Gesture cheat sheet

Every drag, long-press, and hold on WM Keyboard, flattened onto one page: what it does, where it lives, and the setting that controls it. Each family gets its own short table here. For the reasoning and the numbers behind each one, follow the link into its full page.

The Gestures group on the Typing settings screen, home to most of the spacebar and backspace gestures below.

This page covers touch gestures only. For the physical-keyboard leader key, its letter bindings, and panel navigation, see Hardware shortcuts instead.

Swiping the spacebar

WM Keyboard›Typing›Gestures

Which action a spacebar swipe runs depends on when the drag starts relative to the press-and-hold delay (300 ms by default), not on how far it travels. A drag that crosses the slop before the delay elapses uses the Quick swipe on the spacebar slot. One that starts after uses the Press and hold, then swipe slot. Full mechanics on Gestures and Switching languages.

Gesture	Where	What it does	Setting
Tap, no movement	Spacebar	Types a space	None
Swipe starting before the press-and-hold delay	Spacebar	Runs the quick-swipe slot’s action	Quick swipe on the spacebar (default Language)
Hold past the press-and-hold delay, then swipe	Spacebar	Runs the hold-swipe slot’s action	Press and hold, then swipe (default Cursor)
Slot = Language, swipe sideways	Spacebar	Steps through enabled layouts (a flick moves one; a continued swipe steps every 44 dp after a 200 ms pause, 110 dp to wrap past either end)	Either slot set to Language
Slot = Cursor, swipe sideways	Spacebar	Moves the text cursor one character per 16 dp of drag	Either slot set to Cursor
Same, dragging vertically	Spacebar	Also steps the cursor a line at a time	2-D cursor touchpad (Off)
Same, while the drag moves the cursor	Spacebar	Shows the text at the cursor, enlarged, in a bubble over the text	Cursor magnifier (On)
Slot = Numpad, cross the initial slop	Spacebar	Opens the numeric keypad (one-shot, so the rest of the drag does nothing)	Either slot set to Numpad
Straight downward drag, steeper than it is wide	Spacebar	Dismisses the keyboard	Swipe down to hide the keyboard (Off)
Press and hold (~250 ms, or your press-and-hold delay if shorter), with two or more layouts enabled	Spacebar	Opens the inline language preview or a scrollable picker list	None
Drag once the preview or picker is open	Spacebar	Always switches language, regardless of which slot is configured	None

Dragging a delete key to delete words

WM Keyboard›Key press›Delete keys

Tap, hold-to-repeat, and the delete swipe are one state machine on ⌫, so a drag can take over from the repeat loop mid-press. In Words mode each word costs less to delete than the last: 72 dp for the first, 56 dp for the second, then 6 dp less per word down to a 28 dp floor. In Characters mode every character costs a flat 20 dp. Full breakdown, including the character-run and selection rules, on Gestures.

Gesture	Where	What it does	Setting
Tap	Backspace	Deletes one character	None
Hold still	Backspace	Repeats character deletion after the repeat wait, at the delete interval	Time before a key repeats · Delete repeat interval
Drag left past a small slop	Backspace	Cancels the repeat and takes a word (shrinking with each word) or a character per step	Swipe to delete · Swipe deletes (On · Words)
Drag right mid-swipe	Backspace	Gives back one step of the highlight per step of travel	Show what you will delete (On)
Lift after dragging left	Backspace	Deletes everything the swipe highlighted	(same)
Drag right mid-swipe	Backspace	Re-anchors instead of undeleting, so the next leftward word costs full travel again	Show what you will delete (Off)
Hold still	Either delete key	Repeats a whole word per tick instead of a character, at the word interval	Holding delete clears words · Word delete interval (Off · 140 ms)
Tap	Forward delete	Deletes one character after the cursor	None
Drag right past a small slop	Forward delete	Cancels the repeat and takes a word or a character after the cursor per step	Swipe on forward delete · Swipe deletes (On · Words)
Drag left mid-swipe	Forward delete	Gives back one step of the highlight per step of travel	Show what you will delete (On)
Lift after dragging right	Forward delete	Deletes everything the swipe highlighted	(same)

Long-pressing a key

WM Keyboard›Key press

The full field-by-field list (haptics, sound, popup timing, and every long-press shortcut) is on Key press settings.

Gesture	Where	What it does	Setting
Long-press a letter key	Letter keys	Opens its accent/alternate-character popup	Press and hold hints (On) · All accents on press and hold (Off)
Long-press ?123	?123	Opens the numeric keypad panel (a tap still switches symbol layers as usual)	Press and hold ?123 for the number pad (On)
Long-press Enter	Enter	Opens a popup with emoji first; releasing on it opens the emoji panel. In a Send/Go/Search field the line break is in the popup too	Press and hold enter for emoji (Off)
Long-press A/C/X/V/Z/Y	Those letter keys, or whichever six you rebind them to	Adds select-all / copy / cut / paste / undo / redo as an extra entry in that letter’s accent popup	Press and hold A to select all, and its five siblings (all On)
Double-tap Shift within the window	Shift key	Turns on caps lock	Caps lock double press (350 ms)
Hold any key still	Any key	Shows the key preview bubble	Key popup (On)

Dragging from a modifier key

Every layout has a Shift key. A Ctrl, Alt or Meta key only exists on a layout you built or imported, since none of the shipped ones carry a modifier row. Add one from the layout editor. Full mechanics on Gestures.

Gesture	Where	What it does	Setting
Tap	Shift or a modifier key	Arms it for the next key you press	None
Double-tap	Shift or a modifier key	Caps lock, or locks the modifier until you tap it again	None
Drag onto a letter and lift	Shift	Types the capital, through the composing buffer	None
Drag onto anything else and lift	Shift	Sends Shift plus that key (Shift+Enter, Shift+Tab)	None
Drag onto another key and lift	Ctrl, Alt or Meta	Sends that combination, then clears the modifier	None
Drag off and back, then lift	Either	Arms it, the same as a tap	None
Drag off the key grid and lift	Either	Cancels, and nothing is sent	None

Dragging from ?123 or ABC

The layer shows for as long as you hold, and the keyboard is back on the layer you started from the moment you lift. Full mechanics on Gestures.

Gesture	Where	What it does	Setting
Drag onto a key and lift	?123	Shows the symbols, types the one you lift on	None
Drag onto a key and lift	ABC on a symbol or custom layer	Shows the letters, types the one you lift on	None
Drag off the first symbols page	?123 while symbols are up	Shows the second symbols page instead	None
Hold still over a key mid-drag	Any key with alternates	Opens its popup, which your finger then steers	Ignores Choose without lifting
Drag onto a layer, mode or tool key and lift	Any of them	Nothing is typed, and the layer goes back	None
Drag off the key grid and lift	Anywhere outside	Cancels, and nothing is typed	None
Tap without moving	?123 or ABC	Switches layer and stays there, as always	None

Using the volume keys as a cursor

WM Keyboard›Typing›Volume keys

Off by default, and only active while the keyboard is on screen. As soon as it closes, the volume keys go back to controlling volume. See Gestures for the swallow-press-and-release detail.

Gesture	Where	What it does	Setting
Press volume down	Hardware volume rocker	Moves the cursor one character left	Volume keys move the cursor (Off)
Press volume up	Hardware volume rocker	Moves the cursor one character right	(same)
Hold a volume key	Hardware volume rocker	Repeats via Android’s own hardware key-repeat	(same)
Press while audio is actually playing	Hardware volume rocker	Falls back to real volume control instead of the cursor	Release the keys while audio plays (On)

Dragging inside a panel or the toolbar

A grab-bag of drags that live on their own feature pages, linked below each row.

Gesture	Where	What it does	Setting
Long-press an emoji	Emoji picker	Opens the skin-tone/gender variant popup, with a star-to-favourite toggle	Emoji descriptions adds the name (On)
Long-press a favourited emoji, then tap Reorder favourites	Emoji picker, anywhere an emoji is drawn	Opens the drag-to-reorder list (needs two or more favourites)	None
Drag a row in that list	The reorder list	Moves the favourite, saved on confirm	None
Long-press a Klipy/GIPHY result	Stickers panel	Opens an action sheet: save to each of your packs (or “Save to a new pack” if you have none), Copy, Report	None
Long-press a GIF result	GIF panel	Opens the same sheet with Copy and Report. Saving to a pack is sticker-only	None
Swipe a card left or right	Clipboard panel	Deletes it once the drag passes 40% of the card’s width. No confirmation, but an Undo bar offers it back for five seconds	None
Hold and drag a tool	Toolbar / toolbox	Pins, unpins, or reorders it	None
Swipe down on the toolbar strip	Toolbar	Dismisses the keyboard	Swipe down to hide, toolbar (Off)
Drag the seek bar	Media controls	Scrubs playback to that point	None
Swipe across the letters	Letter keys	Glides a word, or draws handwriting instead if reassigned Full edition only	Glide typing (On)
Drag the floating panel’s handle bar	Floating keyboard	Moves the panel	Floating keyboard (Off)
Drag the floating panel’s resize grip	Floating keyboard	Resizes width and height together (height clamped 60%–160% of normal)	(same)

Options

WM Keyboard›Typing›Gestures

Every default on this page, gathered in one place. “Where” is the settings screen and group; most are one tap from the Typing tile, but a few live under Key press, Emoji, Appearance, or Layout & size.

Setting	Where	Default
Quick swipe on the spacebar	Typing → Gestures	Language
Press and hold, then swipe	Typing → Gestures	Cursor
2-D cursor touchpad	Typing → Gestures	Off
Cursor magnifier	Typing → Gestures	On
Swipe down to hide the keyboard	Typing → Gestures	Off
Glide typing	Typing → Gestures	On
Swipe to delete	Typing → Delete keys	On
Swipe deletes	Typing → Delete keys	Words
Show what you will delete	Typing → Delete keys	On
Swipe on forward delete	Typing → Delete keys	On
Holding delete clears words	Key press → Timing	Off
Word delete interval	Key press → Timing	140 ms (60–500 ms)
Volume keys move the cursor	Typing → Volume keys	Off
Release the keys while audio plays	Typing → Volume keys	On
Press and hold delay	Key press → Timing	300 ms (100–800 ms)
Time before a key repeats	Key press → Timing	300 ms (150–800 ms)
Delete repeat interval	Key press → Timing	50 ms (20–200 ms)
Space repeat interval	Key press → Timing	100 ms (20–200 ms)
Caps lock double press	Key press → Timing	350 ms (150–600 ms)
Press and hold hints	Key press → Press and hold shortcuts	On
All accents on press and hold	Key press → Press and hold shortcuts	Off
Shifted letter on press and hold	Key press → Press and hold shortcuts	Off
Press and hold ?123 for the number pad	Key press → Press and hold shortcuts	On
Press and hold enter for emoji	Key press → Press and hold shortcuts	Off
Press and hold A/C/X/V/Z/Y to …	Key press → Press and hold shortcuts	On (each)
Choose without lifting	Key press → Alternate keys	On
Emoji descriptions	Emoji → Emoji panel	On
Swipe down to hide (toolbar)	Appearance → Toolbar	Off
Floating keyboard width	Layout & size → One-handed, split & floating	320 dp (240–500 dp)

Details & edge cases

• The two spacebar slots resolve by hold time, not distance. A fast flick and a careful drag can cover the same ground, so the keyboard can’t tell them apart by how far you’ve moved, only by whether the press-and-hold delay has elapsed yet.
• Numpad is a discrete action. Unlike Cursor or Language, which keep responding for as long as you drag, a slot set to Numpad only needs the initial slop crossed once; everything after that is inert.
• Two settings hide the keyboard on a downward swipe, two words apart. “Swipe down to hide the keyboard” under Typing → Gestures applies to the spacebar. A separate “Swipe down to hide” under Appearance → Toolbar applies to the toolbar strip. Turning one on doesn’t touch the other, and both ship off.
• The 2-D cursor touchpad only claims the vertical axis once a drag has actually resolved to Cursor. With the defaults (quick swipe = Language, press-and-hold swipe = Cursor), a fast downward flick within the press-and-hold delay is still governed by the quick-swipe slot and dismisses the keyboard rather than scrolling through lines.
• ⌦ is the same gesture pointed the other way, and shares every setting but its own on/off switch. Swipe deletes, Show what you will delete and the two step distances govern both keys. No built-in typing layout carries a forward delete key; add one in the layout editor, where it is also an action the text-editing pad can carry.
• A delete key on a panel is a delete key. The text-editing pad’s ⌫ and ⌦ run the swipe, the preview and the word-clearing hold, and repeat at the delete interval rather than the pad’s own. Before, they only tapped and repeated.
• Backspace’s word-delete acceleration resets on a reversal, not on release. Dragging right mid-swipe doesn’t bring back a deleted word. It only means the next leftward word costs full travel (72 dp) again instead of the shrunk amount.
• Volume-key cursor control re-checks “is audio playing” on every key press, not once at the start, so Release the keys while audio plays hands control back and forth live as playback starts and stops mid-typing.
• The press-and-hold delay has one slider. Key press → Timing runs 100–800 ms, the whole range stores. Accessibility → Touch no longer has its own copy: it links straight to Key press → Timing instead.
• The backspace repeat has its own wait, not the press-and-hold delay. Holding ⌫ starts repeating after Time before a key repeats (300 ms), which is a separate slider. Lengthening the press-and-hold delay for accent popups no longer slows backspace down with it.
• A very wide screen can let the floating panel’s resize grip briefly exceed its 500 dp maximum mid-drag. It snaps back the moment you release.
• With TalkBack or another screen reader running, most drags above stop working unless you turn on gesture pass-through. Set TalkBack support to Gestures under Accessibility → Screen reader. Then grant the “WM Keyboard gestures” accessibility service. Those two steps keep the spacebar cursor slide, the backspace word-swipe, glide typing, and handwriting alive underneath TalkBack’s own touch exploration. Without that service granted, all four fall back to Explore-by-touch and don’t respond to a drag. See Accessibility overview.

See Gestures for the full spacebar, backspace, and volume-key writeup, Switching languages for everything about the language ring, Glide typing for the letter-area swipe, and Hardware shortcuts for the physical-keyboard leader key and panel navigation this page doesn’t cover.