How to set up a keyboard on Xiaomi Mi 9: the full guide 2026

Xiaomi Mi 9 is still a popular smartphone among users who value the balance of performance and design. However, even flagship owners face the need to fine-tune the interface — especially when it comes to keyboards. Inconvenient text input, lack of the right language or slow keys can spoil the experience of the device. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to optimize the keyboard on the Mi 9, from basic language change to installing third-party applications and hidden MIUI functions.

It is important to understand that the keyboard settings on Xiaomi Mi 9 depend on three factors: the version of MIUI (current for 2026 - MIUI 14), the default keyboard installed (standard MIUI Keyboard or Gboard) and regional firmware features. We will consider universal solutions that work on all versions, and also point out the nuances for global and Chinese firmware.

1.Selecting the default keyboard

The first step is to decide which keyboard you'll use. The Xiaomi Mi 9 has a MIUI Keyboard installed by default, but many users prefer Gboard (from Google) or SwiftKey (from Microsoft) for the advanced functionality.

Go to Settings → System and Device → Language and Input → Current Keyboard. Here you will see a list of keyboards installed. If you don’t, download it from Google Play (such as Gboard or SwiftKey). After installation, go back to the settings and select a new keyboard in the list.

• 🔹 MIUI Keyboard – lightweight, integrated into the system, supports gestures (for example, swipe for input).
• 🔹 Gboard – universal, with support for voice input, translator and search GIF.
• 🔹 SwiftKey is the best for multitasking (predicting text based on multiple languages at the same time).

⚠️ Note: If after changing the keyboard it is not used in messengers, check the permissions for the application in Settings → Annexes → Application management → [Keyboard name] → Permissions: Often requires access to microphone (for voice input) and storage (for downloading themes).

2. Adding and deleting input languages

One of the most common problems is that you don't have the language you want, and on the Xiaomi Mi 9, you can add the language in two ways: through system settings or directly in the keyboard app. Let's look at both.

Method 1: Through the MIUI settings

Open Settings → System and Device → Language and Entering → Virtual Keyboard → [Select Keyboard] → Input Languages. Here you will see a list of available languages. Click Language Management and tick the right ones. Gboard will have a similar path, but with an additional option to download language packs.

Method 2: Through the keyboard itself

When typing, tap on the icon. 🌐 (or ⚙️) on the keyboard, then select Settings → Languages: You can add or delete languages quickly, and you can set your priority (by dragging languages in the right order).

⚠️ Note: The Mi 9 Chinese firmware may not have Russian or English by default, in which case you will have to install Gboard or change the device region in Settings → The phone. → Region (resetting will be required).

3. Customization of the appearance of the keyboard

The standard MIUI Keyboard on the Xiaomi Mi 9 supports theme change, but the choice is limited.

1. Open any field to enter text (e.g., in Messages).
2. Slap the icon. ⚙️ keyboard.
3. Select Themes and scroll through the list of available options.
4. To download additional themes, click Get More Themes (MIUI Themes opens).

In Gboard and SwiftKey, customization options are wider:

• 🎨 Color scheme – the choice of pre-installed palettes or the creation of your own.
• 🖼️ Background image - you can set your picture.
• 🔠 Size and transparency – adjusting key height and transparency.

Open the keyboard settings|Select the "Subjects" or "Subjects" section"|Download additional topics (if necessary)|Set up size and transparency|Apply changes and test-->

For Gboard, the path to design settings is: Settings → Themes → Select a theme. Here you can turn on the dark mode for the keyboard if it is not synchronized with the system.

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If you don't like the standard typeface on your keyboard, you can change it to Settings → Input settings → Font style. Options from Roboto to handwritten styles are available.

4.Text prediction optimization and auto-replacement

Auto-replacement and text prediction features save time, but sometimes work incorrectly. On the Xiaomi Mi 9, they can be finely customized:

For MIUI Keyboard:

1. Open Settings → System and device → Language and input → Virtual keyboard → MIUI Keyboard → Text input settings.
2. Turn it on or off: 🔄 Auto Replacement - Correcting typos. 📝 Prediction of the text - word hints. 🔍 Personalized sentences – Analyzing your writing style.

Clearing personal data

For Gboard:

You can go deeper here. Go to Settings → Correct text and adjust:

• 📱 Auto-replacement – turn on if you are often wrong.
• 🔤 Show clues - turn off if they interfere.
• 🗣️ Blocking obscene words – useful for family use.
• 📊 Input statistics – show which words you use most often.

⚠️ Note: If the keyboard started to "glue" after the update MIUI, Try clearing her cache. Go to Settings for that. → Annexes → Application management → [Keyboard name] → Warehouse → Clear the cache. It won't delete your settings, but it can solve lag problems.

5. Gestures and additional functions

Modern keyboards support gestures that speed up text input. On the Xiaomi Mi 9, the following options are available:

Swipe input (Swipe):

• 👆 V MIUI Keyboard: Enable in Settings → Text input settings → Gesture input.
• 👆 In Gboard: Settings → Gesture input → Turn on.
• 👆 In SwiftKey: Settings → Entering → Swipe.

After activation, you can drive your finger on the keys without tearing it off - the system will select the words itself.

Additional gestures:

• 🔙 Swipe left by space - erases the last word (in Gboard).
• 🔛 Double tap on space - puts a point and a space (configured in Settings) → Text input settings → Double-clicking the gap).
• 📎 Space clip – moves the cursor (in SwiftKey).

Voice input:

Gboard and SwiftKey have built-in voice input to use:

1. Slap the icon. 🎤 keyboard.
2. Say the text. The system converts the speech into the text.
3. To improve recognition, check that the correct voice input language is selected in the keyboard settings.

6. Solving keyboard problems

Sometimes the keyboard on Xiaomi Mi 9 doesn't work properly: it disappears, doesn't appear in some apps, or enters the wrong characters.

If the keyboard has stopped working completely:

1. Install an alternative keyboard (such as Gboard) from Google Play.
2. Go to Settings → System and Device → Language and Input → Current Keyboard and select a new one.
3. If the problem remains, reset the keyboard settings to the standard settings in its menu.

⚠️ Note: On Chinese firmware Mi 9 (for example, for the Xiaomi Mi 9 model) SE) Some languages may not be supported due to regional limitations, in which case only installing a third-party keyboard or flashing it to the global version will help. MIUI.

7. Reset keyboard settings to factory

If you've been experimenting with settings and you want to get it back to the way it was, you can reset it. It doesn't affect the other settings on the phone, it just affects the keyboard settings.

For MIUI Keyboard:

1. Open Settings → System and Device → Language and Input → Virtual Keyboard → MIUI Keyboard.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Reset.
3. Confirm the action.

For Gboard:

1. Open Settings → System → Languages and input → Virtual Keyboard → Gboard → Settings.
2. Scroll down and click Reset Settings.
3. Choose what to reset: the input settings, the dictionary or all together.

Once reset, the keyboard will return to factory settings, but all the languages and themes added will remain, and to remove them completely, you will have to reinstall the application.

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Resetting keyboard settings does not affect the phone's system languages. To change the MIUI language, use Settings → System and Device → Language and Region.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up the keyboard on Xiaomi Mi 9