Explore accessibility on-screen keyboard features

You can interact with your Googlebook with an accessibility on-screen keyboard, which simulates a physical keyboard and performs functions directly on your screen. It supports modifier keys, number keys, function keys, and the top row keys with brightness controls, screenshots, and more.

You can pair your Googlebook with accessibility tools, like autoclick, head-pointing devices, switch access, or voice access, to input and interact with your laptop.

Set up the accessibility on-screen keyboard

Turn on the accessibility on-screen keyboard shortcut
  1. Open your Googlebook’s Settings app .
  2. Select Accessibility and then Accessibility on-screen keyboard.
  3. Under “Options,” select Settings.
  4. Turn on Show accessibility layout.
    • The floating accessibility on-screen keyboard shortcut shows up.

Tip: You can select the shortcut to hide or show accessibility on-screen keyboard.

Turn on the accessibility layout in gBoard
  1. Open your Googlebook’s Settings app .
  2. Toggle Device & accessories and then Keyboard and then Keyboard apps.
  3. Select gBoard and then Preferences.
  4. Under "Layout," turn on Show accessibility layout.
    • This shows full physical keyboard keys in QWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTY layouts.

Tip: When you use the shortcut to open the keyboard for the first time, a banner shows up and asks you to turn on the accessibility layout. You can turn on the accessibility layout with the button in the banner instead of the Settings app.

Use the accessibility on-screen keyboard

Open the accessibility on-screen keyboard

Select the floating accessibility on-screen keyboard shortcut. It remains on screen until you select the shortcut button again to hide it. You can hide it temporarily when you select the down arrow at the bottom left corner of the screen. As soon as you interact with the device again it’ll reappear.

Tip: Some gBoard features, like stickers and GIFs don’t work when the accessibility on-screen keyboard is triggered without an active text field.

Use keyboard shortcuts

In the accessibility on-screen keyboard, modifier keys like Ctrl, Alt, Shift, and Action Google G icon are in sticky mode by default.

  • You can select them sequentially to perform keyboard shortcuts.
    • For example, to lock your Googlebook, select Action Google G icon + l.
  • You can double-click the modifier keys to lock them so that you can perform multiple keyboard shortcuts in a row.
    • For example, you can double-click to lock Ctrl, and click v to paste multiple times.

Tip: To find all available keyboard shortcuts through the Keyboard Shortcuts app, select Action Google G icon + /.

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