iPadOS and MacOS provide all sorts of keyboard shortcuts for text selection. Here’s a list of the built-in ones, all in one place.
These should work for all system apps and most other apps, too — although 3rd-party apps can add their own. Ulysses, for example, defines keys to a move a line up or down with Command-Control-Up/Down arrow, which is a shortcut I wish more apps would adopt!
| Action | External keyboard | Text area | Onscreen keyboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delete character backward | Delete | ||
| Delete character forward | Globe-Delete or Control-D | ||
| Delete word backward | Option-Delete | ||
| Delete word forward | Globe-Option-Delete | ||
| Move insertion point | Up/Down/Left/Right Arrow | Tap | Two-finger drag |
| Select word | Double tap | Two-finger tap | |
| Select sentence | Two-finger double tap | ||
| Select paragraph | Triple tap | Two-finger triple tap | |
| Move insertion point by word left/right | Option-Left/Right Arrow | ||
| Select word left/right | Shift-Option-Left/Right Arrow | ||
| Move to the start/end of the current line | Command-Left/Right Arrow | ||
| Select to the start/end of the current line | Shift–Command–Left/Right Arrow | ||
| Select to the previous/next paragraph | Option–Shift–Up/Down Arrow | ||
| Select to the start/end of the document | Shift–Command–Up/Down Arrow |
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