Essential iPad Hacks: 15 Shortcuts Every iPad Reviewer Swears By

Having spent nearly ten years evaluating the best iPads, I’ve picked up numerous tips for maximizing their potential. However, it wasn’t until much later that I discovered iPads come equipped with a series of specific shortcuts designed to enhance navigation and efficiency.

Attaching a keyboard to your iPad unveils a variety of useful keyboard shortcuts that can significantly cut down on your work time. But beyond these, there are several intuitive gestures that anyone can master to truly leverage the capabilities of their iPad. Taking a little time to learn these tricks can transform you into an iPad expert swiftly. Let’s dive in.

Return to the Home screen: One of the most basic but essential iPad gestures is simply swiping up from the bottom of the screen. This action minimizes any open application and takes you right back to the Home screen.

View all open applications: Did you know that you can view all active apps with a simple gesture? Start by dragging your finger upwards from the bottom of the screen towards the center. Pause briefly, then lift your finger.

It may take some practice, but once you get the hang of this and the following technique, switching between apps becomes seamless. You can also swipe up on apps in the App Switcher to close them.

Switch apps quickly: To switch between open apps, swipe right or left along the bottom edge of your iPad’s screen.

Access the Dock: You can open the Dock within any app by swiping slightly upwards from the bottom edge of the screen. Pause briefly, then lift your finger to reveal the Dock.

Force a restart: Occasionally, apps may freeze or the iPad itself may become unresponsive. In such cases, press the volume up button followed by the volume down button, then hold the power button until the device restarts.

Using Slide Over: To use an app in a hovering window over another app, open the Dock, tap and drag the desired app to one side of the screen.

Using Split View: Split View differs slightly from Slide Over as it allows two apps to be active side-by-side. Drag an app from the Dock to the side of the screen and release it to initiate Split View.

Once you’re in Split View, adjust the divider to allocate screen space between the apps.

For those who use an external keyboard with their iPad, several keyboard shortcuts are available that enhance navigation and efficiency. These can be quite helpful in managing your device more effectively.

You can further personalize these shortcuts by enabling Full Keyboard Access in your settings.

To enable this feature, open the Settings app, go to Accessibility, then Keyboards, and turn on “Full Keyboard Access.” This setting allows you to navigate your iPad solely using the keyboard.

That’s all you need to know! By mastering these techniques, you’re well on your way to becoming highly proficient with your iPad. I frequently use these keyboard shortcuts when working remotely, and they have significantly boosted my productivity.

Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News for the latest updates and insights. Don’t forget to hit the Follow button.

• 5 strategies to maximize productivity with Google Keep
• How the MacBook Pro supports today’s creative college students
• Exploring the benefits of AR glasses as a tech accessory