How to Activate the Virtual Keyboard on a Mac

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Use the on-screen keyboard from the menu bar, login screen, & more

Written by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: March 20, 2026 Fact Checked

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Using the Keyboard Viewer

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From Accessibility Settings

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From the Login Screen

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

Mac’s onscreen keyboard, also called the Accessibility Keyboard, is a great alternative to using your physical keyboard. Whether your keyboard is broken or you have physical limitations that make typing difficult, you can easily enable the virtual keyboard and use it to input text with your mouse or trackpad. In this article, we’ll explain how to access the onscreen keyboard using the Input menu, your Mac’s Accessibility settings, or even the login screen.

Quick Steps to Enable the Onscreen Keyboard

Go to Apple menu > System Settings > Keyboard.
Click Edit next to “Input Sources”.
Toggle on Show Input menu in menu bar.
Click the input menu icon at the top right side of the screen.
Select Show Keyboard Viewer to open the keyboard.

Section 1 of 3:

Using the Keyboard Viewer

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1
Open your Mac's System Settings. To do this, click the
System Settings icon in your Dock or go to
Apple menu > System Settings.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- If you already have the Input Menu enabled in your Mac’s menu bar, you can skip to this step.
You’ll need to scroll down in the left-hand menu bar to find it.

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It’s under the Text Input header.
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Add a language/region option if needed (optional). If you already have an appropriate keyboard option in the list (e.g., U.S. or British), then proceed to the next step. If you don't, click + in the lower right corner and scroll through the list to select the language you want. Then click Add.
- Even keyboards from the same language but different regions can have different layouts, so make sure you're using the one you're familiar with.
You should see this option at the top of the Input Sources menu. Toggle on the switch (if it’s not already enabled), then click Done.
It may look like a keyboard/symbol icon, or it may show the flag of the language you've selected. Click on it and select Show Keyboard Viewer to view the onscreen keyboard.
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Use your cursor to select any of the onscreen keyboard keys just as you would on a regular keyboard. You can type with the virtual keyboard in any location on your screen: just click within the desired text box/area and then click on the virtual keyboard, one key at a time, to type.
- You can also drag and drop the keyboard to move it, or click and drag the corners to resize it.
- Click the – icon at the top left corner to minimize the keyboard. It will turn into a small button on your desktop with the word Keyboard on it. Click the button to expand the keyboard again.
- Click the X at the top left corner to close the keyboard.
- You can also access additional options for customizing your onscreen keyboard by clicking the ••• icon at the top right corner.
- The onscreen keyboard has a variety of accessibility settings that you can use no matter how you open it. Learn more about these settings in the next section.

Section 2 of 3:

From Accessibility Settings

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The onscreen keyboard on Mac is also known as the Accessibility Keyboard. As an alternative to using the keyboard viewer, you can also open this keyboard from your Mac’s Accessibility Settings menu.^{[2]
X
Research source} To get started, open
System Settings from your Dock or by going to
Apple menu > System Settings.
It’s in the left-hand menu bar.
It’s in the group of options under the Motor header.
The virtual keyboard will appear on your screen.
5
Click the ⓘ Info icon to customize your virtual keyboard settings. You can also access most of these settings by clicking ••• at the top right corner of the virtual keyboard. When you’re done making edits, click Done. From this menu, you can:
- Change your keyboard’s appearance to dark or light.
- Set keyboard panels to fade after a certain period of inactivity.
- Enable sounds for the keys and different “dwell” options.
- Set whether text should be entered when you click the mouse button (“mouse down”) or when you release it (“mouse up”).
- Set whether keys can be selected with right-click.
- Choose whether to insert or remove spaces and capitalize sentences automatically.
- Set actions to be performed in your Mac’s “dwell corners” (for example, you can set the keyboard to hide or reappear after holding your mouse in a certain corner of the screen for a few seconds).
- Set “dwell actions,” which allow you to control your pointer using head movements or eye tracking. These actions will be triggered after you hold the cursor still for a specific amount of time in a designated area.
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Create custom keyboard panels by clicking Panel Editor. You can also access your custom panels by clicking ••• > Custom Panels on the virtual keyboard. This option allows you to add custom buttons, panels, or toolbars to your virtual keyboard and link them to specific actions (such as launching an app, running a shortcut, or triggering a system event like adjusting the volume).
- For detailed instructions on using the Panel Editor, see this Apple Support page.
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Move, resize, minimize, or close the keyboard as needed. You can click and drag the keyboard to move it, or drag a corner to resize it. Click – at the top left corner to minimize the keyboard (it will minimize to a Keyboard button on your screen), or click X to completely close it.
- You can also close the keyboard by toggling it off in System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard.

Section 3 of 3:

From the Login Screen

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1
Enable the Accessibility Keyboard in your Lock Screen settings. Before you can access the virtual keyboard from the login screen, you may need to enable that option in your Mac’s settings.^{[3]
X
Research source} To do so:
- Go to
  Apple menu > System Settings and click Lock Screen in the left sidebar.
- Click Accessibility Options. It’s a button at the bottom of the menu.
- Toggle on Accessibility Keyboard and click Done.
If the Accessibility Keyboard is disabled when you log in, you won’t be able to see it from the login screen even if you have it toggled on in your Lock Screen settings. Make sure the keyboard is toggled on in
Apple menu > System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard.
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Use your mouse or trackpad to type with the keyboard. If the Accessibility Keyboard is turned on in your Lock Screen and Accessibility settings, you should see it on the login screen. If you just restarted your computer, it might take a moment for it to appear. Click the keys with your cursor to type.
- If you just see a button on the screen that says Keyboard, the keyboard is minimized. Click it to expand the keyboard.
- If you have multiple language inputs installed, you might need to select the right one using the input menu at the top of the login screen (it looks like a tiny keyboard icon).

Community Q&A

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Question

I am unable to type the password for enabling the desktop screen on my Mac Pro as water seems to have seeped into the keyboard. Can I somehow access the virtual keyboard?

Puffy2303

Community Answer

Unfortunately, there is no way to do this. The only way that I could think of was attaching a USB keyboard and then typing in the password, but that kind of defeats the purpose.

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Tips

You can close, minimize, or resize the onscreen keyboard like any other window.

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To reopen the onscreen keyboard after you close it, return to the Input icon on the menu bar and select Show Keyboard Viewer again.

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To select multiple keys at a time, turn on Sticky Keys, which will keep the modifier keys (such as ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd) selected after you click them, until you manually deselect them. To turn Sticky Keys on, go to System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and toggle Sticky Keys on.

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