How to Fix Keyboard Not Showing Up When Typing on iPad

Is your keyboard not showing up when typing on iPad?

Your iPad’s on-screen keyboard or a touch keyboard is supposed to pop up automatically every time you tap on a text field. However, there can be some unfortunate times when the keyboard won’t appear when needed.

Usually, this occurs when you have an external Bluetooth keyboard connected to your iPad. But several bugs and glitches can also result in this issue. To help you resolve the keyboard not showing up when typing on iPad, we’ve gathered various effective methods.

So without any delay, let’s jump straight to it!

1. Restart Your iPad.

One of the basic yet effective troubleshooting methods to fix common iPad issues is to reboot your device. This will refresh the background processes and help you eliminate any software glitches or errors within your iPad.

Here’s how to restart your iPad:

1. If your iPad has a home button, simply press and hold the Top button. For iPads without a home button, press and hold the Top button and either of the Volume buttons.

2. Release the buttons once the power off slider appears. 
3. Now, drag the slider all the way to the right to turn off your iPad.

4. To restart it, press and hold the Top button and let it go once the Apple logo appears. 

Once your device restarts, the keyboard not showing up when typing on iPad should be fixed. 

2. Disconnect the External Keyboard. 

Another reason your keyboard fails to appear when typing is if you’re using an external Bluetooth keyboard. This is because your iPad will disable the on-screen keyboard when another keyboard is connected to it. However, it may get confusing if you don’t have a connected Bluetooth keyboard nearby to use. 

For this reason, disconnect the external keyboard to allow the on-screen keyboard to appear on the screen. To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Settings from your iPad. 
2. Next, select Bluetooth. 
3. Under the My Devices section, tap on the info icon next to the connected Bluetooth keyboard.

4. Lastly, choose Forget this device. 

Once you’ve unpaired the keyboard, check if the on-screen keyboard shows up. If not, move to the next method from this guide to fix the issue. 

3. Disable Bluetooth. 

Sometimes, disconnecting the paired Bluetooth keyboard may not be enough to fix the Keyboard not showing up when typing on the iPad problem. This is because your device may still think that it’s connected to a Bluetooth keyboard. To fix this, simply turn off Bluetooth from your iPad. 

Here are the steps you must follow: 

1. Head over to the Settings app from your Apple device. 
2. After that, tap on Bluetooth. 
3. Finally, turn off the toggle next to Bluetooth. 

You may also use a shortcut to disable Bluetooth on your iPad. Launch the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen. Then, tap on the highlighted Bluetooth icon to turn it off. Afterward, see if the keyboard appears on the screen when typing. 

4. Force Quit and Relaunch the App. 

If the keyboard doesn’t appear for a particular app, a temporary glitch or error within the app may be the main culprit. To solve this issue, force quit the app. After a while, relaunch the app. This will give a fresh start to the app and eliminate any errors. 

Follow the steps below to do it:

1. Start by double-pressing the Home button to launch the App Switcher. For newer iPad models, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle to access the App Switcher. 
2. Now, swipe left or right to look through the apps you want to force-close. 
3. Then, swipe up from the app’s preview to quit it. 

4. Lastly, relaunch the app from the iPad’s home screen and see if you can use the keyboard. 
   
   

5. Disable, Update, or Uninstall the Third-Party Keyboard App. 

If you have a third-party keyboard app, such as SwiftKey, or Gboard, installed on your iPad, there may be a possibility that it has crashed, hindering the on-screen keyboard from appearing on the screen. 

In this case, we suggest you disable the third-party keyboard from Settings to fix the Keyboard not showing up when typing on iPad. To do so, follow the instructions below:

1. Launch Settings from your iPad. 
2. Select General. 
3. Next, swipe down and tap on Keyboard. 

4. Now, choose Keyboards.

5. From there, tap on Edit from the top-right corner of the screen. 
6. Tap on the red ‘– icon’ next to the third-party app that you want to deactivate. 
7. Select Delete and tap on Done. 

Sometimes, a bug within the app may also prevent you from using the keyboard on your iPad. To solve this, check for an app update on your iPad and update the third-party keyboard app. Here’s how:

1. Go to the App Store from your Apple device.
2. Tap on the profile icon from the top-right corner of the screen. 
3. Next, scroll down and look for the keyboard app under Upcoming App Updates. 
4. Finally, tap on Update next to the keyboard app. 

If updating the third-party keyboard app doesn’t fix the problem, it’s best to uninstall it from your iPad. Follow the steps below to do it:

1. Press and hold on to the app from the home screen. 
2. After that, tap on Remove App. 

3. Now, select Delete App to uninstall the third-party app from your iPad. 

This should fix the Keyboard not showing up when typing on an iPad issue. 

6. Update iPadOS. 

If the keyboard isn’t appearing properly while using any app on your iPad, another troubleshooting method to resolve your issue is to update your device. This will eliminate any error or bug that may be behind the Keyboard not showing up when typing on iPad. 

Follow the steps below to update the iPadOS:

1. Go to Settings and tap on General. 
2. Then, select Software Update. 
3. Wait for Apple to fetch an update. 
4. If there’s a pending update, tap on Download and Install to update your iPadOS to the latest version. 

Before starting the download, ensure that your iPad has a sufficient battery, storage space, and a good internet connection, as updating may take a while to complete.

7. Reset All Settings. 

Corrupted setting configurations may also result in your Keyboard not showing up when typing on iPad. So, if everything else fails to fix the issue, your last resort is to reset all settings on your iPad. 

This method will not erase your personal data. However, it will restore all your iPad settings, including location, network, and keyboard settings, to default. Here’s what you must do:

1. From the Settings app on your iPad, tap on General.
2. Scroll down and select Transfer or Reset iPhone. 

3. Then, select Reset and tap on Reset All Settings.

4. Provide your iPad’s passcode and follow the on-screen instructions to reset all settings on your iPad. 

Once your iPad is reset, the on-screen keyboard should appear and work properly. 

This ends our guide on how to fix the Keyboard not showing up when typing on iPad. If you have further questions, feel free to utilize the comments section below. We’ll try our best to assist you. 

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