JUMP TO Section Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.- Activate your third-party keyboard
- Remove your third-party keyboard
- Close and restart the app
- Show the onscreen keyboard when an external keyboard is connected
- Disable the external keyboard
- Check your keyboard settings
- Restart the iPad
Redeem now - If your iPad's onscreen keyboard isn't working, you might need to activate it in Settings.
- Your external keyboard might also conflict with the onscreen keyboard, so turn it off or disable Bluetooth.
- Here are the top seven ways to resolve a problem with your iPad's onscreen keyboard.
The iPad's onscreen keyboard is convenient and flexible — on some models, for example, you can even split the keyboard to make it easier to type with your thumbs. But if your iPad keyboard is not working, it can be hard (or even impossible) to get work done on your tablet. In many cases though, you can fix the glitch and start typing again quickly. Here are seven ways to resolve problems with the iPad's onscreen keyboard.
Activate your third-party keyboard
If you've recently installed a third-party keyboard like Gboard or Fleksy and you can't figure out why it isn't working, it's probably because the keyboard isn't yet activated. Using a third-party onscreen keyboard requires two steps: You need to install it, and then activate it so the iPadOS can include it in the list of available keyboards.
The exact process varies depending on the keyboard you're using. In some cases, you can run the keyboard app and it'll step you through the activation process. In other cases, you need to do this manually: Start the Settings app and tap General, followed by Keyboard. Then tap Keyboards, Add New Keyboard, and tap the name of the keyboard you just installed.
Remove your third-party keyboard
If you've recently installed and activated a third-party keyboard and it's crashing or otherwise preventing you from typing or switching to other keyboards, the shortest path to fixing the problem is generally to disable or remove the keyboard that's causing you trouble.
To deactivate a keyboard, start the Settings app and tap General, followed by Keyboard. Then tap Keyboards and find the problematic keyboard. Swipe to the left and tap Delete. You may also delete the keyboard app from your iPad.
Close and restart the app
If you're running into trouble using the keyboard, but only when running one particular app, you might be able to resolve the issue simply by force-closing that app and then restarting it. After you start the app a second time, try using the onscreen keyboard to see if that fixed the issue.
Show the onscreen keyboard when an external keyboard is connected
If you are using an external keyboard, your iPad will always try to use that keyboard when text input is required. But you can usually launch the onscreen keyboard even when the external keyboard is attached — it's always a tap away. When you are in a text field that allows typing, look for the keyboard shortcut bar at the bottom of the screen. Tap the Keyboard icon (to the left of text suggestions) and then, in the pop-up menu, tap Show Keyboard.
Disable the external keyboard
If you have recently used an external keyboard, your iPad might still be trying to use it instead of the onscreen keyboard. This can sometimes be really confusing, especially if the external keyboard isn't nearby, and you wouldn't expect the iPad to be connected.
The remedy? Make sure the external keyboard is truly disconnected. If it's a powered keyboard, turn it off using the keyboard's power switch. Otherwise, you can also turn off Bluetooth on your iPad (start the Settings app, tap Bluetooth, and then turn off Bluetooth by swiping the button to the left) or remove the keyboard from the list of Bluetooth devices. To do that, start the Settings app, tap Bluetooth, find the keyboard in the list of paired devices, and tap the i. Then tap Forget This Device.
Check your keyboard settings
If your onscreen keyboard works — perhaps just not the way you expect — it might simply be that some of the settings are misconfigured. Start the Settings app and tap General, followed by Keyboard. Review all the settings on this page to see if something is misconfigured. For example, features like auto-capitalization and auto-correction might be turned off, leading to a lot more typos than you're used to.
Restart the iPad
As is often the case with computers, it's possible that some sort of temporary software glitch is keeping the keyboard from appearing on screen. Restarting your iPad — turning it off and then back on again — can resolve most of these kinds of problems. Restart it and check the onscreen keyboard again.
Dave Johnson Freelance Writer Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider. Read more Read lessncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxnpJqwqXvIqZidZZuaxqO7wKubZqafqXq4u9GkoKef