Hand an iPad to a child for sixty seconds and you already know how it goes. They swipe out of the app, open something else, rearrange the home screen, or fire off a message you have to apologise for later. Apple built a feature for exactly this moment, and it’s called Guided Access.

This guide walks through the current iPadOS 26 version of Guided Access from start to finish: how to switch it on, how to lock the iPad to one app, how to end a session, and what to do when something goes wrong. If you’re still deciding which app to hand your child in the first place, our piece on educational apps that actually teach is a good companion read.

What is Guided Access on iPad?

Guided Access is a built-in iPad accessibility feature that pins the device to a single app. Once a session is running, gestures, the home screen, notifications, and even chosen hardware buttons stop working. The child can only use the app you opened. It’s free, lives inside the Settings app, and takes a couple of minutes to set up once.

A few quick things worth knowing before you start:

It works on every modern iPad, both Face ID and Home-button models.
It’s separate from Screen Time. Screen Time is for ongoing limits across all apps and downtime. Guided Access is for right now, just this one app.
The passcode you set is unrecoverable without restoring the iPad, so pick something you’ll remember.

How to enable Guided Access on iPad

You only need to do this once. After that, starting a session takes a couple of taps.

Open the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Accessibility.
Scroll to the General section and tap Guided Access.
Toggle Guided Access on.
Tap Passcode Settings, then Set Guided Access Passcode, and enter a passcode. You’ll be asked to enter it twice. Pick something a child won’t guess, but not something you’ll forget. There is no recovery option.
Still in Passcode Settings, turn on Face ID on Face ID iPads or Touch ID on Home-button iPads. That way you can end a session without typing the passcode every time.

That’s the one-time setup done.

How to start a Guided Access session

There are three ways to start a session in iPadOS 26. Pick whichever feels easiest.

Open the app you want to lock the iPad to. For example, open myplayshop in Safari, or open it as a Home Screen web app.
Start the session in one of these ways:
- Triple-click the Top button on a Face ID iPad. On older iPads, triple-click the Home button instead. If the Accessibility Shortcuts panel appears, tap Guided Access.
- Ask Siri: “Turn on Guided Access.”
- Use Control Center if you’ve added Guided Access there. To add it, go to Settings → Control Center and add Accessibility Shortcuts.
Before the session starts, you can:
- Circle areas of the screen with your finger to disable touch in those zones. This is handy for blocking a Settings cog or an in-app menu.
- Tap Session Settings in the bottom-left to fine-tune what stays available. On older iPadOS this button is labelled Options.
Tap Start in the top-right corner.

The iPad is now locked to that one app. Swiping up, pulling down Control Center, opening notifications, and pressing the Home button all stop working. The child only sees the app in front of them.

What you can control under Session Settings

Apple’s current Session Settings include:

Top Button or Home Button. Blocks accidental sleep and wake presses.
Volume Buttons. Stops the volume being cranked up or muted. In iPadOS 26.1 and later, this also blocks volume changes from connected Bluetooth headphones.
Motion. Stops the screen from rotating or reacting to shakes.
Software Keyboards. Hides the on-screen keyboard, useful if you don’t want the child typing.
Touch. Ignores all screen touches. Rare, but useful for video playback.
Time Limit. Auto-ends the session after a set duration. You can have the iPad play a sound or speak the remaining time as the limit approaches.
Dictionary Lookup. Allows or blocks the long-press define menu.

How to end a Guided Access session

When you want the iPad back:

Triple-click the Top button on a Face ID iPad, or the Home button on older iPads.
Authenticate with your Guided Access passcode, or with Face ID or Touch ID if you turned that on.
Tap End in the top-left corner.

You’re back to a normal iPad with full access.

Guided Access vs Screen Time: which should you use?

They solve different problems, and most parents end up using both.

Use Guided Access when…	Use Screen Time when…
You’re handing your iPad to a child for a single sitting, like a flight, a long car ride, or a quiet ten minutes.	The iPad belongs to the child and you want ongoing rules.
You want them locked into one specific app, with no wandering.	You want daily downtime, app time limits, or web content filters.
You want a one-tap “kid mode” without setting up Family Sharing.	You want communication limits, purchase approvals, and age-rated content rules.

If the iPad is fully your child’s, set up Screen Time under Family Sharing alongside Guided Access. The two features happily coexist.

When Guided Access isn’t working

A few common gotchas show up in the support forums:

Triple-click does nothing inside Settings. Guided Access cannot be started from inside the Settings app itself. Open your target app first, then triple-click.
A Screen Time app limit is blocking it. If the target app is at its daily limit under Screen Time, Guided Access can refuse to start. Check Settings → Screen Time → App Limits.
The Accessibility Shortcut isn’t set. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Accessibility Shortcut, and make sure Guided Access is ticked.
It’s stuck. Toggle Guided Access off in Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access, then back on. If the iPad itself is frozen in a session, force-restart it: press and release Volume Up, press and release Volume Down, then hold the Top button until the Apple logo appears.

Tips for using Guided Access with myplayshop

myplayshop is built for the moments when you want a child to play a focused, single-app session, and Guided Access pairs naturally with it.

Open myplayshop first, then start the session. That way the iPad lands in the shop straight away with no detours.
Disable Volume Buttons in Session Settings so the till sounds stay at a comfortable level.
Circle the corner controls if you want to stop curious taps on settings or menu icons within the app.
Set a Time Limit for classroom rotations, or for “ten more minutes before bed” situations. The iPad will end the session itself.
Run it on every iPad in the room. For classroom rotations, set up Guided Access on each iPad once. After that, any teacher can triple-click in and start a locked session in seconds. See our parents and teachers page for more ideas for classroom use.

Guided Access gives a child the freedom to play without giving them the whole iPad. If you haven’t tried myplayshop yet, it’s a free shop-simulation app for ages 4 to 10 and works beautifully inside a Guided Access session. Open it, lock the screen, and let them get on with running their shop.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between Guided Access and Screen Time?

Guided Access locks the iPad to one app for a single session. Screen Time is an ongoing parental-controls system that manages app time, downtime schedules, content ratings, and purchases across the whole device. Guided Access is “borrow my iPad for ten minutes”; Screen Time is “this iPad belongs to my child”.

Can I use Face ID or Touch ID to exit Guided Access?

Yes. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access → Passcode Settings and turn on Face ID on Face ID iPads, or Touch ID on Home-button iPads. Then to end a session, triple-click the Top or Home button and authenticate with your face or finger instead of typing the passcode.

What do I do if Guided Access isn’t working?

There are three common causes. First, you may be trying to start it from inside Settings. Open your target app first. Second, a Screen Time app limit may be blocking the app you chose. Check Settings → Screen Time → App Limits. Third, the Accessibility Shortcut may not be ticked. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Accessibility Shortcut and tick Guided Access. If the iPad is frozen mid-session, force-restart it.

What if I forgot my Guided Access passcode?

There’s no built-in passcode recovery. You’ll need to force-restart the iPad and, in most cases, restore it from a backup to clear the session. Pick a passcode you’ll remember next time, or rely on Face ID or Touch ID so you don’t need to type it.

Does Guided Access cost anything? Which iPads support it?

Guided Access is free and built into iPadOS. It’s available on every iPad currently supported by Apple. Face ID models start a session with a triple-click of the Top button, and older Home-button models use a triple-click of the Home button.

Can I start Guided Access with Siri or from Control Center?

Yes. Ask Siri “turn on Guided Access” while the target app is open. You can also add Accessibility Shortcuts to Control Center by going to Settings → Control Center and adding Accessibility Shortcuts. Then tap Guided Access from Control Center.

Does Guided Access work with Bluetooth headphones?

Yes. In iPadOS 26.1 and later, turning off Volume Buttons in Session Settings also disables volume changes from connected Bluetooth headphones, so children can’t crank the volume from a paired set of earbuds.

Is Guided Access the same as Assistive Access?

No. Assistive Access is a separate, deeper accessibility mode that gives the whole iPad a simplified interface with large icons and a limited set of core apps. Guided Access is a quick single-app lock. If you want a permanently simplified iPad for a child or for accessibility needs, look at Assistive Access instead.

How to Lock Your iPad to One App with Guided Access