It's quick and easy to reposition or split the iPad keyboard by using the control key in the lower right of the touchscreen keyboard.

Most tablets like the iPad are sold without physical keyboards. This makes them lighter in weight, and easy to control in spaces where a separate physical keyboard just wouldn't work, like the cockpit. The tradeoff here is that you lose valuable screen real estate any time the onscreen keyboard is displayed. But did you know that you can move the location of the iPad keyboard, and even shrink it if necessary? Here's how.

Undock the keyboard

The iPad keyboard is automatically displayed whenever you need to type something, and the default location is at the lower portion of the screen. This will cover up the lower 25% of the screen, and could hide information in the app that you want to see while typing. To undock the keyboard and move it to a new location, tap and hold the button at the far bottom right of the screen, which has a keyboard symbol on it. Two options will appear, Undock and Split. Press the undock button, and the keyboard will slide up the screen halfway. If you want to move the keyboard to a different position, tap and hold the lower right button again and simultaneously slide that same finger up or down. If you want to restore the keyboard to the default position at the bottom of the screen, tap and hold the lower right button again and select Dock.

Split the keyboard

You can also split the keyboard in half and shrink the size of the buttons. Those who are used to typing on smartphones with their thumbs will find this especially useful when holding the iPad with two hands. To split the keyboard, again tap and hold the lower right keyboard button, and select Split. Follow the same procedure described above if you want to move the location of the split keyboard: tap the lower right button and simultaneously slide the keyboard either up or down. In addition to being able to type faster when holding the iPad with two hands, you'll also find that the keyboard has a much smaller footprint. To restore to the default keyboard position, tap and hold the lower right keyboard button and select Dock and Merge.

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2048 1536 Bret Koebbe 2013-01-15 14:29:34 How to undock and split the iPad keyboard