How to Type Square Brackets [ ] on an iPhone

Square brackets are everywhere: arrays, formulas, Markdown, even dramatic asides. Yet on an iPhone, inserting them is less than obvious. Find out here how to type square brackets ( [] ) on an iPhone ⤓ using the iOS keyboard or text replacement shortcuts.

How to Type Square Brackets ( [ ] ) on an iPhone

Gently [bracketed], not curled:

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How to Type Square Brackets on an iPhone: FAQ

Can I use text replacement with square brackets?

Yes.

Square brackets are readily available on the iPhone keyboard. If you wish to save switching to one or two of the extra keys card screens, you can set up a text replacement for the opening and closing square bracket for swifter access:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to the General category.
3. Select Keyboard.
4. Now pick Text Replacement.
5. Tap +.
6. Under Phrase, enter the opening or closing square bracket (or both, of course, to insert a pair quickly).
7. Under Shortcut, type the character combination you want replaced with square brackets.
   Example: Use (. for [ and ssbb for [], for instance.
8. Tap Save.
   Their word: Apple include information on text replacements in the iPhone User Guide.
   

Speaking of “squared”… How to Insert “Squared” Symbol ( ² ) on an iPhone

Does access to brackets depend on the keyboard layout?

To some degree.

For most keyboard layouts, the square bracket characters are accessible through 123 and #+=. Some layouts (namely Japanese kana) put square brackets behind ABC and ☆123.

Back at the desktop: How to Insert Square Brackets ( [ ] ) on Linux

Homographically related, can I type squared ( ² ) on the iPhone keyboard?

Unlike squared brackets, the symbol for squared is not part of the keyboard; you can set up a text expansion for squared (and other exponents) on the iPhone.

(Tested with iOS 15–18 and 26; first published July 2022, last updated May 2026)