Every iPad has a built-in Camera app, but it isn’t always easy to spot, especially if you’ve rearranged your Home Screen or someone set up restrictions. The Camera icon is a gray square with a black camera on it. This guide shows the fastest ways to find and open the Camera on any iPad, and how to bring the icon back if it has disappeared.
Quick answer
Swipe down on the middle of the Home Screen, type Camera in the search box, and tap it. If it doesn’t appear in search, go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps and make sure Camera is turned on.
What the Camera icon looks like
The Camera app icon is a light gray square with a dark camera shape in the center. It’s often on the first Home Screen page or in the Dock at the bottom, but it can be moved anywhere, including inside a folder.
Ways to open the Camera
1. Search for it
Swipe down from the middle of any Home Screen page to open search, type Camera, and tap the app in the results. This works no matter where the icon is.
2. Check the App Library
Swipe left past your last Home Screen page to reach the App Library. Camera is usually in the Creativity or Utilities group, or you can tap the search bar at the top and type its name. To put it back on the Home Screen, press and hold the icon and choose Add to Home Screen.
3. Open it from the Lock Screen
On the Lock Screen, swipe left to open the Camera without unlocking your iPad. You can take photos, but you can only view the ones you just took until you unlock.
4. Use Control Center
Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to open Control Center and tap the Camera button if it’s there. If it isn’t, you can add it in Control Center’s customization options.
5. Use Siri
Say “Hey Siri, open Camera” or “Hey Siri, take a selfie.” Siri opens the Camera in the right mode, ready to shoot.
Getting started with the Camera
Once the app is open, swipe the mode list next to the shutter button to switch between Photo, Video, Time-Lapse, Slo-Mo, Square, and Pano, depending on your iPad model. Tap the button with the circular arrows to switch between the front and rear cameras, and tap the screen to focus. Press either volume button to take a picture without touching the screen.
If the Camera icon is missing
Check Screen Time restrictions
The Camera app can’t be deleted, so when it vanishes completely, Screen Time restrictions are the usual cause, often on a child’s iPad or a school device.
- Open Settings > Screen Time.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. Enter the Screen Time passcode if asked.
- Tap Allowed Apps (on some versions, Allowed Apps & Features).
- Turn on Camera.
When you return to the Home Screen, the icon reappears. If you don’t know the passcode, ask the person who set it up. School and work iPads may have restrictions set by an administrator through device management.
Look inside folders
The icon may have been dragged into a folder by accident. Open each folder or use search to find it, then drag it back out.
Reset the Home Screen layout
To put all built-in apps back where they started, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Reset > Reset Home Screen Layout. Your apps and data stay, but folders you created are removed and apps are arranged alphabetically after the built-in ones.
If the Camera opens but shows a black screen
- Close the Camera app and open it again.
- Switch between the front and back cameras.
- Restart your iPad.
- Remove any case that might be covering the lens.
- Update iPadOS in Settings > General > Software Update.
If the camera still doesn’t work in any app, contact Apple Support, since it may be a hardware problem.
Related: How to rearrange photos in an iPad photo album.
Frequently asked questions
Can I delete the Camera app?
No. It’s built into iPadOS. You can hide it from the Home Screen, but it stays in the App Library.
Where do my iPad photos go?
Photos and videos you take are saved in the Photos app, in the Recents album.
Why is the camera allowed for some apps but not others?
Each app needs permission. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera to see and change which apps can use it.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.