10 shortcuts every iPhone and iPad user need to know

These shortcuts are things every iPhone and iPad owner should know.

So you just opened up that new iPhone or iPad, and while you've got the basics down, like opening an app or sending a message, you might be wondering: what else should I know? Well, iMore is here to help with a set of tips and tricks that every iPhone and iPad owner should have in their tool belt.

Here are 10 essential shortcuts for every iPhone and iPad owner.

How to turn your iPhone or iPad off or on
How to take a screenshot
How to set up keyboard shortcuts
How to perform a force reset
How to activate 3D Touch shortcuts
How to insert a period with a double space
How to quickly turn predictive typing on and off
How to view your recent web history in Safari
How to view and reopen recently closed tabs in Safari
How to configure widgets in the Notification Center

How to turn your iPhone or iPad off or on

While it's a pretty basic function, it's good to know how to turn your iPhone on and off, just in case you need to do so.

Turning your iPhone off:

Press and hold the power button on the right side of your phone.
Swipe the power off slider that appears to the right.

Turning your iPhone on again:

With your iPhone completely off, press and hold the power button on the right-hand side of the device until you see the Apple logo.
If you have a password on your iPhone (and you really should), enter it to unlock your device.
If you don't have a password, simply press the Home button to head to your Home screen.

How to take a screenshot

See something fun, strange, or worrying on your screen? Take a quick screenshot!

Navigate to the screen you want to take a screenshot of (in this case, let's say it's Safari).
At the same time, press down on the power button and the Home button on your iPhone or iPad.

If you're running iOS 9 or later, you can find the screenshots you've taken in the Screenshots albumin the Photos app.

How to set up keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts help you save time by turning a few specific characters into snippets of commonly-used text.

Open Settings.
Tap General.
Scroll down and tap Keyboard.
Tap Text Replacement.
Tap the + button.
Enter the phrase that will appear when you enter your shortcut.
Enter your shortcut.
Tap Save.

How to perform a forced reset

If your iPhone or iPad is unresponsive, a forced reset can help.

Press and hold the power and volume down buttons for at least 10 seconds.
When the Apple logo appears, release the buttons.

How to use 3D Touch shortcuts on your iPhone's Home screen

3D Touch shortcuts can be very helpful when you want to get something done or go to a particular part of an app quickly.

Press firmly on the icon of an application with shortcuts you want to use.
Tap on your desired shortcut option.

How to set up inserting a period with a double space

Inserting a period with a double space is a great help you keep up your writing pace while still using proper punctuation. Here's how you set it up.

Open Settings on your iPhone.
Tap General.
Scroll down and tap Keyboard.
Flip the switch next to "." Shortcut to the green 'on' position.

How to quickly turn predictive typing on and off

Find predictive typing annoying, or do you love it and accidentally turned it off? Here's how you switch predictive typing off and on.

Open an app and bring up the iOS keyboard.
Tap and hold on the Globe key.
Tap on Predictive to turn predictive typing on or off.

How to view your recent web history in Safari

Take a look back to where you've been on the web.

Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap and hold the back button if it's blue to view the recent history of your current Safari tab.
Tap an item under History if you want to open it again.
Otherwise, tap Done.

How to view and reopen recently closed tabs in Safari

Whether you're just trying to remember what you've previously viewed or you accidentally closed a tab, here's how you look at your recent tabs.

Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap the square Tab button.
Press and hold the + button.
Tap on the name of a recently-closed tab if you want to open it again.
Otherwise, tap Done.

How to configure widgets in the Notification Center

Widgets can provide a helpful snapshot of information or shortcuts to launch apps or actions.

Swipe to the right on your iPhone's Home screen.
Scroll down and tap Edit on the bottom of the widget list.
Tap the green + button next to any widgets that you want to add.
Tap and hold on the three lines next to the name of the widget you want to rearrange.
Drag the widget up or down to rearrange its placement in your widget view.
Tap Done.