Keyboard & Input
Soft key bar, keyboard shortcuts, radial menu, voice input, and CJK support
Keyboard & Input
MTerm gives you multiple ways to interact with the terminal โ from a customizable soft key bar for touch-only use, to a full set of keyboard shortcuts for hardware keyboards, to voice input for hands-free operation. This guide covers all of them.
Radial Menu
Long-press anywhere in the terminal to open the radial menu โ a circular context menu that radiates out from your finger. This is your primary tool for text operations when using touch:
- Copy โ Copy the selected text to the clipboard
- Paste โ Paste clipboard contents into the terminal
- Select โ Start or adjust text selection
- Additional actions โ Context-dependent options
The radial design keeps every action within thumb reach, so you never need to lift your finger to tap a distant toolbar button.
Soft Key Bar (Accessory Bar)
The soft key bar sits directly above the on-screen keyboard (or at the bottom of the screen when a hardware keyboard is connected). It provides one-tap access to keys that are essential for terminal work but missing from the standard iOS keyboard.
Available Keys
Modifier Keys (toggle mode โ tap once to activate, tap again to deactivate):
- Ctrl โ For terminal control sequences (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+D, etc.)
- Alt โ Meta key for terminal applications
- Meta โ Additional modifier for complex key combinations
Navigation Keys:
- Arrow Keys (Up / Down / Left / Right) โ Navigate command history, move cursors in editors
Common Terminal Keys:
- Tab โ Autocomplete commands, switch fields
- Escape โ Exit modes in Vim, cancel operations
Action Buttons:
- Ctrl+C โ Quick-send interrupt signal without toggling Ctrl mode
- Clipboard โ Open clipboard history panel
- AI Assistant โ Launch the AI floating panel
- Prompt Input โ Open the dedicated prompt input field
- IDE / Finder โ Toggle the file browser sidebar
- Command Palette โ Open the command palette overlay
Customizing the Soft Key Bar
You can drag keys to reorder them, putting your most-used keys in the most accessible positions. The bar intelligently adapts when a hardware keyboard is connected โ modifier keys that are available on the physical keyboard are de-emphasized, and action buttons get more prominence.
Keyboard Shortcuts
When you connect an external keyboard (Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard, or any Bluetooth keyboard), a full set of shortcuts becomes available. MTerm supports over 25 keyboard shortcuts across every major function.
Application
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Command Palette | Cmd + Shift + P |
| Settings | Cmd + , |
| Clipboard History | Cmd + Shift + V |
| Save Workspace | Cmd + S |
Panes
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Split Horizontally | Cmd + D |
| Split Vertically | Cmd + Shift + D |
| Maximize / Restore Pane | Cmd + Enter |
| Focus Left | Cmd + Shift + H |
| Focus Down | Cmd + Shift + J |
| Focus Up | Cmd + Shift + K |
| Focus Right | Cmd + Shift + L |
Tabs
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New Tab | Cmd + T |
| Close Pane | Cmd + W |
| Close Tab | Cmd + Shift + W |
| Previous Tab | Cmd + Shift + [ |
| Next Tab | Cmd + Shift + ] |
Display
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Increase Font Size | Cmd + + |
| Decrease Font Size | Cmd + - |
| Reset Font Size | Cmd + 0 |
| Toggle Sidebar | Cmd + B |
| Focus Mode | Cmd + Shift + F |
Tools
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open Finder | Cmd + O |
| Open Editor | Cmd + E |
| Image Transfer | Cmd + I |
Custom Key Bindings (Pro)
Every shortcut listed above can be remapped in Settings. If your muscle memory from another app uses different shortcuts, or if certain key combinations conflict with your workflow, you can change them to whatever works best for you.
CJK Input Support
MTerm provides full support for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean input methods.
IME Composing Text Overlay
When using an IME (Input Method Editor) for Japanese, Chinese, or Korean input, the composing text โ the characters you are still building before committing โ appears as an overlay directly at the cursor position. The overlay has a distinctive neon-bordered style so it is easy to distinguish from committed text.
Correct Character Width
CJK characters are full-width and occupy exactly 2 cells in the terminal grid. MTerm renders them at this correct width, which means:
- Cursor alignment stays accurate even in lines that mix ASCII and CJK characters
- No overlapping or clipped characters
- Text wrapping works correctly at line boundaries
- Editors like Vim display properly with CJK content
This may seem like a basic requirement, but many terminal emulators get it wrong, especially on mobile platforms.
Ctrl+Space Configuration
Some IME systems use Ctrl+Space to toggle between input modes. Since Ctrl+Space can also be a meaningful key combination in terminal applications (e.g., set-mark in Emacs), MTerm lets you configure how this key combination behaves in Settings. You can choose to let it pass through to the terminal or let iOS handle it for IME switching.
Voice Input
MTerm includes a voice input option for situations where typing is not practical.
Tap the microphone button in the prompt input area to start speech-to-text. A real-time audio level indicator shows that the app is actively listening. Your speech is transcribed and inserted into the prompt input field, where you can review and edit it before sending.
This is particularly useful for:
- Dictating long prompts to Claude Code
- Hands-free terminal interaction when your keyboard is not available
- Quick notes and commands when you do not want to type