Type faster with the iPad’s split keyboard

By Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator

ipad keyboardDid you know that you can split the iPad Keyboard in two? The iPad Keyboard can be split to provide easier typing with the thumbs, with one half of the keyboard going to one side of the screen and the other half going to the other side of the screen. This is great for typing with your thumbs in landscape mode, when many of the keys would simply be out of your thumb’s reach otherwise.

You can split the iPad keyboard two ways:

  1. Hold Down the Keyboard Key – The Keyboard key in the lower right corner of the on-screen keyboard normally makes the keyboard disappear. But if you hold your finger down on it, a menu pops up (as shown in the image above). This menu will let you undock the keyboard (which puts it in the middle of the screen) and/or split the keyboard into two pieces.
  2. Pull the Keyboard Apart – A quicker way of getting to the split keyboard is to simply pull the keyboard apart with your fingers. Putting your fingers in the middle of the keyboard and then moving them to either side will put the iPad into split keyboard mode.

Here is what it will look like:

split keyOnce you are done with the split keyboard, you can “unsplit” the keyboard the same way. Either use the keyboard menu by holding down the keyboard key and selecting Merge or “Push” the keyboard back together with your fingers.

split ipad