How To Get Rid Of Floating Keyboard

Screens are now becoming a lot wider, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to reach every key with just one thumb. This is where floating keyboards come in. With this feature, you can reduce your keyboard to a panel that is much smaller and movable, so that it’s a lot closer to your hand.

However, one issue you may face is the keyboard blocking your text or controls so you may just want to return to the standard layout. With a Gboard, you can simply drag the panel to the bottom edge or tap Floating in the feature menu. With Samsung Keyboard, all that you have to do is open settings, select Mode, and choose Standard keyboard.

Apple handles the feature differently on iPad: tap Full or expand the small keyboard with two fingers. The iPhone keyboard does not use the same floating system, although it offers left and right one-handed layouts.

What Is a Floating Keyboard?

It’s not so easy typing during a video playback when you’re using a small screen. As soon as the keyboard appears, it may just cover all of your content and controls. The good thing about a floating keyboard is how it can make the situation better by turning the normal layout into a panel that is more compact.

If you’re using a device that is compatible, you can drag the panel to a part of the display that is less crowded. This will make any part that was previously covered to become visible again. This may save you the trouble of closing the keyboard every time a button or picture needs attention.

Floating mode is supported by Samsung Keyboard and other Android keyboards, as well as iPadOS, although the controls vary.

How to Undock the Keyboard on an iPad

On iPad models that support the split keyboard, the full-size onscreen keyboard can be moved away from the bottom edge. First open Settings, choose General, select Keyboard, and make sure that the Split Keyboard is turned on. You can open a text field, press and hold the Hide Keyboard button, and then slide to undock.

Your keyboard should actually move toward the middle of the screen and allow you to see any content that is close to the bottom. The only issue with this layout is that it does not shrink the keys, and another part of the page may still be covered.

However, you can return it to its original position by holding the same button and choosing Dock. For a smaller movable panel, use Floating mode instead, which is separate from the Undock option.

How to Dock the Floating Keyboard Back to the Bottom

If you are an Android user with Microsoft SwiftKey, you can press the small control below the panel and then pull the keyboard so that it moves toward the lower edge. It should dock into its normal position once it gets to the bottom. Gboard doesn’t usually require the same drag. You can easily switch off its floating layout from the features menu by just tapping Floating.

Apple allows you to use a pinch-style gesture to handle the iPad keyboard. All you have to do is spread two fingers across the small keyboard to make it full size again, or select Full from the More menu.

How to Turn Off the Floating Keyboard

Few typing problems feel more distracting than a floating keyboard covering the message underneath. The way back to normal changes from one platform to another.

If you are faced with Microsoft SwiftKey on Android, you can just drag the panel with the icon that you can see at the lower edge. You should be able to move it down until it reaches the bottom and stays fixed.

With Gboard, you don’t have to do any dragging. Just open the features menu. Tapping Floating disables the smaller layout. Samsung Keyboard places the choice inside Modes, where Standard keyboard can be selected. Apple takes a different approach on iPad. Place two fingers on the small keyboard and spread them apart, or tap More followed by Full.

How to Restore the Keyboard to Normal on Android Phones

A keyboard should stay out of the way while messages are being read and written. If the Android keyboard starts floating across the screen, first identify the app providing it. Gboard has a Floating command inside the features menu above the keyboard. All you have to do is tap it once for it to go back to its normal position.

Samsung Keyboard usually makes use of a Modes menu, where the Standard keyboard has replaced the floating version. For SwiftKey, you have to hold the small control that is below the panel and then drag it to the bottom edge till you can see that it is fixed.

You can confirm the active keyboard in the system settings under System, Keyboard, and On-screen keyboard.

Using Gestures to Control the Floating Keyboard

Typing on an iPad can become uncomfortable when the full-size keyboard occupies a large section of the display. Luckily, the built-in floating keyboard offers a smaller option. You can easily pinch them inward by placing your two fingers on the onscreen keyboard. This should make the layout shrink immediately into a compact keyboard.

Need it somewhere else? Touch and hold the More button, then drag the keyboard to a better position on the screen. If you want to go back to the standard layout, you can simply place two fingers on the floating keyboard and then spread them apart. The keyboard will expand to its regular size again.

Why the Floating Keyboard Appears Automatically

On many phones and tablets, if you touch the floating option in the keyboard menu it’ll move the keyboard away from the bottom of your screen. There are also some tablets where the keyboard shrinks when you use two fingers to pinch inward.

Many times it may look like the floating keyboard just came up out of nowhere, but it is usually a gesture or menu choice that activates it. It is possible for your device to even remember that layout and bring it up again whenever a text box is opened.

A factor that may be responsible for keyboard display issues when your screen rotates is the portrait and landscape settings. If you notice that the problem with the floating keyboard continues even after you have restored the standard layout, then there may be a temporary keyboard or system fault responsible.

Common Problems with Floating Keyboards

Some of the most common issues that come with floating keyboards include the layout covering text, moving too close to an edge, or becoming a lot smaller than expected.

On some devices, you can use a pinch to reduce the keyboard. A misplaced mobile keyboard can also hide the send button or block the line that is being edited. The issue with most of these changes is that they cause problems with typing because smaller letters usually leave less room for each tap.

Tips for Improving Your Mobile Typing Experience

Even though floating mode gives the keyboard room to move, not everyone enjoys the smaller layout. If you want your standard keyboard back, you can always get it back close to the bottom of your screen. Samsung Keyboard includes Standard, Floating, and other modes.

While Microsoft SwiftKey allows its floating panel to be dragged down and docked. Resizing is available in both keyboards as well. If your existing layout feels cramped, then slightly larger keys may help. But raising the keyboard height is not a universal fix. There’s no one keyboard size that is perfect for every user, however making a few little adjustments can make it easier for you to send those daily messages.

Best Keyboard Settings for Tablets and Phones

There is no reason to keep wrestling with a keyboard that feels too small or sits in the wrong place. Changing tablet keyboard settings from Floating to Standard returns a full-width layout to the bottom of the screen.

The best thing about smartphone keyboard options is how they make the layout more comfortable. Keyboard size controls allow you to create more tapping room, while one-handed mode helps to move the letters a lot closer to either thumb.

It’s also a lot easier to finish longer messages with glide typing, word suggestions, and voice input. You can even take advantage of an accessible mobile keyboard that offers bigger lettering, high-contrast colors, spoken typing feedback, and voice control.

Conclusion

Not everyone enjoys using a floating keyboard, and it is always possible to go back to using the standard layout. For Microsoft SwiftKey on Android, it can be docked by simply dragging the floating panel to the bottom.

However, if you are a Samsung Keyboard user you can open Mode and select Standard, while for iPad you can spread your two fingers apart on the floating keyboard or choose More and then Full.