Set up and use Magic Keyboard for iPad
Find out how to set up and use your Magic Keyboard with your iPad Pro and iPad Air.
What you need
A compatible Magic Keyboard and iPad Pro or iPad Air. Find out which Magic Keyboard works with your iPad.
The first generation of the Magic Keyboard (A1998) is functionally compatible with the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation) with Liquid Retina XDR display. Due to the slightly thicker dimensions of this iPad Pro, it's possible that the Magic Keyboard may not precisely fit when closed, especially when screen protectors are applied.
How to 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-hand corner, so they'll go through the cutout in your Magic Keyboard.
Find out what to do if you can't connect your Magic Keyboard to your iPad.
How to use your Magic Keyboard
Once you've connected your iPad to your Magic Keyboard, you don't need to pair, turn on or charge 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.
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. With Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro (M4), you can also set up haptic feedback under Settings > General > Trackpad > System Haptics.
Like an iPad, the brightness of the Magic Keyboard adjusts automatically based on the light conditions around you. If you want to adjust the brightness of the keys on your Magic Keyboard manually, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard.
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 on-screen keyboard
You might need to use your on-screen keyboard instead of the Magic Keyboard to do things like type accented characters or use dictation.
To display the onscreen keyboard, tap a text field, then touch and hold
on the bottom right-hand corner of your iPad screen until the onscreen keyboard appears. To hide the keyboard again, tap dismiss button
on your iPad screen.
Learn more
Learn about keyboard shortcuts you can use with your Magic Keyboard.
Find out about how to clean 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 may demagnetise the card.
