How to enter the “#” sign on the Xiaomi Redmi keyboard: step-by-step instructions with pictures

You are trying to enter a hashtag in social networks, type USSD-code to check balance or activate a hidden feature through an engineering menu, but can't find the number sign (#) on your Xiaomi Redmi keyboard? This problem is familiar to many users of the brand's smartphones - especially those who have recently switched from iPhones or devices from other manufacturers. The fact is that the location of the # symbol on virtual keyboards MIUI Often differs from the usual schemes, and in some firmware it is generally hidden behind additional menus.

In this article, we will analyze all possible ways to enter the sign “grid” on Redmi Note smartphones 12/11/10, Redmi A2/A1, POCO X5/X4 and other models under control MIUI 14/13/12. You'll learn where to look for a character on a standard keyboard, how to add it to quick access, what alternative methods to use if the button is missing, and even how to type # using voice dialing. USSD-With codes or technical settings, we have prepared a unique table with hidden key combinations to call the engineering menu on different versions. MIUI.

1. Standard location of the "#" sign on the MIUI keyboard

On most Xiaomi Redmi smartphones with a MIUI keyboard preinstalled (or Gboard if you installed one), the # symbol is in one of three places:

• 🔢 Digital keyboard: Switch to numbers (click?123 or 12#), then hold the 1 button – pop-up will appear #.
• 📱 Symbol panel: press =< (or \<), Then scroll left to the Symbols section, where there will be # among other special characters.
• 🔍 Search by keyboard: in Gboard you can click on the magnifying glass icon and enter the “grid” – the system will tell you where the symbol is located.

If you have a Redmi with MIUI 14 or higher, the location may be different: in some regional firmware, the # sign is displayed on the main digital bar next to * (star). For example, on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, it appears when you press the 0 button long.

Important! On some models (e.g. Redmi 9A or Redmi A1), the # symbol may not be in the main tabs.

1. Switch to English layout (EN).
2. Press and hold the button. (dot) - sometimes # is hidden there.
3. Use an alternative method (see Section 3).

2. Where to search for "#" on the Gboard keyboard (Google)

If you installed Gboard instead of a standard MIUI keyboard, the # search algorithm will be different.

1. Open any field to enter text (for example, in Messages or Notes).
2. Click the button?123 (numbers) in the lower left corner.
3. In the top row, you'll see * 0 #. Just tap on #.

If there is no sign on the digital panel:

• 🔄 Press the button. =< (or \<), to open up additional symbols.
• 🔎 Enter the word “grid” in the search bar (magnifying glass icon) – Gboard will show the symbol.
• ⚙️ Go to the Gboard settings (Settings) → System system → keyboard → Gboard) and enable the option “Show characters on the digital keyboard».

Tip for POCO users: On smartphones in this series (such as the POCO X5 Pro), Gboard sometimes runs a bug when the # character disappears after the update. To return it, clear the keyboard cache in the app settings.

Switch to digital keyboard | Check for additional characters (button =<) | Use keyboard search | Update Gboard to Google Play | Clear app cache-->

3. Alternative ways to enter the sign "#"

If the standard methods don’t work, use one of these methods:

For technical tasks (e.g., input) USSD-codes) you can use the hidden keyboard of the phone:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Go to the keyboard tab (where you dial the number).
3. Here # will be next to * and 0.

4.Why the "#" sign can disappear from the keyboard

Sometimes the # symbol suddenly disappears from the keyboard.

• 📱 Update MIUI: So, if you're up to speed, you're going to reset your layout (EN) And check the digital panel.
• 🛠️ Damage to system files: if the character disappears after rooting or installing custom firmware.Solution: reflash the phone or return the stock keyboard through APK.

⚠️ Attention! On Redmi with custom firmware (like LineageOS), the location of # can be drastically different. Before installing unofficial software, check compatibility with your model on the forum XDA Developers.

5 How to Add a "#" Sign to Quick Access

If you often need a # character, set the keyboard so that it is always on hand:

For the standard MIUI keyboard:

1. Open any text field and call the keyboard.
2. Click on the icon. ⚙️ (settings) on the keyboard.
3. Select the keyboard settings → Layout and entrance.
4. Enable the option “Show symbols on the main panel”.

For Gboard:

1. Go to Settings → System → Keyboard → Gboard.
2. Select the layout → Setting up the layout.
3. Activate the “Number Keys” option – now # will be on the digital bar.

You can also create a text template:

• In Gboard: Settings → Dictionary → Personal Phrases → Add an abbreviation (like “hash”) and attach # to it.
• In MIUI: Keyboard settings → Text templates.

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If you often enter USSD-codes (e.g. *100#), save them as contacts in a phone book. When you call a contact, the code will automatically be typed with the symbol #.

6. Hidden USSD-Codes with the symbol "#" for Xiaomi Redmi

The # sign is often used in service codes to access hidden smartphone features. Here are some useful combinations for Xiaomi devices:

Warning: Some codes may reset settings or run tests that result in a device reboot.

⚠️ Attention, codes of type #06# (IMEI) or ##232338##* (MAC-Wi-Fi address is secure, but combinations with ## at the beginning (e.g, ##DATA#) Before using, check the assignment of the code on official Xiaomi resources.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When searching for a # sign, users often make these mistakes:

• 🔍 They're looking for a character on the letter keyboard, and it's only on the digital or the symbol bar.
• 🌐 In some languages (e.g. Arabic), # may be hidden.
• 📱 Do not update the keyboard. In older versions of Gboard or MIUI Keyboard symbol may not be available.
• ⚡ They use informal firmware. In custom assemblies, the layout often breaks down.

If you encounter a problem when # disappears after a reboot, try:

1. Clear keyboard data in Settings → Applications.
2. Install an alternative keyboard (e.g. SwiftKey).
3. Reset the language and input settings (Settings → Additional → Language and input → Resetting).

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If neither method helped, it's likely the system files are the problem, in which case only flashing the phone or resetting to factory settings (with data loss) will help.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions