Type with the onscreen keyboard on iPhone

In apps on iPhone, you can use the onscreen keyboard to enter and edit text. You can also use an external keyboard and dictation to enter text.

Enter text using the onscreen keyboard

In any app that allows text editing, open the onscreen keyboard by tapping a text field. Tap individual keys to type, or use QuickPath to type a word by sliding from one letter to the next without lifting your finger (not available for all languages). To end a word, lift your finger. You can use either method as you type, and even switch in the middle of a sentence. (If you tap after sliding to type a word, it deletes the whole word.)

An iPhone keyboard showing sliding from one key to another to type.

Note: As you slide to type, you see suggested alternatives to the word you’re entering, rather than predictions for your next word.

While entering text, you can do any of the following:

Type uppercase letters: Tap Shift, or touch the Shift key and slide to a letter.
Turn on Caps Lock: Double-tap Shift.
Quickly end a sentence with a period and a space: Double-tap the Space bar.
Correct spelling: Tap a misspelled word (underlined in red) to see suggested corrections, then tap a suggestion to replace the word, or type the correction.
Enter numbers, punctuation, or symbols: Tap or .
Undo the last edit: Swipe left with three fingers.
Redo the last edit: Swipe right with three fingers.
Enter emoji: Tap or to switch to the emoji keyboard. You can search for an emoji by entering a commonly used word—such as “heart” or “smiley face”—in the search field above the emoji keyboard, then swipe through the emoji that appear.

You can also dictate text or use Magic Keyboard (sold separately) to enter text.

Turn the onscreen keyboard into a trackpad

Touch and hold the Space bar with one finger until the keyboard turns light gray.
Move the insertion point by dragging around the keyboard.
To select text, touch and hold the keyboard with a second finger, then adjust the selection by moving the first finger around the keyboard.

Enter accented letters or other characters while typing

While typing, touch and hold the letter, number, or symbol on the keyboard that’s related to the character you want.

For example, to enter é, touch and hold the e key, then slide to choose a variant.

A screen showing an email being composed. The keyboard is open and showing alternate characters for the “e” key.

You can also do any of the following:

On a Thai keyboard: To choose native numbers, touch and hold the related Arabic number.
On a Chinese, Japanese, or Arabic keyboard: Tap a suggested character or candidate at the top of the keyboard to enter it, or swipe left to see more candidates.
Note: To view the full candidate list, tap the up arrow on the right. To return to the short list, tap the down arrow.

Move text

In a text editing app, select the text you want to move.
Touch and hold the selected text until it lifts up, then drag it to another location within the app.
If you drag to the bottom or top of a long document, the document automatically scrolls.

If you change your mind about moving the text, lift your finger before dragging, or drag the text off the screen.

Set typing options

You can turn on special typing features—such as predictive text and auto-correction—that assist you when you type on iPhone.

While typing text using the onscreen keyboard, touch and hold or , then tap Keyboard Settings. You can also go to Settings > General > Keyboard.
In the list, turn the typing features (below All Keyboards) on or off.

Type with one hand

To make it easier to type with one hand, you can move the keys closer to your thumb—on all iPhone models except iPhone SE (1st generation).

Touch and hold or .
Tap one of the keyboard layouts. (For example, choose to move the keyboard to the right side of the screen.)
To center the keyboard again, tap the right or left edge of the keyboard.

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iPhone User Guide