Apple iPadOS 26 Keyboard Shortcuts

The editing shortcuts are the ones that transfer directly from a Mac. Cmd+X, Cmd+C, and Cmd+V cut, copy, and paste; Cmd+Z undoes and Cmd+Shift+Z redoes; Cmd+A selects everything in the current field or document.

In text, Cmd+B, Cmd+I, and Cmd+U toggle bold, italic, and underline, and Cmd+K adds a web link. Two editing shortcuts are iPad-specific and use the Globe key: press Globe (or Globe+E) to open the emoji picker, and Globe+D to start Dictation.

The system shortcuts move you around iPadOS itself, and most of them are built on the Globe key. Globe+H returns to the Home Screen, Globe+A shows or hides the Dock, Shift+Globe+A opens the App Library, Globe+C opens Control Center, and Globe+M shows the menu bar.

Cmd+Space opens Spotlight for searching apps, files, and the web from anywhere. Cmd+Shift+3 takes a screenshot, and Cmd+Shift+4 takes one and opens it straight into Markup so you can annotate before saving.

iPadOS 26 treats apps as windows you can arrange, and the window shortcuts reflect that. Cmd+Tab switches to the most recently used app, Cmd+W closes a window, Cmd+M minimizes one, and Globe+F enters or exits full screen.

The tiling shortcuts are the new part. Control+Globe with an arrow key tiles the current window to that half of the screen; adding Shift arranges the current window and the most recent one into two halves at once, with the active window going to the side of the arrow you press.

The iPadOS 26 shortcut list is available as a printable PDF. It works well as a single-page reference to keep near the iPad while you learn which actions live on the Command key and which live on the Globe key.

iPadOS is the layer every iPad app sits on top of, so its shortcuts are worth learning before any single app's. Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and Safari reuse the same Command-key conventions, which makes their own shortcuts easier to remember once the system layer is familiar.

If you also work on a Mac, the macOS 26 Tahoe shortcuts share most of these conventions, so the two sets reinforce each other rather than competing for memory.

Do I need an external keyboard to use iPad keyboard shortcuts?

Yes. iPad keyboard shortcuts require a hardware keyboard connected to the iPad, whether that is a Magic Keyboard, a Smart Keyboard Folio, or a Bluetooth keyboard. The on-screen keyboard does not trigger them.

What does the Globe key do on an iPad?

The Globe key is the iPad's system-shortcut modifier. It handles actions that have no Mac equivalent: Globe+H goes Home, Globe+A shows or hides the Dock, Globe+C opens Control Center, and Globe (or Globe+E) opens the emoji picker.

Are iPad shortcuts the same as Mac shortcuts?

Mostly. The editing and text shortcuts use the Command key exactly as they do on a Mac, so Cmd+C, Cmd+V, and Cmd+Z all carry over. The differences are the system and window actions built on the Globe key, which the Mac does not use.

How do I see the shortcuts an app supports on iPad?

Swipe down from the middle of the top edge of the screen to reveal the menu bar, then open a menu to see its shortcuts listed beside each command. A connected mouse or trackpad can also reveal the menu bar by moving the pointer to the top edge.

This section lists official sources and documentation for Apple iPadOS 26:

Apple's support page documents which shortcuts are built into iPadOS and how the Command and Globe keys behave. Use it to confirm exact behavior if a shortcut works differently on your iPad.