Changing the font on the keyboard of a Xiaomi smartphone is a challenge that users face when they want to personalize their gadget. Standard system fonts in MIUI do not always suit owners: someone wants a more modern design, someone wants larger characters for ease of typing, and some are just tired of boring design. Unfortunately, unlike changing the font of the entire system, the setting of the keyboard has its nuances and limitations.
In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to change the font for both the built-in MIUI keyboard (based on Google AOSP or Xiaomi’s own development), and for popular third-party solutions such as Gboard, SwiftKey and others. Particular attention will be paid to models with MIUI 12, MIUI 13 and MIUI 14, where the settings interface has changed, and you will learn how to circumvent the system limitations if standard methods do not work.
Why you can’t just change the keyboard font in the MIUI settings
Many Xiaomi users are frustrated when trying to find the option to change the font directly from the keyboard menu. Unlike the system's common fonts (which change through Themes → Fonts), the keyboard uses built-in system resources that are not always available for editing.
Reasons for this restriction:
- 🔹 Security: MIUI Blocks deep keyboard customization to prevent malicious code from being introduced through modified fonts.
- 🔹 Stability: Not all fonts are correctly displayed on the virtual keyboard due to limited button space.
- 🔹 Licensing: Xiaomi uses proprietary fonts that cannot be replaced without violating the user agreement.
But that doesn't mean it's impossible. There are workarounds, from installing alternative keyboards to manually editing system files (for advanced users), and we'll go into each method in detail.
Method 1: Reframing the font through MIUI themes (partial solution)
The simplest, but limited, method is to use themes, and some themes in MIUI change not only the wallpaper and icons, but also the font of the system, including the keyboard, but this does not work on all models and versions of firmware.
Instructions:
- Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
- Go to the Font section (may be in the submenu of Category → Fonts).
- Choose your favorite font and apply it. Some themes (such as "MiSans" or "Roboto Condensed") will change the way characters are displayed on the keyboard.
- Restart the device if the changes do not apply immediately.
⚠️ Note: This method only works for the system keyboard MIUI. If you use Gboard or SwiftKey, changing the theme won’t affect the design of the device, and on some models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro with the new version). MIUI 13.0.5) The keyboard font remains unchanged even after the theme is applied.
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Before installing a new theme, check the reviews of other users - some fonts can "mock" the display of special characters on the keyboard (for example, emoticons or punctuation signs).
Method 2: Install a third-party keyboard with font customization
If the system methods don't work, the best option is to switch to a third-party keyboard that supports changing fonts.
- 🎨 Gboard (from Google) – allows you to install custom themes with modified fonts through Settings → Topics.
- ⚡ SwiftKey (from Microsoft) – has a built-in font gallery in the Design section → Fonts.
- 🔧 Chrooma is an open source keyboard that supports manual font loading in.ttf format.
Step-by-step instructions for Gboard:
☑️ Set up the font in Gboard
SwiftKey is similar to the process, but the fonts are downloaded directly from the app. Note that some fonts may be paid or require a subscription to Microsoft 365.
⚠️ Note: When using third-party keyboards, Xiaomi may issue a warning about "unsafe input." MIUI For all non-system keyboards, to remove the notification, go to Settings. → Additionally. → Language and input → Manage keyboards and disable the option to Show security alert.
Method 3: Manually modifying fonts via ADB (for advanced ones)
If you're ready to experiment, you can manually replace keyboard fonts through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that requires an unlocked bootloader and root rights, and is only suitable for the MIUI system keyboard.
Conditions required:
- 📱 Xiaomi smartphone with unlocked bootloader.
- 💻 Computer with installed ADB Tools and Xiaomi drivers.
- 🔍 A font file in.ttf format (e.g. Roboto-Regular.ttf).
Instructions:
adb pull /system/fonts/NotSerif.ttf C:\backup\# backup of the original font
adb push C:\newfont\CustomFont.ttf /system/fonts/NotSerif.ttf # font replacement
adb rebootCritical: Not all fonts display correctly on the keyboard due to character height restrictions. We recommend testing fonts with a height-to-width ratio of no more than 1:1.2 (such as Open Sans or Lato).
⚠️ Warning: Incorrectly replacing system fonts can lead to a bootloop or keyboard failure. Create a full backup before experimenting TWRP Or Mi Flash Tool.
What if the keyboard stopped working after the font replacement?
Comparison of methods of changing the font of the keyboard on Xiaomi
To choose the best way, compare all options on key parameters:
| Method | Difficulty | Root is required. | Supported keyboards | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shifting MIUI theme | ⭐ (simple) | ❌ No. | Only systemic. | Minimum |
| Third-party keyboards (Gboard/SwiftKey) | ⭐⭐ (middle-of-the-road) | ❌ No. | Anybody. | MIUI safety warnings |
| Manual replacement through ADB | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (difficult) | ✅ Yes. | Only systemic. | High (bootloop, crashes) |
| Magisk modules (e.g. FontManager) | ⭐⭐⭐ (forward) | ✅ Yes. | System + some third-party | Medium (requires Magisk) |
For most users, the best solution would be to install a Gboard or SwiftKey and then customize the font through their built-in tools.This is secure, does not require root rights, and works on all Xiaomi models, including Redmi, POCO and Mi.
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If you want the most customizable input, combine a third-party keyboard (like Chrooma) with Magisk modules for global font swapping, giving you flexibility without the high risks inherent in manual editing system files.
Frequent problems and their solutions
When you change the font of the keyboard, Xiaomi users face typical errors. Let's consider the most common and ways to eliminate them:
Problem 1: After the theme change, the keyboard font has not changed.
- 🔄 Restart the device – sometimes changes only apply after a reboot.
- 🔧 Check if you have a default third-party keyboard installed (it ignores system fonts).
- 📱 On some firmware (for example, MIUI 14 Global) Keyboard font is tightly tied to the system's MiSans.
Problem 2: There is no option to change the font in Gboard.
This means you are using an outdated version of the app. Update Gboard via Google Play or download the latest version from APKMirror. → Topics → Type style.
Problem 3: After replacing the font through ADB, the characters on the keyboard are displayed incorrectly.
The font chosen is likely to be non-unicode-symbols or to have the wrong height/width ratio.
- 🔍 Use fonts optimized for Android (like Noto Sans or Roboto).
- 📏 Check font settings in FontForge or another editor – the height of the characters should not exceed 120% of the width.