Sometimes the size of an iPad's onscreen virtual keyboard can make it frustrating to use. If you have a larger iPad Pro, for instance, it can take up a lot of space on the screen and end up obscuring your content. It can also be cumbersome if you're holding your iPad with one hand and typing with the other.
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Apple used to offer the split keyboard option to make typing more natural, but in iPadOS this has been replaced by a more useful floating iPhone-style keyboard that you can move freely around the screen. It also supports Apple's QuickType swipe-typing feature, making it more convenient for one-handed use.
How to Enable the Floating Keyboard in iPadOS
- Open an app that allows text input via the onscreen virtual keyboard. In our example, we're using Ulysses.
- Tap inside the editing window to activate the text cursor and the onscreen keyboard.
- Now, using your thumb and index finger, pinch inwards anywhere on the onscreen keyboard.
- The keyboard will shrink down to the size of an iPhone keyboard. To move the keyboard to a different area of the screen, drag it via the pill-shaped grab handle below the keys.
- To return the keyboard to the full-width of the screen, pinch outward anywhere on the key layout.
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Another way to activate the floating keyboard is by holding the Minimize Keyboard key (it's the one with the keyboard symbol, located at the bottom-right corner of the key layout) and tapping the Floating button that pops up.
