Fortunately, you can remap one of the other modifier keys on your iPad keyboard to act as an Escape key by changing one simple setting. Here’s how to do it.
Remapping iPad Modifier Keys on an External Keyboard
There are lots of great keyboard cases for the iPad, but some of them—including Apple’s own offerings—don’t feature an Escape key. You can get around this limitation by remapping one of the several modifier keys on a hardware keyboard.
In iPadOS 15, you can change the following modifier keys on an external keyboard:
Caps Lock Control Option Command Globe
For example, you can redefine the Control key to act as the Globe key so that you can use iPadOS’s global keyboard shortcuts.
Or, more importantly, you can change something like the Caps Lock key to replace the missing Escape key!
How to Change the iPad Caps Lock to an Escape Key
The process for adding an Escape key to your iPad’s hardware keyboard is relatively straightforward. Just follow these steps:
Open the Settings app and tap General. Go to Keyboard and select Hardware Keyboard. Next, choose Modifier Keys. From the list of available modifier keys, choose Caps Lock (or another one that you’d like to redefine as an Escape key). Finally, tap Escape to assign the Escape key’s functionality to that key.
Now, the Caps Lock key will behave just like an Escape key on your iPad. And you can still type in all caps by holding the Shift key, so you won’t miss any functionality.
Your modifier key settings are keyboard-specific, so your iPad will remember your settings for each keyboard individually.
Escape With an iPad Keyboard Shortcut
There’s also a system-wide Escape keyboard shortcut: Cmd + Period.
In most apps, pressing Cmd and the period key (.) triggers the escape functionality. So you can use this trick if you don’t want to remap your Caps Lock key.
Customizing iPadOS to Fit Your Needs
One of the iPad’s greatest benefits is its customizability, from software features like apps to hardware accessories like keyboards. That customizability is what makes it simple to solve the Escape key issue on some keyboards.
To get the most out of your iPad’s Smart Keyboard Folio or Magic Keyboard, keep exploring the many other hardware keyboard tips and tricks that iPadOS supports.
