Switch language keyboards from an external keyboard on iPad

While using an external keyboard with iPad, you can switch between English, Emoji, and other language keyboards you add.

Switch between language keyboards

On the external keyboard, press and hold Shift-Control.
Press the Space bar to cycle through the language keyboards.

With Magic Keyboard for iPad and Smart Keyboard, you can also press to switch from one keyboard to another.

Quickly switch between Latin script and another language

If you added a Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or Hebrew keyboard, you can press the Caps Lock key to switch back and forth between Latin script and the other keyboard you’re using.

Note: To prevent the Caps Lock key from switching languages, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard, then turn off Switch Languages using Caps Lock.

Assign an alternative layout to a language keyboard

You can use an alternative keyboard layout that doesn’t match the keys on your external keyboard.

Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard, tap a language at the top of the screen, then choose an alternative layout from the list.

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iPad User Guide

Switch language keyboards from an external keyboard on iPad

Switch between language keyboards

Quickly switch between Latin script and another language

Assign an alternative layout to a language keyboard