Opening and moving Tablet PC Input Panel

You can open Tablet PC Input Panel and then move it so that it appears in a convenient location on your screen. To learn about how to use Input Panel, see Using the writing pad and touch keyboard in Tablet PC Input Panel.

Open Input Panel

There are three ways to open Input Panel.

Ways to open Input Panel	What it looks like	Description
Tap the Input Panel icon in any text entry area on your screen.	Input Panel icon in handwriting mode Input Panel icon in keyboard mode	The Input Panel icon appears when you use the tablet pen to tap a text entry area. A text entry area might be the address bar in a web browser or a text box in a dialog box. The icon appears in handwriting mode or keyboard mode, depending on how you were last using Input Panel.
Tap the Input Panel tab on the left edge of your screen.	Input Panel tab in handwriting mode Input Panel tab in keyboard mode	The Input Panel tab appears by default on the left edge of the screen when the tablet pen is in range of the screen. When you open Input Panel this way, it floats on top of any open windows.
Tap the Input Panel icon on the Windows taskbar.		The Input Panel icon doesn't appear on the taskbar by default. Follow the instructions below to make the icon appear on the taskbar.

Here's how to change where the Input Panel tab and icons appear:

Open Tablet PC Input Panel by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Tablet PC Input Panel, and then, in the list of results, tap Tablet PC Input Panel.
Tap Tools, and then tap Options.
Tap the Opening tab, choose how you want to open Input Panel and where you want the tab and icons to appear, and then tap OK.

Tip

If you're left-handed, consider moving the Input Panel tab to the right edge of the screen. That way, your hand doesn't block your view of the Input Panel tab, and you might find it more comfortable to access Input Panel. To change this setting, on the Opening tab, tap Right edge of the screen, and then tap OK.

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Move Input Panel

After you open Input Panel, you can move it so it doesn't cover an area of the screen that you want to use and so it's in a comfortable place for you to write.

To move Input Panel when it's open, place your tablet pen on the title bar and drag Input Panel to a new location on your screen. To move Input Panel when it's closed, place your tablet pen on the Input Panel tab, and drag it up or down along the edge of the screen. You can also dock Input Panel so that it's anchored at the top or the bottom of the screen. When you dock Input Panel, it moves any open windows out of the way.

To dock or undock Input Panel

Open Tablet PC Input Panel by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Tablet PC Input Panel, and then, in the list of results, tap Tablet PC Input Panel.
Tap Tools, point to Docking, and then tap Dock at top of Screen, Dock at bottom of Screen, or Float.

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Turn off Input Panel

When you click the Close button

, Input Panel slides back to the edge of the screen. Here's what to do if you don't want the Input Panel tab or icons to appear anymore:

Open Tablet PC Input Panel by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Tablet PC Input Panel, and then, in the list of results, tap Tablet PC Input Panel.
Tap Tools, and then tap Exit.

The Exit option doesn't appear on a Tablet PC, and might not appear if an external digitizer or a touch input screen is installed on your computer. If you don't see the Exit option, do the following:
1. Click Tools, and then tap Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, tap the Opening tab, clear the For tablet pen input, show the icon next to the text box and Use the Input Panel tab check boxes, and then tap OK.

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