[2 Ways] How to Change iPad Owner Without Losing Apps

It’s easy to change Apple ID on your iPad, but may not easy to keep something you want on iPad. This guide will tell you details about how to change iPad owner without losing apps as well as other items.

Demi

By Demi / Updated on March 4, 2024

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How to change owners without losing all apps and settings

My wife will become the primary user of our iPad. How do we change ownership from me to her without losing App info and Contacts, etc.?

- Question from Apple Community

When you turn on a new iPad, you will be asked to enter an Apple ID so that you can get access to kinds of services provided by Apple, such as iTunes, iCloud, etc. When you intend to give the iPad to others or sell it, you may wonder how I reset iPad for a new owner. This passage will illustrate to you every detail about how to change iPad owner without losing apps and everything.

Part 1. How do you change ownership of an iPad?

Depending on different situations, you may have different ways to change the ownership of an iPad. The followings are two main situations people may meet.

• If you plan to give your former iPad to a family member, you can just switch to a new Apple ID on iPad by visiting the Settings app. The new owner may be able to use the apps temporarily but cannot update them.
• If you are selling or gifting the iPad, make sure that the iPad has a fresh start for the new owner so that your privacy can be protected well. You can go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings

Erase All Content And Settings

Generally speaking, the process for resetting iPad for a new owner is simple and requires a little time. The only problem is that how to change its owner without losing apps or everything.

Part 2. 2 ways to change iPad owner without losing apps

To change iPad owner without losing apps and other items, you need to do some preparations before changing its owner. You can either get it from Family Sharing or make a full backup of the previous iPad, then restore the backup files to a new device.

Solution 1. Change iPad owner without losing apps with Family Sharing

If you just want to keep the purchased apps on the iPad, you can try iCloud Home Sharing. Set the new owner as one of the family members of the previous owner, and the new owner can redownload or updated purchased apps on iPad. Follow the tutorials below to set up the Home Sharing on your iPad.

Steps to enable and set up
Step 1. On your iPad, go to Settings > Sign in your Apple ID > Family Sharing > Set Up Your Family and follow the onscreen instruction. Turn on the option Share Purchases with Family.

Enable Family Sharing iPad

Step 2. To invite the new owner as your family member, back Family Sharing > Add Family Member > Enter the email address of the new owner.

Ask the new owner to enter his password to accept the invitation, then follow the onscreen instructions. 

Notes:
• Each Apple ID can be a part of only one family at a time.
• With Family Sharing, you can invite up to five other family members to share iTunes, App Store purchases, etc.

How to redownload or update apps after changing the ownership of iPad
After changing iPad owner, you can follow the steps to get apps back.

Step 1. On App Store on the iPad, tap the profile picture in the upper-right corner, then tap Purchased.

Step 2. Tap the name of your previous Apple ID to get the contents > Tap the download icon next to each app to download it.

Download Apps With Family Sharing iPad

Note: Since all the items will still show their full price, to avoid paying for the items again, it’s more suggested to redownload them from the purchase page.

Solution 2. Change iPad owner without losing anything via FoneTool

Do only apps matter on your iPad? To avoid any data loss when changing iPad owner, it’s more suggested to fully backup your iPad with a powerful backup tool - FoneTool, which can be a good helper when you sell the former iPad and get a new one.

✓ Simple operations. FoneTool just requires a few clicks to finish backing up your iPad.
✓ Transfer types of files. Besides all apps (data files, preference), it can also backup purchased and non-purchased music, photos, contacts, call history, text messages. Memos, calendars, Safari (history, bookmarks), as well as system settings, etc.
✓ Wide compatibility. FoneTool supports different models of iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It can also work well with kinds of iOS.

Follow the steps below to backup iPad before resetting it for a new owner.

Step 1. Click the icon below to download and install FoneTool on your computer > Connect your iPad to computer with a USB cable.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7
Secure Download

Step 2. Choose Phone Backup from the left pane > Locate Full Backup and click Get Started.

Full Backup

Step 3. You can enable Backup encryption to protect the privacy of your backup files, then click Start Backup.

Start Backup

When the transfer is completed, you can unplug iPad from computer and erase all data on your iPad using the way mentioned above. Optionally, you can also deeply wipe iPad clean by the iPhone Eraser function from Toolbox bar in FoneTool.

After getting a new iPad or signing in with the Apple ID of the new owner on iPad, you can follow the steps below to restore the backup files, which all apps are included.

Step 4. Connect the iPad to computer again > Go to FoneTool > Choose Backup History > Locate the backup file and click circle icon > Click Restore to make it.

Click Restore

Tips:
• The corresponding data on your iPad will be overwritten after restoring from full backup.
• FoneTool also provides you selective ways to transfer data from old iPad to another.

Conclusion

Hope you can find an answer to the question of how to change iPad owner without losing apps in this guide. To avoid losing apps, you can set the new owner as one of your family members. You can also try FoneTool to make a full backup of your iPad and restore it.

It’s more inclined to try FoneTool, which allows you to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone with different Apple ID. If this guide helps you out, share it with more people.