LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Troubleshooting

No matter what you do, you can't get your LeapPad2 to turn on.

If you have been using your LeapPad2 too much, or not been giving it enough love and left it lying around, your battery may be drained. When purchasing non-rechargeable batteries four AA alkaline batteries are recommended. If you instead choose to purchase rechargeable batteries, we recommend NiMH (nickel metal-hydride) AA batteries of 2000mAH (milli-amp hours) or higher. Instructions to replace the battery can be found at LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Battery Replacement To optimize LeapPad2 battery for future use, review the instructions found at LeapFrog’s Customer Help Website.

It is possible that it appears nothing is happening because the display is faulty. If this is the case, it is possible the screen display is bad and must be replaced. Replacement instructions are available at LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Screen Replacement.

Whether your kid told you or not, the LeapPad could have fallen in water. Lay the LeapPad on a paper towel, unplug, and remove batteries from your device. Dry the tablet with a soft rag or towel to remove all visible droplets of water. Leave the LeapPad in a bowl of rice or Rice Krispies overnight. Examine the damage the next day; the water could have caused more damage overall. To repair you may have to replace the motherboard or purchase a new device.

If the above options do not fix this problem, the logic board may be damaged. You may want to either replace the logic board it here or get a new device. Sorry, it’s the only logical answer.

LeapPad is not responding to my stylus pen.

Clean the screen from the outside with a dry microfiber cloth (ie. for eyeglasses). Make sure there is nothing blocking connections.

Make sure there are no crumbs in the cracks that could cause the screen to not be working. Clean the gaps with an air compressor.

Your screen may need to be calibrated to the stylus. After powering on your LeapPad, simultaneously hold down the Home button and volume up button to navigate to the Parent Settings menu and select “Screen Calibration” option. Select all five “+” signs one at a time to complete the calibration.

If a yellow exclamation mark appears on your screen, then your device is either currently in Tune Up mode or it has been interrupted during an update. To fix, open LeapFrog Connect and connect your LeapFrog to your computer to start a Tune Up. It should take roughly 10-15 minutes (30-45 minutes for slower computers). If this does not help, for further instructions look at the following document.

LeapFrog LeapPad Troubleshooting Guidelines

If the screen is broken, you may be able to see a crack. Screen replacement instructions are available at LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Screen Replacement.

If the screen is not cracked but is irresponsive, it may not be properly connected to the logic board. You may be you may be able to solve it by reconnecting a loose the cable or re-soldering a loose soldering connection, provided that you have prior experience. Instructions to access the screen are available at LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Screen Replacement.

None of my LeapPad games will work when they are in the game slot.

Make sure you are on the home screen, and you can see other icons. Remove the cartridge and re-insert firmly. If the cartridge is still not recognized, the slot may be dirty. Use a compressed air duster or Q-Tip dipped in rubbing alcohol to clean the game cartridge slot. Check connection by inserting the cartridge once more.

It is possible that a user of the LeapPad has attempted to insert the stylus into the card slot. If the information listed above does not help, you may need to replace the game cartridge slot.

You are connected to the computer but the device is not recognized.

If your device will not communicate with LeapFrog Connect or computer, you may have a missing or improperly installed driver. Check out LeapFrop Connect Guides to find the driver for your operating system.

Check connection with computer and ensure the computer recognizes the device. Ensure your device is powered up. Set up and register your device using LeapFrog connect instructions Connect Support.

You keep talking to the device, but it won’t talk back to you.

The most likely cause of audio output problems on the LeapPad is a bad audio-out jack. First clean the audio jack with an air duster or toothpick. If you continue to experience issues you may need to replace the audio jack.

You may need to check the connection between the speaker and the motherboard or replace the speaker. Instructions are available at LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Speaker Replacement.

You try to use the device to take a selfie, but the camera does not like you back.

Make sure nothing is obstructing the camera you are using. Cleaning the lens with a dry microfiber cloth (ie. for eyeglasses) can reduce smudges and dust.

If the camera is still not working, then you may have an internal hardware issue. Determine which camera appears to be faulty. For instructions to replace the back camera are available at LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Back Camera Replacement while instructions to replace the front camera are available at LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Front Camera Replacement.

You see your kid pounding the device keys and crying because he cannot play a game or go to the main screen.

First, restart your device. If you continue to experience problems, apply pressure to problematic buttons to see if they do not pop back to proper position you may need to replace the buttons.

If the LeapPad buttons seem slow or unresponsive, they could use some cleaning. Remove the front case of your device following instructions found at LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Front Cover Replacement and use an air duster in order to clean those messy buttons.