How to Turn Off the One-Handed Keyboard on iPhone

If your iPhone keyboard is squeezed against one side of the screen with an empty strip on the other, the one-handed keyboard is on. To put it back, tap the left or right edge of the keyboard, or touch and hold the emoji or globe key and choose the full-width layout. Some iOS versions also have a switch in Settings, covered further down.

Once the globe key is back, you can also reorder your iPhone keyboards so the one you use most comes up first.

Put the keyboard back to full width

Both fixes below work from any app where the keyboard is open, such as Messages or Notes. You don’t need to go into Settings.

Tap the edge of the keyboard

Apple’s iPhone User Guide page on the onscreen keyboard puts it simply: to center the keyboard again, tap the right or left edge of the keyboard.

1. Open any app and tap a text field so the keyboard appears.
2. Look at the side of the keyboard that isn’t covered by keys. That blank strip is the edge you want.
3. Tap it once. The keys spread back across the full width of the screen.

On many versions of iOS the blank strip shows a small arrow pointing toward the open side. If you see one, tapping it does the same job.

Choose the full-width layout from the keyboard menu

The same menu that shrinks the keyboard can also restore it.

1. With the keyboard open, touch and hold the emoji key (a smiley face) or the globe key at the bottom left. You may see either key, depending on your keyboards.
2. A small menu appears. Along with your keyboard languages and a Keyboard Settings option, it shows the keyboard layouts as small icons without text labels.
3. Tap the layout icon that shows a full, centered keyboard. The left and right icons are the one-handed versions.
4. Lift your finger. The keyboard returns to its normal width.

Why it switched on in the first place

The one-handed layout is only a touch and hold away. If you press and hold the emoji or globe key, for example while switching to emoji, and your thumb slides onto one of the layout icons, the keyboard shifts to that side. It’s a layout choice, not a fault.

The Settings switch on older iOS versions

When the feature first arrived, iOS also had a One Handed Keyboard row in Settings with Left, Right and Off choices. Apple’s current User Guide describes only the keyboard method above and doesn’t list this row, so it may not appear on your iPhone. If you don’t find it, use the keyboard menu instead. On iOS versions that have it, the path looks like this:

1. Open the Settings app.
   

   

2. Tap General.
   

   

3. Tap Keyboard.
   

   

4. Tap One Handed Keyboard.
   

   

5. Tap Off.
   

   

The Settings > General > Keyboard screen still holds the other typing options on current iOS, such as the double-space period shortcut, so it’s worth a look while you’re there.

Turn the one-handed keyboard back on

The one-handed layout is handy when you’re holding a coffee or a bag in the other hand, because it moves the keys closer to your thumb. To use it on purpose:

1. Open the keyboard in any app.
2. Touch and hold the emoji or globe key.
3. Tap one of the keyboard layouts. Apple’s example: choose the right-side icon to move the keyboard to the right side of the screen, which suits a right thumb. Pick the left-side icon for your left thumb.

Apple’s iOS 14 guide said this option worked on all iPhone models except iPhone SE (1st generation). The current guide adds that on iPhone Duo the option is available only when iPhone is closed in portrait.

No emoji or globe key on your keyboard?

The layout menu lives on the emoji or globe key, so if neither key shows, there’s no way to reach it from the keyboard. Add a second keyboard to bring the key back:

1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.
2. Tap Add New Keyboard.
3. Choose a keyboard from the list, such as Emoji if it’s offered.

Return to any text field, and the emoji or globe key should now sit at the bottom left of the keyboard.

Is it the keyboard, or Reachability?

Reachability is a different one-hand feature that people often mix up with the one-handed keyboard. Instead of squeezing the keys sideways, it slides the whole screen down so the top half is easier to reach. Apple’s Reachability page lists the gestures:

• iPhone with Face ID: swipe down on the bottom edge of the screen.
• iPhone with a Home button: lightly double-tap the Home button.
• To return to the full screen: tap the upper half of the screen.

The switch lives in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Reachability. If your screen keeps dropping down rather than the keyboard shifting sideways, see how to turn Reachability on or off.

One-handed keyboard FAQ

Why can’t I find One-Handed Keyboard in Settings?

Apple’s current guide documents the one-handed keyboard only through the keyboard itself, with no Settings row. If your iOS version has no such row, the touch and hold menu is the way to switch layouts.

Something else on the keyboard looks wrong. What now?

If the layout is fine but the keys behave oddly, the fix is usually elsewhere. You can reset the keyboard on your iPhone, or turn off keyboard clicks if the typing sound is what’s bothering you.

For other keyboard tweaks, see how to show lowercase keys on the iPhone keyboard. And if the whole screen has turned gray rather than the keyboard moving, that’s a display setting covered in turning grayscale on or off.