If you use Magic Keyboard or another physical keyboard with iPhone, you can use Full Keyboard Access to control your device with keyboard shortcuts instead of the touchscreen. Full Keyboard Access highlights the item on the screen that has focus.
You don’t need to memorize the shortcuts, either, because Full Keyboard Access can show you a list of the available commands. You can also customize the commands and the focus highlight.
Here’s how to control iPhone with an external keyboard.
Control iPhone using Full Keyboard Access
- Open Settings, tap Accessibility, tap Keyboards & Typing and tap Full Keyboard Access. Then turn on Full Keyboard Access.
- Navigate iPhone using the following default commands.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| View available Full Keyboard Access commands | Tab-H |
| Move forward | Tab |
| Move backward | Shift-Tab |
| Activate the selected item | Space bar |
| Go to the Home Screen | Fn-H |
| Open the App Switcher | Fn-Up Arrow |
| Open Control Center | Fn-C |
| Open Notification Center | Fn-N |
Customize Full Keyboard Access
Full Keyboard Access commands come with keyboard shortcuts that you can change. And to customize the appearance of Full Keyboard Access, you can adjust the color, contrast, and size of the highlight.
- Open Settings, tap Accessibility and tap Keyboards & Typing. Then tap Full Keyboard Access.
- Do any of the following:
- View a complete list of Full Keyboard Access commands and customize them: Tap Commands.
- Change the look of Full Keyboard Access: Tap an option below Appearance.
