To use caps lock on an iPhone SE, double-tap the Shift key (the upward arrow at the left of the keyboard). The arrow turns solid with a line under it, and everything you type is in capital letters until you tap Shift again. If double-tapping doesn’t work, the option is turned off: go to Settings > General > Keyboard and turn on Enable Caps Lock.
These steps work on every iPhone SE model and on other iPhones, including the iPhone 6, 13, 14, and 15. Below you’ll find how to tell caps lock from a single Shift, how to turn it on, and what to do if it still won’t work.
How to turn on caps lock on an iPhone keyboard
- Open any app where you can type, like Messages or Notes, and tap the text field to bring up the keyboard.
- Quickly tap the Shift key twice.
- Type your text. Every letter will be a capital.
- Tap Shift once to turn caps lock off.
How to tell if caps lock is on
| What the Shift key looks like | What it means |
|---|---|
| Outlined arrow | Lowercase letters |
| Solid arrow | The next letter only will be a capital |
| Solid arrow with a line under it | Caps lock is on. All letters are capitals. |
How to enable the caps lock option
- Open Settings.
- Tap General, then Keyboard.
- Turn on Enable Caps Lock. The switch is green when it’s on.
On older versions of iOS, this setting is in the same place but may be labeled slightly differently. Older iPhones like the iPhone 6 have the same setting under Settings > General > Keyboard.
Why isn’t caps lock working on my iPhone?
- Enable Caps Lock is off. Turn it on with the steps above. This is the most common cause.
- You’re tapping too slowly. The two taps need to be quick, like a double-click. If you pause, the second tap just turns Shift off again.
- You’re using a third-party keyboard. Keyboards such as Gboard or SwiftKey have their own caps lock behavior and settings. Tap the globe or emoji key to switch back to Apple’s keyboard, or check the keyboard app’s settings.
- The app changes your text. Some password fields and apps ignore caps lock or change capitalization on their own.
- Software glitch. Restart your iPhone, then update it in Settings > General > Software Update.
- Still stuck? As a last resort, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary. This clears words your iPhone has learned, but it doesn’t erase any other data.
Related keyboard settings
- Auto-Capitalization capitalizes the first letter of each sentence automatically. It’s in the same Keyboard settings screen.
- Show Lowercase Keys (in Settings > Accessibility > Keyboards & Typing) controls whether the keys change between uppercase and lowercase letters. If it’s off, the keys always show capitals, which can make it hard to tell when Shift is on.
- To type in all capitals without caps lock, you can also type normally, select the text, and use an app’s formatting options if it has them.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a caps lock key on the iPhone keyboard?
No separate key. The Shift key doubles as caps lock when you tap it twice.
Why does my iPhone keyboard always show capital letters?
Turn on Show Lowercase Keys in Settings > Accessibility > Keyboards & Typing. Then the keys switch between uppercase and lowercase so you can see which one you’ll type.
Does caps lock work on an iPad the same way?
Yes. Double-tap Shift on the on-screen keyboard. With a hardware keyboard, use its Caps Lock key.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.