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From the first look, it seems that the onscreen keyboard in Windows 8 cannot be moved from its default position at the bottom of the screen:

onscreenkeyboard

However, sometimes it obstructs the input field and should be repositioned (see iOS 5's screenshots for examples)

So the question is, can it actually move? If it can, how can I do that? If it cannot, is it possible to use the keyboard to fill an input field that is underneath it?

2 Answers 2

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The keyboard you are using has two modes - docked and undocked:

  • In docked mode, the keyboard locks to the bottom of the screen, as per your screenshot.
  • In undocked mode, you can drag it around the screen as necessary.

To switch between the two modes, click this button:

Undock button on new-style on-screen keyboard

Alternatively, you can use the on-screen keyboard that used to be an accessibility feature in previous versions of Windows. To launch this, open the Start screen and type keyboard, then select this application:

Search for keyboard

This will appear as a desktop window instead, and has a larger choice of buttons:

Old-style on-screen keyboard

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  1. Press the "Options" key.
    enter image description here

  2. Check the "Show keys to make it easier to move around the screen" option.
    enter image description here

  3. Use the navigation keys to move the keyboard.
    enter image description here

Note that if I search for "keyboard" from the Start Screen, then select the "On-screen keyobard" app, it appears in a window that I can move around. I am using full Windows 8, not Windows 8 RT, so this may have something to do with it.

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