How to Control an iPad With an External Keyboard Using Accessibility Shortcuts - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Control an iPad With an External Keyboard Using Accessibility Shortcuts

by

If you have difficulty using the touchscreen on an iPad, you can control one via a connected keyboard using Apple's range of accessibility shortcuts. To learn how to connect a Bluetooth keyboard to ‌iPad‌, click here, or keep reading to learn how to enable full keyboard access.

ipadpromagickeyboardtrackpad
Before you follow the steps below for remapping keys, make sure your keyboard is connected to your ‌iPad‌.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPad‌.
  2. Select Accessibility -> Keyboards.
  3. Select Full Keyboard Access.
  4. Toggle the switch next to Full Keyboard Access so that it's in the green ON position.

You can control your ‌iPad‌ using the following keyboard shortcuts:

  • Action
  • Go to the next item
  • Go to the previous item
  • Activate the selected item
  • Go to the Home screen
  • Open the App Switcher
  • Open Control Center
  • Open Notification Center
  • Show Help
  • Shortcut
  • Tab
  • Shift-Tab
  • Space bar
  • Command-H
  • Tab-A
  • Tab-C
  • Tab-N
  • Tab-H

To customize the shortcuts, return to the Full Keyboard Access screen described above, and select Commands. From this screen, you'll be able to remap individual keys to control basic functions, movement, interaction, device elements, gestures, and shortcuts.

Popular Stories

iphone 16e usb c feature

Apple Begins Selling a $419 iPhone

Monday July 6, 2026 6:29 am PDT by
Apple recently added the iPhone 16e to its refurbished store, with U.S. pricing starting as low as $419 for a model with 128GB of storage. Originally released in February 2025, the iPhone 16e is a lower-end device with a 6.1-inch OLED display, an A18 chip with 8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence support, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, a 12-megapixel front camera, a USB-C port, an Action...
iphone 17 ceramic shield

iPhone 18 With 9GB RAM Still Won't Support Two New iOS 27 Features

Friday July 3, 2026 12:10 pm PDT by
The lower-end iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e will be equipped with 9GB of RAM, up from 8GB in the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a social media post, Kuo said the 1GB increase in RAM will ensure that Apple Intelligence features continue to run smoothly on the pair of devices. The higher-end iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable "iPhone Ultra...
iPhone X 2022 Upload

'iPhone Ultra' Likely to 'Repeat the iPhone X Story' With Delayed Launch

Sunday July 5, 2026 10:28 am PDT by
Apple will likely "repeat the iPhone X story" by unveiling its foldable iPhone at the same time as the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, but starting foldable iPhone pre-orders at a later date, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo today said manufacturing challenges have limited early production of the foldable iPhone, which will reportedly be named iPhone Ultra. As a result, he...