Where to find a keyboard setting on Xiaomi: hidden menus and quick ways

Customizing the keyboard on Xiaomi smartphones is a task that seems simple only at first glance. Users often face a situation where standard paths like Settings → Language and input do not allow access to all parameters, and some options are hidden in non-obvious sections, especially for devices with MIUI 14/15, where the interface has undergone major changes compared to previous versions.

The problem is complicated by the fact that Xiaomi uses several types of keyboards at once: standard Gboard (from Google), branded Mi Keyboard, as well as keyboards from third-party manufacturers like SwiftKey or Fleksy. Each of them has its own nuances of settings, and the ways to access them can be radically different. In this article, we will not only show where to look for basic parameters, but also reveal hidden keyboard functions on Xiaomi, which are not written even in the official instructions.

1. Standard path: where to look for keyboard settings in MIUI

To start with the obvious, the standard settings menu, in most cases, the steps that are required to access the keyboard settings are:

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the section Additional → Language and input.
3. Slip on the current keyboard (or keyboard management in MIUI 15).
4. Select an active keyboard (such as Gboard or Mi Keyboard).

But there are pitfalls here:

• 🔍 In some firmware, the language and input item may be called Regional Settings or hidden behind the System tab.
• ⚙️ Nana POCO Redmi with a lightweight version MIUI The path may be shortened to Settings → Language without additional subsections.
• 📱 If you have multiple keyboards installed, the system can automatically switch between them, which is confusing.

It is important to understand that in this menu you will see only basic settings: language selection, auto-replacement, key sounds. Access to advanced features (such as gestures, themes or dictionary synchronization) will require a different approach.

2. Hidden keyboard settings: how to open the extended menu

Many users are unaware that Xiaomi has a hidden keyboard settings menu that opens directly from the text input interface, rather than through standard paths.

1. Open any application where you can type text (such as Notes or Messages).
2. Tap the input field so that the keyboard appears.
3. Press the gear icon (⚙️) tertiary (⋮) keyboard.
4. In the menu that appears, select Settings or Additional.

In this menu you will find options that are not in the standard settings:

• 🎨 Themes and design - changing the color, background, style of keys.
• 👆 Gestures – setting up swipes to enter (for example, swipe left to delete a word).
• 🔄 Dictionary Synchronization – Backing up custom words to your Google or Mi Account.
• 🔍 Search GIF Stickers and Integration with Services Like Giphy.

Interesting fact: on Xiaomi 13/14 and POCO F5, there is a hidden option in this menu called Function Lab, where you can enable experimental features like voice input with processing on your device (without sending data to the cloud).

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If there is no gear icon on the keyboard, hold a space with your finger – in some versions of MIUI this opens up quick settings.

3. Set up the Mi Keyboard's signature keyboard

The Mi Keyboard is Xiaomi’s default keyboard, which has unique features not found in Gboard, but it also has a different setup.

To set up the Mi Keyboard:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Language and input → Current keyboard.
2. Select the Mi Keyboard (may be called the Mi Keyboard or System Keyboard).
3. You'll see tabbed menus: Commons: language, auto-replacement, vibration. Themes: redesign (including dynamic wallpaper); Expanded ones: gestures, sounds, keyboard size.

Features of the Mi Keyboard, which few people know:

Note that Redmi Note 12 and later Mi Keyboard has an emoji prediction feature, which is a system that tells you emojis based on the context of the message. To activate it, go to General → Prediction Emoji.

4.Gboard setup on Xiaomi: subtleties and secrets

Gboard is a keyboard from Google, which is often installed by default on global versions of Xiaomi (for example, on Xiaomi 13T Pro or POCO X5). Its main advantage is deep integration with Google services, but also the settings are much more than in the Mi Keyboard.

To set up the Gboard:

1. Open any text field and call the keyboard.
2. Put it on the gear badge (⚙️) top-panel.
3. Select Keyboard Settings (or Additional Settings in newer versions).

How to return access to settings:

1. Restart the device – often helps with temporary crashes.
2. Clear the keyboard cache: Settings → Annexes → Application management → [Select the keyboard] → Warehouse → Clear the cache
3. Reset default settings: Settings → System → Reset settings → Reset application settings
4. Reinstall the keyboard (for Gboard): Settings → Apps → Gboard → Delete → Install Re-Install from Play Market

⚠️ Note: If after resetting the keyboard has ceased to appear at all, check if it is not disabled in Settings → Language and input → Keyboard control. Sometimes the system automatically deactivates the keyboards after resetting.

6. How to change the keyboard language to Xiaomi (including rare languages)

Adding a new input language to Xiaomi seems like a simple task, but there are nuances here – especially if it comes to rare languages (such as Ukrainian, Kazakh or Indian dialects).

Standard method:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Language and input → Current keyboard.
2. Choose your keyboard (Gboard or Mi Keyboard).
3. Put your tongue on the tongue (or add a tongue).
4. Scroll through the list and select the language you want. For rare languages, you may need to download an additional package.

If the language is not on the list:

• 🌍 For Gboard: press All languages → Add tongue → Type the language name manually in the search box.
• 📲 For Mi Keyboard: Download the language package through Settings → Additionally. → Regional settings → Download languages.
• 🔍 If the language never came up, try installing an alternative keyboard (like SwiftKey or AnySoftKeyboard) that supports more languages.

Important: On some models (e.g. Redmi 10C), when you add a new language, the keyboard can automatically switch to it, even if you didn’t want to. To avoid this, after adding the language, go back to Keyboard Management and turn off auto-switching.

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On Xiaomi with global firmware (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Lite), the list of supported languages is wider than on Chinese versions of devices. If you want a rare language, check the firmware region in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.

7. Resetting the keyboard to factory settings

If the keyboard starts to glitches (like not predicting words, slowing down, or changing the language itself), sometimes the only solution is to completely reset its settings, which will return all parameters to the factory, including the user dictionary and themes.

How to reset your settings:

1. For Gboard: Settings → Annexes → Gboard → Warehouse → Clear the data ⚠️ Note: This will delete all your input history, including saved words and phrases. If you sync with your Google account, the data can be restored after you re-enter.
2. For Mi Keyboard: Settings → Applications → Mi Keyboard → Storage → Clear all data After resetting, the keyboard may ask you to reselect the language and go through a brief setup.

Alternative method (without data loss):

• Open the keyboard in any text field.
• Hold the space or press the gear icon.
• Choose Reset or Restore by default (not available in all versions).

If the keyboard still doesn't work properly after reset, check if it conflicts with other applications, such as Mi Security or Clean Master, which can block the background processes of the keyboard, leading to lags.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up the keyboard on Xiaomi