To turn off predictive text on iPad, open Settings, tap General > Keyboard, and turn off Predictive Text. Apple says this turns off both the suggestions above the keyboard and the gray inline predictions; to stop only the gray inline text, turn off Show Predictions Inline instead.
These steps match iPadOS 27, the current version, and earlier versions back to iPadOS 17, on any iPad that runs them. Older versions have the same Predictive switch but no inline predictions. The steps come from Apple’s Use predictive text on iPad, Change typing assistance options, and How to use Auto-Correction and predictive text pages, plus Apple’s keyboard accessibility settings.
What Predictive Text Does
Predictive text suggests the next word, an emoji, or a phrase while you type. On iPad, it shows up in two places:
- Suggestions above the keyboard: up to three choices in a bar. Tap one to insert it.
- Inline predictions: gray text that finishes the word or phrase inside the text field. Tap the Space bar to accept it, or keep typing to ignore it.
The suggestions are based on your past conversations, your writing style, and websites you visit in Safari. Predictive text never changes a word you already typed. That’s Auto-Correction, a separate switch covered below.
How to Turn Off Predictive Text on iPad
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Keyboard. The Keyboards screen opens with switches under All Keyboards.
- Turn off Predictive Text. On some versions the switch is labeled Predictive.
Word and emoji suggestions no longer appear above the keyboard, and gray inline predictions stop too. To check, open Notes and type a few words. You may still see corrections for misspelled words, because those come from Auto-Correction.
Shortcut: touch and hold the emoji or globe key on the onscreen keyboard and tap Keyboard Settings to jump straight to this screen.
To turn suggestions back on, return to the same screen and turn Predictive Text on. Nothing is deleted when you switch it off, so your iPad picks up where it left off.
Turn off only the gray inline predictions
Inline predictions arrived in iPadOS 17, and iPadOS 17.2 gave them their own switch. To keep the suggestion bar but lose the gray text:
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard.
- Turn off Show Predictions Inline. Leave Predictive Text on.
Suggestions still appear above the keyboard, but nothing appears inline as you type.
Which switch should you turn off?
| What bothers you | Turn off |
|---|---|
| Gray text that finishes words for you | Show Predictions Inline |
| The bar of suggested words above the keyboard | Predictive Text |
| Words changing after you type them | Auto-Correction |
| Red underlines under misspelled words | Check Spelling |
| A capital letter at the start of every sentence | Auto-Capitalization |
How to Turn Off Auto-Correction on iPad
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard.
- Turn off Auto-Correction.
iPad stops changing words as you type. Auto-Correction is on by default and, in recent versions, briefly underlines words it corrects so you can tap one to pick a different word. If one name keeps getting changed, you don’t have to turn Auto-Correction off: add the word to Text Replacement with the Shortcut field left blank (see the FAQ below).
How to Stop iPad From Capitalizing the First Letter
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard.
- Turn off Auto-Capitalization.
Apps that support the feature stop capitalizing the first word of each sentence and proper nouns.
Settings for an External Keyboard
If you type on a Magic Keyboard or another external keyboard, some options can be set separately. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard to change:
- Auto-Capitalization
- Auto-Correction
- “.” Shortcut, which inserts a period and a space when you double-tap the space bar
Settings under All Keyboards on the main Keyboard screen, such as Predictive Text, apply to both the onscreen and external keyboards. With an external keyboard connected, suggestions appear in a small bar at the bottom of the screen instead of above the full onscreen keyboard.
Where Is Check Spelling on iPad?
It’s on the same screen. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard and turn Check Spelling on or off. With it on, misspelled words are underlined as you type, but nothing is changed for you.
How to Show Only Capital Letters on the Keyboard
If the keys switching between lowercase and uppercase is distracting, go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboards & Typing and turn off Show Lowercase Keys. The onscreen keyboard then always shows capital letters, but you still type lowercase normally.
To type every letter as a capital, turn on Caps Lock on iPad by double-tapping the Shift key.
Type by Swiping on the iPad Keyboard
For QuickPath on the floating keyboard, open a text field, then pinch the keyboard closed with two fingers to shrink it. Touch the first letter of a word, slide across the remaining letters without lifting, then lift your finger to finish the word. Pinch open to restore the full-size keyboard. QuickPath depends on your keyboard language, and it’s separate from Predictive Text.
Troubleshooting
- No Show Predictions Inline option: inline predictions may not be available in your language, or your iPad may be on a version older than iPadOS 17.2. Check for an update in Settings > General > Software Update.
- Suggestions still appear after turning off Predictive Text: those are likely auto-corrections. Turn off Auto-Correction too.
- One app keeps suggesting or correcting words: these switches control Apple’s keyboard. A third-party keyboard app, or an app with its own editor, can have separate settings. Touch and hold the globe key to see which keyboard you’re using.
- Settings changed but an external keyboard still capitalizes: check the separate Hardware Keyboard settings.
- The suggestion bar is missing with an external keyboard and you want it back: make sure Predictive Text is on, turn it off and on again, disconnect and reconnect the keyboard, and restart the iPad.
- Suggestions keep offering words you don’t want: reset the keyboard dictionary. Warning: this deletes every custom word and shortcut you’ve added. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary. Do not choose Erase All Content and Settings, which wipes the iPad. Apple covers the options in Reset iPad settings to their defaults.
- The keyboard itself won’t show up: follow these steps to make the keyboard appear on iPad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off predictive text affect my iPhone?
These steps change the setting on your iPad. Your iPhone has its own keyboard settings under Settings > General > Keyboard.
Can I create my own text shortcuts?
Yes. Text Replacement is under Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. Tap the add button, enter a phrase and its shortcut, and tap Save. For example, “GM” can become “Good morning.” To stop a word from being changed, enter it as the phrase and leave the shortcut blank. The steps for adding words and shortcuts with Text Replacement are shown on iPhone, and the iPad screens match.
Does turning off predictive text turn off Auto-Correction?
No. They’re separate switches on the same screen. You can turn off one and keep the other.
Does turning off predictive text delete what my iPad has learned?
No. Switching it off only hides the suggestions. Only Reset Keyboard Dictionary removes learned words and custom shortcuts.
Related Guides
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
Read more about Matthew and how Solve Your Tech writes and updates its guides, or report a correction.