Since Apple decided to make the iPadOS compatible with accessories, the most popular attachment had to be the keyboard. The Cupertino company has long made it clear that they want the tablet to be as close to a laptop as possible. For one, the transition from iOS to a specific iPadOS enabled the tablet to get innovative and distinctive features. Plus, the numerous compatible accessories, including the Magic Keyboard, have made it a laptop-killer in every sense—and that comes with some super helpful keyboard shortcuts on iPad that help provide more of a laptop experience than ever.
The best part about a Mac is performing various tasks using keyboard shortcuts. If the iPad is really meant to be the new replacement of laptops, it needs to be able to run multiple commands using just the keyboard.
Though there are many smart keyboards manufactured by third-party developers, Apple’s own Magic Keyboard and Smart Folio Keyboard are made for the iPadOS and run many shortcuts rather easily. Still, whether you’ve gone with an external keyboard or spent some bucks on an Apple accessory, here’s a list of keyboard shortcuts that you should know.
Helpful iPad Keyboard Shortcuts
Command + H: Go to the Home screen.
Command + Spacebar: Show or hide spotlight search.
Command + Tab: Switch to the most recently used app.
Command + Option + D: Show or hide the App Dock.
Command + Shift + 3: Take a screenshot of your current window.Command + Shift + 4: Take a screenshot and open the image editing tool.
While typing a Note/Mail/Document:
Command + B: Bold text.
Command + U: Underline text.
Command + I: Italic text.
Command + N: New Note.Command + F: Find a particular word or character.
Keyboard shortcuts in the Mail app:
Command + R: Reply to an email.
Command + Shift + R: Reply to all participants in an email.
Command + Shift + F: Forward an email.
Command + Up arrow: Open the previous email.
Command + Down arrow: Open the next email.Command + Option + F: Search mailbox.
Custom shortcuts:
iPadOS allows you to customize keyboard shortcuts according to your preference. Follow these steps to enable your keyboard shortcuts.
- Go to Settings > Accessibility.
- Tap Keyboards.
- Turn the Full Keyboard Access switch.
- Tap Commands.
Tap a Command and assign a custom key combination > Done.
There you go, just some of the few iPad keyboard shortcuts that are sure to become invaluable once you get the hang of them. Aside from these, there are a host of shortcuts that you can use for particular applications. To know what shortcuts are available for your applications, all you need to do is long-press the Command key and a menu will appear with all the available shortcuts.
What are some of your favourite keyboard shortcuts to use on iPad? Tell us in the comments below!