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Type with the onscreen keyboard on iPad

On iPad, you can use the onscreen keyboard to enter and edit text.

You can also use Dictation, an external keyboard, and Apple Pencil to enter text.

A blank email is open in the Mail app. The onscreen keyboard is in the bottom half of the screen.

Enter text using the onscreen keyboard

In any app that allows text editing, open the onscreen keyboard by tapping a text field. You can pinch closed to shrink the keyboard, then tap individual keys to type, or use QuickPath to type by sliding from one letter to the next without lifting your finger (not available for all languages). To end a word, lift your finger. (If you tap after sliding to type a word, it deletes the whole word.)

You can drag the smaller keyboard from the bottom of the screen to move it wherever you want for easy one-handed typing.

To return to the full-size keyboard, pinch open. On the full-size keyboard, you tap keys to type.

While entering text, you can do any of the following on both the smaller keyboard and the full-size keyboard:

Type uppercase letters: Tap , or touch , then slide to a letter.
Turn on Caps Lock: Double-tap .
Quickly end a sentence with a period and a space: Double-tap the Space bar.
Enter numbers, punctuation, or symbols: Tap or .
Correct spelling: Tap a misspelled word (underlined in red) to see suggested corrections, then tap a suggestion to replace the word, or type the correction.
Undo autocorrect: As you type, misspelled words are automatically corrected and temporarily underlined so you know what’s been changed; to revert to the spelling as you typed it, tap the underlined word, then tap the spelling you want to use.
Undo the last edit: Swipe left with three fingers, then tap Undo at the top of the screen; or tap .
Redo the last edit: Swipe right with three fingers, then tap Redo at the top of the screen; or tap .
Hide the onscreen keyboard: Tap .

See Select, cut, copy, and paste text on iPad.

Turn on keyboard sounds

You can customize keyboard settings to hear clicking as you type.

Go to Settings > Sounds, then turn on Keyboard Clicks.

Turn the onscreen keyboard into a trackpad

You can turn the onscreen keyboard into a trackpad to easily move and place the insertion point.

A document is open in the Notes app. The onscreen keyboard in the bottom half of the screen is in trackpad mode.

Touch and hold the Space bar with one finger until the keyboard turns light gray.
To move the insertion point, drag your finger around the keyboard.
To select text, touch and hold the keyboard with a second finger, then adjust the selection by moving the first finger around the keyboard.

See Select, cut, copy, and paste text for more ways to select text.

Enter accented letters or other characters while typing

While typing, touch and hold the letter, number, or symbol on the keyboard that’s related to the character you want.

For example, to enter é, touch and hold the e key, then slide your finger and release it on the option you want.

The onscreen keyboard showing the alternate accented characters that appear when you touch and hold the E key.

You can also do any of the following:

On a Thai keyboard: To choose native numbers, touch and hold the related Arabic number.
On a Chinese, Japanese, or Arabic keyboard: Tap a suggested character or candidate at the top of the keyboard to enter it, or swipe left to see more candidates.
Note: To view the full candidate list, tap the up arrow on the right. To return to the short list, tap the down arrow.

Move text

In a text editing app, select the text you want to move.
Touch and hold the selected text until it lifts up, then drag it to another location within the app.

If you change your mind about moving the text, lift your finger before dragging, or drag the text off the screen.

Set typing options

You can turn special typing features—such as predictive text and auto-correction—off and on.

While typing on the onscreen keyboard, touch and hold or , then tap Keyboard Settings. Or go to Settings > General > Keyboard.
Turn the typing features (below All Keyboards) on or off (green is on).

Helpful?

iPad User Guide