How to Slide to Type on the iPad Floating Keyboard (iPadOS 15)

Type words with quick gestures using the iPad swipe texting feature.

By Cullen Thomas Updated 05/10/2022

* This post is part of iPhone Life's Tip of the Day newsletter. . *

Using the iPad floating keyboard, you can drag your finger from one letter to the next without lifting it, spelling out entire words in one quick motion. To get Slide to Type working on your iPad, you’ll need to use the floating keyboard. Here's how to use QuickPath and the floating keyboard on your iPad.

Related: How to Swipe Text on the iPhone

How To Swipe Text on the iPad with the Floating Keyboard

The iPad Swipe Keyboard, often called Swipe Text, Swype Keyboard, Slide to Type, or sometimes QuickPath, is available on iPadOS 13 or later. However, to use the swipe typing feature, you’ll need to switch from the regular on-screen keyboard to the smaller floating keyboard. If your interested in upgrading your iPad in the near future, check out our article on all the rumors circling about the next iPadOS. 

  1. Open any app that requires typing, such as the Notes app.


     
  2. Tap on the note to begin typing. The keyboard will fill the bottom of your screen.
  3. Tap and hold the keyboard icon in the bottom right corner of the keyboard.
  4. A menu will pop up. Unlike many menus in iPadOS, this menu requires that you keep holding your finger on the screen and drag your finger to the menu option you want.


     
  5. Select Floating from the keyboard menu.


     
  6. The keyboard will disappear, to be replaced with the floating keyboard.
  7. You can move the floating keyboard around the screen by touching and dragging the grab bar at the bottom.


     
  8. You can compose text with QuickPath, AKA Slide to Type, by touching the first letter of a word, and then dragging your finger to the rest of the letters in turn.


     
  9. Pro tip: you can also touch the 123 key and slide to the punctuation mark or number that you need.
  10. To switch back to the regular keyboard, grab the bar at the bottom of the floating keyboard and drag it to the center-bottom of your screen.

Now you can go crazy with the swipe texting feature on your iPad!

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Topics

How-To
iPad
Keyboard
Productivity & Business

Author Details

Cullen Thomas's picture

Author Details

Cullen Thomas

Cullen Thomas is a Writer and Producer at iPhone Life, creating tips and guides to help users unlock the full potential of their iOS and iPhone. In addition to writing countless tip-of-the-day articles and many detailed guides, Cullen has spent nine years as an instructor in media and communications at Maharishi University, lecturing on technical and artistic subjects ranging from camera and audio hardware to story-plotting to how to manage a film crew. Cullen answers questions daily about iPhones and iOS as part of the Ask an Editor insider service, and designs curriculum for iPhone Life’s online classes. As a frequent contributor to iPhone Life magazine and occasional guest on the iPhone Life podcast, Cullen likes to talk about security and privacy news, tech, gadgets, and apps, even if nobody asked.

Cullen holds a master’s degree in Cinematic Arts from the David Lynch School of Cinematic Arts. Cullen also holds two Bachelor’s degrees from Maharishi University, one in literature with an emphasis in writing and the other in Communications and Media. Cullen’s short fiction has been featured in anthologies from Amphibian Press and TANSTAAFL, and Cullen co-owns a game design company, Thoughtspike games, which builds thought-provoking puzzle games. Cullen is a sci-fi author, a coffee connoisseur, and an iPhone expert.