Restore the Full-Size Keyboard on iPad
About This QuickTip
In this QuickTip video, I’ll show you how to make the iPad keyboard full-size again if it’s stuck in floating mode. Whether it’s accidentally shrunk down to iPhone size or you’re exploring swipe typing, I’ll walk you through two simple ways to resize the keyboard and restore it to normal.
Step by Step
Pinch out on the keyboard
The simplest way is to pinch out with your fingers, as if you were zooming into a photo. You're essentially zooming in to the keyboard, and it will fill the whole screen again like normal.
Drag the toggle to the bottom
The second way is to drag the little toggle at the bottom of the floating keyboard and pull it gently down to the bottom of the screen. When it gets there, it'll snap into place and enlarge to fill the whole screen.
Good to know
- To go back to the floating keyboard, pinch in to shrink the keyboard back down, or long-press the keyboard icon in the bottom-right corner and tap on Floating.
- The floating keyboard can be moved around the screen so it's not covering your content, and you can type with just one hand.
- You can use swipe typing on the floating keyboard too, which makes it a bit quicker to type, just like on the iPhone. All you need to do is drag your finger between the letters.
Questions This Answers
Why has my iPad keyboard gone small like an iPhone keyboard?
This miniature keyboard is actually called the Floating Keyboard, and it's the same size as the keypad on the iPhone. You can pinch out on it to make it full-size again.
How do I make the iPad keyboard full-size again?
Pinch out with your fingers as if you were zooming into a photo, or drag the little toggle at the bottom of the floating keyboard down to the bottom of the screen until it snaps into place.
Can you swipe type on an iPad?
Yes, you can use swipe typing on the floating keyboard, just like on the iPhone. Drag your finger between the letters and it makes it a bit quicker to type.
Transcript
Hi, I’m Jacob – and in this QuickTip today, I’m going to teach you how to restore your keyboard on the iPad to make it bigger.
Sometimes, you might find it just like this – like you see now – where it’s a little smaller than you’d probably like, more like an iPhone keyboard. And you’re probably thinking, “Oh God, what do I do here?”
I’m going to show you!
And if the video’s helpful, then perhaps give it a like – that would really help me grow my YouTube channel a bit further. You could even subscribe if you want to – there are hundreds more iPad QuickTips there.
Okay, let’s get on with it.
This miniature keyboard is actually called the Floating Keyboard – and it’s the same size as the keypad on the iPhone.
Now, the benefit of this is that you can actually move it around the screen so it’s not covering your content – and of course, you can type with just one hand.
But… you’re probably watching this video because you want to get rid of it rather than use it!
So, there are two ways we can do this.
The simplest way is to pinch out with your fingers, as if you were zooming into a photo.
You’re essentially “zooming in” to the keyboard – and just like this, you can see it will fill the whole screen again like normal.
And of course, we can do the opposite effect by pinching in to shrink the keyboard back down into floating keyboard mode, should you ever want to use it again.
The second way to make the keyboard full-size is to drag the little toggle at the bottom of the floating keyboard and pull it gently down to the bottom of the screen. When it gets there, it’ll snap into place and enlarge to fill the whole screen.
I’m just going to very quickly long-press the keyboard icon in the bottom-right corner here, and then tap on Floating – that puts it back into the floating keyboard mode.
And actually, you can use swipe typing here too – which makes it a bit quicker to type, just like on the iPhone. You can drag your finger between the letters and… look at this!
And hey – if you want loads more iPad tips and tricks, please do jump onto my channel down below. You’ll find loads more QuickTips there – and if you want to, you can even subscribe so you don’t miss any in the future.
I’ll see you all next time.
Technical details: This QuickTip was recorded on an 11″ iPad Pro (M4) running iPadOS 18.4 in May 2025.
The content used in this video is intended for educational and informational purposes only. All rights to the images, music, clips, and other media used belong to their respective owners. I do not claim ownership over any third-party content used. This video has not been authorised, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. iPad and iPadOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. Whilst I have done my best to list all applicable trademarks for this video, in the (hopefully unlikely) event that I have missed any you can find a full list of trademarks registered to Apple Inc. on their website. Finally, please note that whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained within this video was correct at time of publication, please be aware that as future updates and software changes occur some or all elements of this video may become outdated. I will endeavour to remove videos which are completely obsolete so as not to cause confusion!