How to Make Your iPhone Keyboard Bigger: 4 Methods

Phone screens keep getting bigger, but their virtual buttons can still be annoyingly small. Thankfully, there are many ways how to make your iPhone keyboard bigger.

The screens we stare at all day can cause eye strain, so bigger, easier-to-read text can give your eyes a break. Alternatively, you may want larger buttons to make embarrassing typos less of an issue. Whatever your reason, here’s how to make your iPhone keyboard bigger.

Method 1: Rotate Your Phone

The easiest way to make the iPhone keyboard bigger is simply to hold your phone sideways. When you rotate your phone to landscape mode, the keyboard should automatically move. Because you’ll have more real estate across the screen this way, the buttons will be bigger.

Keep in mind that this won’t work if you have Portrait Orientation Lock on. To check this setting, swipe down from the top of your screen. There should be a little button with a padlock symbol encircled by an arrow. Tap it to lock or unlock your screen rotation. The button will be white with a red symbol when turned on.

Method 2: Adjust Your Text Size

Of course, you may not want to type with a sideways phone all the time. Another way to make the iPhone keyboard bigger is to adjust your text size.

Start by opening Settings. Scroll down to “Display & Brightness” and tap that section. You’ll see an option labeled “Text Size” under the “Appearance” section toward the top of the screen. Tap it.

On the Text Size screen, there’ll be a slider at the bottom. Sliding it to the right will increase your text size while moving it to the left will make text smaller. These changes will apply to both your keyboard and any on-screen text, which can help you read as well as type.

Method 3: Magnify Your Screen

You can also make everything on your screen bigger. This method is particularly useful if you’re tired of retrieving accidentally deleted messages or have other issues with your iPhone’s small, hard-to-read display.

Once again, you’ll start by going into your Settings. Open the “Display & Brightness” section and scroll to the bottom, where you’ll see an option labeled “Display Zoom.”

There are two options in the Display Zoom section: Default and Larger Text. Tap the latter, then tap “Done” in the top-right of the screen to enlarge your display. While this option specifically references text, it’ll make the rest of your display bigger, too. That includes your notifications, widgets, app thumbnails and other on-screen buttons.

Method 4: Use a Third-Party Keyboard

You can also make your iPhone keyboard bigger with an alternative to Apple’s built-in keyboard. The App Store hosts plenty of third-party keyboard apps offering bigger buttons or customizable settings. Swiftkey, Typewise and Phraseboard are popular options.

Compare a few options on the App Store, then download whichever seems best to you. Remember, you should only get apps from Apple’s official App Store. Third-party options may introduce malware risks because Apple can’t hold them to the same security standards.

After downloading the app, open Settings. Go to “General,” then “Keyboard” and tap “Keyboards” toward the top of the screen.

Tap “Add New Keyboard” and look for your new app in the list that pops up. You may have to search for it. From there, you should be able to customize your keyboard — including making it bigger — in the keyboard app itself.

Miscellaneous iPhone Keyboard Tips and Tricks

Now you know how to make the iPhone keyboard bigger. Why stop there, though? Here are a few other keyboard tips and tricks you may find useful.

Make Your iPhone Keyboard Smaller

You may want to make your keyboard smaller to take up less space on your screen. The easiest way to do this is to adjust your text size but in the opposite direction of what we went over earlier.

Open Settings, go to “Display & Brightness,” and then tap “Text Size.” Move the slider to the left to shrink your keyboard. Keep in mind this will make all of the text you see smaller, not just your keyboard.

Apple also has a handy one-handed keyboard option you could use. To enable it, hold down the Emoji button whenever your keyboard comes up. You’ll see three icons at the bottom. Tap either one of the ones on the right or left — which also feature a small arrow — to shrink your keyboard to one side.

Pair an External Keyboard

For those who want to make their iPhone keyboards truly bigger, you can pair your phone with external, physical keyboards. This option is also great if you prefer the improved quality and longevity of mechanical keyboards.

First, you’ll need a keyboard with Bluetooth functionality. Make sure it’s compatible with iOS, too, as not all Bluetooth keyboards are.

Once you have a compatible keyboard, turn it on and open your iPhone’s settings. Go to “Bluetooth,” then look for the keyboard to appear under “Other Devices.” Tap it to pair the two, and you should be able to use it normally from there.

Add Keyboards From Other Languages

Your iPhone’s keyboard will be in whichever language you used when you first set your phone up, but you can change that, too. The process is similar to using a third-party keyboard.

Go into Settings, tap “General,” then “Keyboard,” and tap “Keyboards.” In this new screen, tap “Add New Keyboard” and select one from the list of languages that appears. Some languages come with multiple keyboard options. For example, you can use a standard QWERTY layout in English or switch it to Dvorak, AZERTY or QWERTZ.

After adding another keyboard, you can switch between them while typing. With your keyboard up, hold down the Emoji icon in the bottom-left corner. A list of available keyboards will pop up above the option to enable the one-handed keyboard.

Make Your iPhone Keyboard Bigger With These Steps

Once you know how to make iPhone keyboards bigger, you can use your phone whichever way is easiest for you. Regardless of why you want to change your text or button size, there’s an option that fits your needs. Don’t let defaults keep you back from creating the iPhone experience you want.