How to Move the Cursor Using Trackpad Mode | iPad Insight

before moving your fingers. Now when you move, any text that you pass over will be selected.

This is faster than the traditional method of triggering a select slider by tapping and holding on the screen and then dragging, as you don’t have to be perfect in where you tap to place the cursor in the exact spot that you need. As with a mouse or trackpad, you are in direct control of  where the cursor goes in this mode.

You can also use a little shortcut to select smaller bits of text. After positioning the cursor when you need it, follow that with a single two-finger tap on the screen to highlight the word that follows. Two taps will then highlight the following sentence, and a third will capture the entire paragraph. This is a really well thought out power feature that allows for targeted text selection that is even faster than what you can do with an external keyboard.

Speaking of keyboards, those of you who use a Bluetooth or other external keyboard like I do can also use the Trackpad Mode feature, as well. With your keyboard connected to the iPad, just do the same two finger swipe gesture anywhere on the screen to enable Trackpad Mode.

Text selection also works the same as above. However, one thing I did notice in my testing was that it is a little more difficult to trigger Trackpad Mode using this method than with the on-screen keyboard. Any two-finger swipes on the on-screen keyboard are recognized, even if the fingers don’t contact precisely at the same time. Both fingers have to touch the screen at the EXACT same time when using an external keyboard.

An alternative method for using Trackpad Mode with an external keyboard is to trigger the on-screen keyboard when you want to use it. Like many Bluetooth keyboards that are designed with iOS or Android in mind, my Logitech K811 has a shortcut button to bring up the on-screen keyboard. This is normally used for things like selecting emoji, but it also works well for making Trackpad Mode a little more user-friendly with an external keyboard.

Trackpad Mode is a unique feature that gives iPad users this advanced capability to directly control the cursor without the need for 3D Touch. It may be the closest we will ever get to mouse functionality on the iPad, but I’ll take it, as it is definitely better than nothing. It makes documenting editing SO much easier, cutting down on all of the hunting and tapping required to edit your work. Even with the arrow keys, key combos, and shortcut keys available on my Bluetooth keyboard, I still use Trackpad Mode often while editing because in many cases, it is both faster and easier to use. Unfortunately, this is also a feature that is very easy to miss if you haven’t seen or heard something about it. That is exactly why I started my current Tips and Tricks series here.

Are there any Trackpad Mode users out there? What do you think of it. Alternatively, is this the first you’ve heard of it? Either way, I would love to know what you think. I am also open to any suggestions for tips, features, or questions for futures Tips and Tricks articles. I would love to hear them! Whatever you have to say, there are plenty of places to find me. Hit me up in the Comments section below, on Flipboard, our Facebook page, or on Twitter @iPadInsightBlog or @jhrogersii. I look forward to hearing from you.

jhrogersii

More Posts