When using an iPad, you might notice blue frames appearing around the screen elements. This often happens when Full Keyboard Access is enabled. Full Keyboard Access is an accessibility feature that allows users to control the ‌iPad‌ using a keyboard. The blue frames indicate which element is currently focused and can be interacted with via the keyboard.

accessibility

Causes of Blue Frames Appearing on iPad

In iPadOS, the blue frames are part of Full Keyboard Access feature, which is designed to help users who rely on a keyboard to navigate their ‌iPad‌. When this feature is turned on, a blue frame highlights the currently selected item on the screen, indicating where keyboard actions will be applied.

The blue frames can sometimes appear unexpectedly when you connect an ‌iPad‌ to a Magic Keyboard or another accessory that connects via the Smart Connector at the rear. If you want them gone, here's what to do.

How to Disable Full Keyboard Access

If you prefer not to see these blue frames and do not need Full Keyboard Access, you can disable the feature by following these steps:

  1. Open the Settings app on your ‌iPad‌.
  2. Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
  3. Under the Accessibility settings, tap Keyboards.
  4. Find the Full Keyboard Access option and toggle it off.

settings

By turning off Full Keyboard Access, the blue frames will no longer appear around the elements on your screen.

Customize Full Keyboard Access

If you need to use Full Keyboard Access but want to customize how it works, you can adjust the settings in the following manner:

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
  3. Under Accessibility, tap Keyboards.
  4. Tap Commands to customize keyboard shortcuts for various actions.

Now you can adjust the appearance settings to change how the blue frame looks. These adjustments allow you to continue using Full Keyboard Access while tailoring it to your preferences.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Heart Rate Tracking Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Expected to Launch This Year With Key New Feature

Sunday August 24, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects Apple to release new AirPods Pro this year, and he said the earbuds will have a key new feature: heart rate monitoring. From his Power On newsletter today, with emphasis added:As for Apple's other devices, there's a lot in the fall pipeline — though many of the new products are only incremental upgrades. There will be Apple Watch updates, faster Vision...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 12 New Features

Sunday August 24, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max should be unveiled in a few more weeks, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman corroborated a rumor that iPhone 17 Pro models will be "available in an orange color." Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are...
iPhone 17 Air Thumb 2 Blue Electric Boogaloo

Apple Has Reportedly Considered Releasing iPhone 17 Air Bumper Case

Sunday August 24, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple has "considered" releasing a bumper case for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Similar to the bumper case that Apple introduced for the iPhone 4 in 2010, Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air version of the case would cover the edges of the device, but not the back of it. Those bumper cases were made of rubber. Given that the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have ...
Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Antenna Design

Two All-New iPhone 17 Colors Seemingly Confirmed

Monday August 25, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple will offer the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in a new orange color, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman made the claim in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, adding that the new iPhone 17 Air – replacing the iPhone 16 Plus – will come in a new light blue color. We've heard multiple rumors about a new iPhone 17 Pro color being a shade of orange. The ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Just Weeks Away: Eight Reasons to Upgrade

Wednesday August 20, 2025 6:44 am PDT by
We're only weeks away from Apple's annual iPhone event – rumored to take place on September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for enhancements,...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 or Wait for Next Year?

Friday August 22, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through what to expect from the Apple Watch SE 3, Series 11, and Ultra 3, and whether it's worth holding off on an upgrade until next year. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos The third-generation Apple Watch SE is rumored to feature a larger display (perhaps like the Apple Watch Series 7), the S11 chip, and...