How To Open Apple Keyboard
How To Open Apple Keyboard
- This search box is the key to using Mac menus from the keyboard. The search box has two uses. One is to look up subjects in the Mac’s various help files.
- Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 have a built-in rechargeable battery that lets you use the devices for extended periods between charges. You can check your device's charge level by choosing its name from the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
Bonus pro-tip: Option-Command-Eject also puts your computer to sleep; it’s one of many advanced keyboard shortcuts Apple details in a knowledge base article on its Website. The Keyboard Viewer replaced the previous option, Key Caps, back in 2004, and has evolved a bit since then. You should see it in the dropdown Input Palette menu item as Show Keyboard Viewer just.
What you need
- An iPad Air (4th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd or 4th generation), or iPad Pro 11-inch (1st or 2nd generation)
Connect your Magic Keyboard to your iPad
- Place your Magic Keyboard on a flat surface with the hinge away from you and the Apple logo on top.
- Open the lid. The top portion of the lid will tilt away from you.
- Keep tilting the lid until it's at the angle you want, or until it resists further opening.
- Place your iPad on your Magic Keyboard. The rear lenses should be in the top left corner, so that they'll go through the cutout in your Magic Keyboard.
Learn what to do if you can't connect your Magic Keyboard to your iPad.
How to use your Magic Keyboard
After you've connected your iPad to your Magic Keyboard, you don't need to pair, turn on, or charge your Magic Keyboard. Here's how to open and use your Magic Keyboard.
Open Magic Keyboard with your iPad attached
- Place your Magic Keyboard on a flat surface with the hinge away from you and the Apple logo on top.
- Open the lid until it's at the angle you want, or until it resists further opening.
Wake your iPad with your Magic Keyboard
To wake your iPad, press any key on your Magic Keyboard. Another keypress will bring up the Lock screen. Unlock your iPad with Face ID or Touch ID, or you can enter a passcode with your Magic Keyboard or by tapping on the screen as usual.
Adjust your viewing angle
You can tilt your iPad up or down to find your ideal viewing angle.
How To Open Apple Keyboard
Adjust trackpad settings and keyboard brightness
To adjust your trackpad, go to Settings > General > Trackpad. You can change the tracking speed—the speed that the pointer moves—as well as the scrolling direction. And you can turn on or off Tap to Click and Two Finger Secondary Click.
Like an iPad, the brightness of the Magic Keyboard adjusts automatically to match the light in your environment. To manually adjust the brightness of the keys on your Magic Keyboard, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard. Then drag the Keyboard Brightness slider to the right or left to make the keys brighter or dimmer.
Charge your iPad
You can charge your iPad as usual by connecting your USB-C cable to the USB-C port on your iPad. Or you can connect your USB-C cable to the USB-C port on your Magic Keyboard. Your Magic Keyboard doesn't need to be charged.
Find out what to do if your iPad Pro doesn’t charge when it’s connected to your Magic Keyboard.
The USB-C port on Magic Keyboard provides power, but it doesn't transmit data. This means you can't use this port with an input device such as a USB-C mouse. Never connect one end of a USB-C cable to the USB-C port on your iPad and the other end to the USB-C port on your Magic Keyboard.
Switch to the onscreen keyboard
Open Apple Key
You might need to use your onscreen keyboard instead of the Magic Keyboard to do things like type accented characters or use dictation.
How To Disassemble Apple Keyboard
To show the onscreen keyboard, tap a text field, then touch and hold on the lower-right corner of your iPad screen until the onscreen keyboard appears. To hide the keyboard again, tap on your iPad screen.
Learn more
- Learn about keyboard shortcuts that you can use with your Magic Keyboard.
- Learn how to use the trackpad with your Magic Keyboard.
The Magic Keyboard for iPad contains magnets that hold your iPad securely in place. Avoid placing cards that store information on a magnetic strip—such as credit cards or hotel key cards—on the inside of the Magic Keyboard or between your iPad and the Magic Keyboard. Such contact might demagnetize the card.
How To Open Apple Keyboard