# resize virtual keyboard?



## StoneRyno (Mar 17, 2005)

Is it possible to reduce the size of the virtual keyboard so that it doesn't take up 50% of the screen? I switch to floating instead of docked which gives me very little gain over it being docked. what i would like is the floating virtual keyboard to be shrunk a third to half of it's size. That way it only takes up about 25% of the screen. Is this possible? Thanks.


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## Xsage (Jan 8, 2016)

you should be able to drag it smaller from one of the corners of the window?


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## StoneRyno (Mar 17, 2005)

Do I need a mouse to be able to do that? I can't seem to be able to do it by touch screen. I can however resize application windows that way using the touch screen.


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

You can resize the virtual keyboard using ALT-Spacebar. and choose Size.


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## StoneRyno (Mar 17, 2005)

lunarlander said:


> You can resize the virtual keyboard using ALT-Spacebar. and choose Size.


This doesn't appear to do anything. If I press alt on my bluetooth keyboard it the virtual keyboard closes. If I press the combination on the virtual keyboard nothing happens. I just get sound feedback that the key stroke is repeating as I hold the two virtual keys.


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

The ALT-Spacebar works for me. Don't know why it doesn't work on your system. But then, I do not have a bluetooth keyboard.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Just to make sure you are doing it correctly you need to have the focus on the onscreen keyboard and type the Spacebar while holding the ALT key (ALT*+*Spacebar is the way I learned it, but not everybody uses that notation). I don't know how to do that with the onscreen keyboard, but seems to me it should work with any other keyboard.


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## StoneRyno (Mar 17, 2005)

TerryNet said:


> Just to make sure you are doing it correctly you need to have the focus on the onscreen keyboard and type the Spacebar while holding the ALT key (ALT*+*Spacebar is the way I learned it, but not everybody uses that notation). I don't know how to do that with the onscreen keyboard, but seems to me it should work with any other keyboard.


Yes I tap on the virtual keyboard to make sure it has focus. The moment I press ALT on the bluetooth keyboard the virtual keyboard closes. Same happens if I used the USB keyboard for my PC but connected to my windows 10 pro tablet. As I just tested it before making this reply, I had not thought to try that too. No time to press any other key. Is there a setting somewhere or something I need to do to prevent it from closing the virtual keyboard when a key is pressed on any other keyboard? At least temporarily. I use the bluetooth keyboard a lot but there are times when I am using the virtual keyboard and every time I am it drives me insane that on my 11" screen it takes up so much of the screen; I don't need the virtual keys to be the size of a desktop PC keyboard. Heck I'd love it if it was a little tiny thing in the corner and was like swype where I drag a path to each letter to type words. I'll take it just being small enough that it doesn't intrude on the ability to read what I'm typing. Oh and I only attempted the key combination on the virtual keyboard to eliminate a possibility prior to replying in case it was supposed to be done using the virtual keyboard.


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## StoneRyno (Mar 17, 2005)

I just discovered that windows has two different virtual keyboards. One is found by right click menu of the task bar. It is brought up with the "show touch keyboard buttons" toggle to put a icon next to the clock to bring it up. This was the one I was trying to find out how to resize. Oddly enough if I go into settings on the start menu, then to ease of access, then to keyboard on the left. There is an option to show "on-screen" keyboard. Note the distinct change in wording. Turning this on brings up a different but almost identical virtual keyboad as the other one. Except this one includes more keys: home, end insert prtscr, pgup, pgdn, pause, scrlk, options, help, nav, mvup, mvdn, dock, and fade. And takes up 25% of the screen real estate the other one does. So how do I get this ease of access one that is far superior to the other one to use that button on the taskbar instead of the one that it currently brings up?


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