold the button down, the iPad will turn itself off after around fifteen to twenty seconds. The iPad can then be turned back on by pressing the button again. <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-fix-my-ipad-is-frozen-1994537" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="7"><em>Read more on dealing with a frozen iPad.</em></a></p><p><strong>Learn More: <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/ipad-training-101-new-users-1994515" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="8">A New User&#39;s Guide to the iPad</a></strong></p>