How to Set up and use the 2024 Magic Keyboard for the iPad

If you’ve bought a 2024 iPad Pro and a 2024 Magic Keyboard, here’s how to set the keyboard up and use it.

You’ll need to check the compatibility requirements and make sure you’re running iPadOS 14.5 or later. 

How to connect your Magic Keyboard to your iPad

° Place your Magic Keyboard on a flat surface with the hinge away from you and the Apple logo on top.

° Open the lid. The top portion of the lid will tilt away from you. 

° Keep tilting the lid until it’s at the angle you want, or until it resists further opening.

° Place your iPad on your Magic Keyboard. The rear lenses should be in the top left corner, so that they’ll go through the cutout in your Magic Keyboard.

How to use your Magic Keyboard

After you’ve connected your iPad to your Magic Keyboard, you don’t need to pair, turn on, or charge your Magic Keyboard.

Open Magic Keyboard with your iPad attached

1. Place your Magic Keyboard on a flat surface with the hinge away from you and the Apple logo on top.
2. Open the lid until it’s at the angle you want, or until it resists further opening.

Wake your iPad with your Magic Keyboard

To wake your iPad, press any key on your Magic Keyboard. Another keypress will bring up the Lock Screen. Unlock your iPad with Face ID or Touch ID, or you can enter a passcode with your Magic Keyboard or by tapping on the screen as usual.

Adjust your viewing angle

You can tilt your iPad up or down to find your ideal viewing angle.

Adjust trackpad settings and keyboard brightness

To adjust your trackpad, go to Settings > General > Trackpad. You can change the tracking speed — the speed that the pointer moves — as well as the scrolling direction. And you can turn on or off Tap to Click and Two Finger Secondary Click. With Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro (M4), you can also set up haptic feedback under Settings > General > Trackpad > System Haptics.

Like an iPad, the brightness of the Magic Keyboard automatically adjusts based on the light conditions around you. If you want to manually adjust the brightness of the keys on your Magic Keyboard, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard.

Charge your iPad

You can charge your iPad as usual by connecting your USB-C cable to the USB-C port on your iPad. Or you can connect your USB-C cable to the USB-C port on your Magic Keyboard. Your Magic Keyboard doesn’t need to be charged.

(This how-to is based on my experiences and info on Apple’s support pages — where the images sometimes come from.)