Read This If You Own A Magic Keyboard

tips for every iPad + Magic Keyboard user out there

Building the Magic Keyboard is one of Apple’s best decisions.

Here are my tips for any new (or old) Magic Keyboard user.

Increase Tracking Speed

This was one of the first things I did when I got my Magic Keyboard.

Go to Settings → General → Trackpad

I have the older Magic Keyboard, so my trackpad is tiny. Even if you have the 2024 edition, however, it’s still a useful feature.

With a small trackpad, increasing the tracking speed vastly improves the Magic Keyboard experience. Thanks to this feature, I didn’t even realize how small the trackpad actually is until I started writing this paragraph.

If you’re into productivity, you can save a few seconds with this feature.

Enable Tap To Click

Tap to click is another must-have feature.

Instead of having to click the trackpad, you can simply tap it and your iPad will register the tap as a click.

To enable it go to Settings, then General, then Trackpad, and tap the Tap To Click option.

I have this enabled on every device I own. If you haven’t used it before, you need to check it out.

Enable Two Finger Secondary Click

Like Tap To Click, this is a must-have feature.

Two Finger Secondary Click essentially lets you right click by clicking once with two fingers instead of clicking with one finger and holding the click. That was a rough description but hopefully it makes sense.

Go Settings → General → Trackpad → Two Finger Secondary Click.

If you also enable Tap To Click, you can simply tap two fingers to right click.

Learn Trackpad Gestures

Here are the gestures you need to know:

• Open Dock: Swipe down with one finger

• Go Home: Open the dock and swipe down again with one finger or swipe up with three fingers

• Open Control Center: Swipe to the top right corner and swipe again to the top right

• Open Notification Center: Swipe to the top left corner and swipe again to the top left

• Open App Switcher: Swipe up with three fingers, hold for a second, and release

• Switch Between Apps: Swipe to the left or to the right with three fingers

For the full list (with visual references), you can check out Apple’s User Guide for iPads.

These gestures accelerate iPad navigation. They also make using your iPad more fun.

Remap The Escape Key*

Note: this doesn’t apply if you have the 2024+ Magic Keyboard because you (to my knowledge) have an escape key

If you miss the escape key on your pre-2024 Magic Keyboard, you can remap the Escape key to a few other keys.

Go to Settings → General → Keyboards → Hardware Keyboard → Modifier Keys.

From here, click (or tap) the key you want to change. Usually, most people use the Caps Lock key.

Try “Easel Mode”

This is another trick I don’t really use much - the “easel mode” of the Magic Keyboard.

Here’s a photo of how to use “easel mode” with your Magic Keyboard:

Photo Credit: Kharma Medic

It’s a simple setup - you’ll need your iPad, a Magic Keyboard, and some kind of object that fits between the iPad and the base of the keyboard. This object will stop the iPad from falling into a completely flat position.

When I used to do this, I would use my iPhone 8, which fit perfectly (this was a long time ago though).

My problem with this is that it’s a little weird. I tried using it during distance learning, and it basically meant that the bottom of my iPad’s keyboard was taking up half of the camera space.

I tried it during in-person school as well, but it’s just not worth the hassle (at least for me).

Instead, I remove the iPad, close the Magic Keyboard, and place the iPad on top of the keyboard. This provides a bit of protection for the iPad if I place it on a desk or a table.

For more information on Easel Mode, you can check out Kharma Medic’s video.

The Command Center

Photo by Ugi K. on Unsplash

In iPadOS, the Command key is a powerful tool.

With many different shortcuts, the Command key can, like the other tips, help you navigate across your iPad.

What’s special about the Command key, however, is that different apps have different shortcuts offered. To check the shortcuts offered, simply hold the Command key.

Here’s Safari:

Here’s Spark:

And here’s Notion:

There are some universal shortcuts too. For instance, pressing Cmd + space will open up Spotlight Search.

Realistically speaking, no one is going to memorize all of these shortcuts (not even you). I’d recommend finding a few shortcuts that are genuinely useful for you (something you would use multiple times a day) and memorizing them.

Note: I was a little shocked when I wrote up this part. I knew Safari and a few other Apple apps had Command key shortcuts, but I never expected Notion or Spark to have them.

Explore The Globe Key

Photo by Allison Astorga on Unsplash

The Globe key is similar to the Command key - it acts as a shortcut key that enables to quickly do specific actions.

What’s different about the Globe key, however, is its focus on universal shortcuts. Rather than having specific shortcuts for specific apps (like the Command key), the Globe key offers global shortcuts (like navigation or multitasking).

For more information, you can check one of my earlier posts on the Globe key from a while ago.

Final Thoughts

Thanks for reading!

Adi

PS—Check out Concepts