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How to paste a PDF or photo from your keyboard on iPhone

On iPhone, a keyboard can’t drop a file straight into a message, but it can copy one for you. Keep your PDFs and photos in a keyboard that can copy files, tap the one you need, then paste it. That turns “find the file, share it, pick the app, pick the chat” into two taps, in any app.

Here’s why it works that way, and how to set it up.

Why keyboards copy files instead of inserting them

Third-party keyboards on iPhone and iPad can type text into the app you’re using, but they can’t insert images or documents directly. What they can do, once you’ve allowed it, is put a file on the clipboard. Then you paste it, exactly as if you’d copied it yourself.

Apple calls that permission Full Access. It’s needed so the keyboard can use the clipboard.

Set it up with Handy

Handy is our keyboard for iPhone and iPad that holds the replies, links, photos and PDFs you send again and again.

1. Save your files to Handy

  • From another app: open the PDF or photo, tap Share, and choose Handy. If you don’t see it, scroll to the end of the row of apps and tap More.
  • From Handy itself: add files directly in the app.

Give each item a clear name, such as “Price list 2026” or “Menu”, so it’s easy to spot later.

2. Add the Handy keyboard

  1. Open Settings, then General, then Keyboard, then Keyboards.
  2. Tap Add New Keyboard and choose Handy.
  3. Tap Handy in the list and turn on Allow Full Access. It’s only needed for copying images and PDFs. Saved text and links work without it.

3. Copy and paste from any app

  1. In a chat or email, tap the globe or keyboard-switch key to bring up Handy.
  2. Tap the PDF or photo. Handy copies it.
  3. Tap in the text field, then tap Paste.

That’s it. The file goes into the conversation like any other attachment.

If an app won’t accept a pasted file

Most chat and email apps accept pasted photos. Some apps don’t accept every kind of file by pasting. In that case, open Handy and share the item from there instead. You still skip the hunt through Files or Photos.

What about privacy?

Full Access sounds alarming, so it’s worth knowing what it does and doesn’t mean for Handy:

  • Handy saves only what you choose to save. It doesn’t watch your clipboard.
  • The keyboard doesn’t record what you type or send it anywhere.
  • There’s no account, and your library stays on your device. If you turn on sync, it goes through your own iCloud.

You can turn Full Access off at any time in the same Settings screen. Text and links will keep working.

When this is worth setting up

If you send the same document more than once a week, such as a price list, a menu, a CV, a form or a map, keeping it in your keyboard is worth the two minutes of setup. The same goes for photos you share again and again: a floor plan, a product shot, a screenshot of directions, or a QR code.

Save it once, and it’s one tap away in every app from then on.