Tap the Empty Space to Make Your iPhone Keyboard Go Away
Last updated July 17, 2026
Tap any empty space away from the text box. The iPhone keyboard slides back down.
That is the answer in almost every app. In apps with a Done or Search button above the keyboard, tapping that works too.
Here is the part nobody tells you: Apple has never documented a way to make the iPhone keyboard go away by touch. There is no hide key on the iPhone keyboard at all.
That is exactly why it sometimes refuses to close.
How do you make the iPhone keyboard go away?
Work down this list. The first one covers most apps.
- Tap an empty part of the screen, away from the keyboard and away from the text you are editing. The keyboard should slide down out of view.
- Look for a Done button. Many apps put one at the top right of the screen or just above the keyboard. Tap it.
- Swipe down over the content in apps like Messages and Mail. Start your finger on the message list and drag down.
- Tap the Return or Search key if you are in a search box. Submitting the search usually closes the keyboard.
- Swipe up from the bottom edge to leave the app entirely. The keyboard goes with it.
To bring the keyboard back, tap wherever you want to type. It slides up from the bottom again.
Why is there no Hide Keyboard button on iPhone?
Because Apple only built one for iPad.
The iPad keyboard has a real Hide Keyboard key in the bottom right corner. Apple documents it, and you can touch and hold it to make the keyboard float or split.
The iPhone has none of that. We read Apple’s full “Type with the onscreen keyboard on iPhone” guide and it does not contain a hide or dismiss section anywhere.
So every method in the list above is real, but it is behavior each app chooses to build. Apple never made it a system rule.
That is the honest reason your keyboard behaves differently from app to app.
What if tapping away does nothing?
Then you have found an app that never wired it up.
Some apps put a text field on a screen with no empty space to tap. Others skip the behavior entirely.
Neither is your fault, and neither means your iPhone is broken.
Try these in order.
- Close the app. Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and pause in the middle. You will see cards for your open apps. Flick the app’s card up and off the top.
- Open the app again. The keyboard should behave normally.
- Rotate your iPhone to landscape and back. This forces the screen to redraw and often shakes a stuck keyboard loose.
If one specific app always traps you, that is a bug in that app. Check the App Store for an update to it.
Does swiping down close the iPhone keyboard?
In Messages and Mail, yes. Apple does not document it, but it works.
Put your finger on the conversation or the message body, not on the keyboard, and drag downward. The keyboard follows your finger down.
We checked Apple’s Messages guide, its Mail guide, and both of its iPhone gestures pages. None of them mention dismissing the keyboard.
So use the gesture, but do not be surprised when it does nothing in a different app.
How do you hide the keyboard with a Magic Keyboard?
This is the one method Apple actually writes down.
If your iPhone is connected to a Magic Keyboard, press the Eject key. Apple’s page is direct about it: “To hide the onscreen keyboard, press [the Eject key] again.”
Press it once more to bring the onscreen keyboard back.
It is a strange situation. The only officially documented way to hide the iPhone keyboard requires you to own a second, physical keyboard.
What if the keyboard is frozen on screen?
If the keyboard will not respond at all and closing the app did nothing, restart the iPhone.
If it is fully locked up, force restart it. Apple’s steps are a sequence, not a hold, and the order matters.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Side button.
- Keep holding. When the Apple logo appears, release the Side button.
Holding the Side and Volume buttons together at the same time does not do this. That brings up the power off slider instead.
A frozen keyboard is often a symptom of a wider slowdown. If your iPhone is generally struggling, our guide on clearing iPhone caches to speed things up is a better starting point.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the iPhone keyboard cover half my screen?
Because the keyboard is a fixed size and phone screens are tall but narrow. Nothing is wrong. Closing it between typing is the only real answer, which is why the tap away habit is worth building.
Can I make the iPhone keyboard smaller?
You can switch to a one handed layout, which shifts the keys to one side but does not shrink the keyboard’s height. Touch and hold the emoji or globe key at the bottom left, then choose the left or right keyboard icon. Tap the empty edge of the keyboard to go back to full width.
Why does my keyboard close by itself while I am typing?
That is usually the app reloading underneath you, not the keyboard. It is common in apps that refresh content while you type. If it happens constantly in one app, update that app.
Is my iPhone broken if the keyboard will not go away?
Almost certainly not. A keyboard that will not dismiss in one app while behaving in every other app is an app problem. If your screen is also acting on its own, read our guide on why an iPhone screen jumps around, which is a different fault entirely.
Does this work the same on iPad?
No, and this is the big split. iPad has a dedicated Hide Keyboard key in the bottom right that Apple documents and supports. iPhone has never had one.
The keyboard is fine but my Messages icon vanished
That is an app placement issue rather than a keyboard one. Our guide on getting the Messages icon back on your iPhone covers it.
Can I type without the keyboard at all?
Dictation is the usual answer. Tap the microphone icon on the keyboard and speak. It is also worth knowing what your iPhone can do without you touching it, such as counting steps without walking.
This only kind of true I’m assuming it’s app makers but there’s some apps where u cannot see what ur typing and no matter what I do it’s stuck apple stock keyboard all keyboard tried I’ve sometimes u get stuck in certain situations and iPad has that little button that let’s u force it closed iphone needs that