How to change the style of the keyboard on Xiaomi: from theme to layout

The keyboard on Xiaomi is not just a text input tool, but part of the daily interaction with the device. Its design is not only aesthetically important, but also usable: contrast buttons, character size, color gamut and even animation can affect print speed and eye fatigue. However, many users do not suspect that a standard MIUI keyboard or third-party solutions like Gboard can be deeply customized, from changing the theme to completely reworking the layout to your needs.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways Xiaomi can change keyboard style, including hidden MIUI settings, alternative keyboard capabilities, and even manually editing system files for advanced users. Note that the procedure may vary depending on the firmware version (MIUI 13/14/15) and smartphone model — for example, on the Redmi Note 12 and Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the paths to settings may vary slightly. If you use custom firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience, some of the instructions will require adaptation.

1. Standard settings of the MIUI keyboard

By default, Xiaomi smartphones are equipped with the branded MIUI Keyboard (formerly Mi Keyboard), which offers basic customization options that are available without installing additional applications.

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Language and input.
2. Tap the current keyboard (or keyboard management in newer versions of MIUI).
3. Select the MIUI Keyboard (may be called the System Keyboard).

In the menu you will find the following options:

• 🎨 Topics: Offers 5-7 built-in styles (e.g., "Dark", "Light", "Transparent"). MIUI 14 dynamic themes that adapt to the wallpaper of the desktop are added.
• 🔤 The layout: Allows you to choose between QWERTY, ABC (for Russian) or user layouts.
• 📏 Key size: Adjust the height of the buttons (useful for owners of smartphones with large screens, for example, Xiaomi Mix Fold 3).
• 🎵 Sounds and vibrations: Turning on/off clicks when pressed and tactile response.

Please note: in MIUI 13 and older, some settings may be hidden behind the option Additional settings (icon) ⚙️ Also on budget models like the Redmi. A2 or POCO C55 Some options may be missing due to iron limitations.

2. Installation and configuration of Google Gboard

If you don't like the built-in MIUI Keyboard, the best alternative is Google Gboard, which offers advanced customization, gesture support (like swipe to type), and integration with Google services to install and configure it:

1. Download Gboard from Google Play.
2. After installation, go to Settings → System → Language and input → Current keyboard.
3. Activate Gboard and set it with the default keyboard.

Now open the Gboard settings (image) ⚙️ on the keyboard panel) and explore the following options:

• 🖌️ Topics: More than 20 built-in styles + Possibility to upload your own image to the background.
• 🔄 Color palette: Color adjustment of buttons, text and accent elements.
• ⚡ Gestures: Enable a swipe to enter (Glide Typing) and quick access to emojis.
• 🌐 Add up to 5 languages at once with a quick switch.

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In Gboard you can enable one-handed mode – convenient for smartphones with large screens (for example, Xiaomi). 13T To do this, hold the settings icon (⚙️) on the keyboard and select One-Handed Mode.

One of the key benefits of Gboard is the Google Translate feature, built right into the keyboard.

1. Open any text field.
2. Tap the translation icon (🌍) Gboard's toolbar.
3. Select languages to translate and type text – the translation will appear directly above the keyboard.

3. Alternative keyboards: SwiftKey, Chroom and others

In addition to Gboard, you can install other popular keyboards on Xiaomi, each of which has unique chips:

To install any of these keyboards:

1. Download the app from Google Play or APKCombo (if it’s not available in your area).
2. Go to Settings → System → Language and input → Current keyboard.
3. Activate the new keyboard and set it by default.

Important: Some keyboards (like SwiftKey) require access to contacts and messages to improve predictions. Turn off those permissions in Android settings if you're concerned about privacy.

4 Manual modification of system files (for advanced)

If you want to change the style of the keyboard at the system file level (for example, replace button icons or fonts), root rights and access to the file system are required. This method is only suitable for advanced users, since improper actions can lead to a bootloop (a looped device reboot).

Here's what you're gonna need:

• 📱 Xiaomi smartphone with unlocked bootloader and installed Magisk (or other root manager).
• 💻 PC with installation ADB and Fastboot.
• 🔧 File Manager with root access (e.g. Solid Explorer or Solid Explorer) FX File Explorer).

Instructions for replacing the keyboard font:

1. Download the font in.ttf and rename it MIUI-Latin.ttf (for Latin) or MIUI-Cyrillic.ttf (for Cyrillic).
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the command: adb pull /system/fonts/MIUI-Latin.ttf C:\backup\ (create a backup of the original font!).
3. Replace the file in /system/fonts/ with your file manager with root rights.
4. Reset the device.

To replace button icons (for example, emoticons or arrows) will need to edit APK-keyboard MIUI It's a complicated process, and it requires knowledge of decompilating Android applications.

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Changing system files without a backup can cause the keyboard to fail. Always save the original files and check for changes on custom recovery (such as TWRP).

5. Resetting keyboard settings to factory

If, after experimenting with the settings, the keyboard malfunctions (e.g., the buttons are missing, the layout is lost, or predictions are no longer displayed), you can return everything to factory parameters.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the MIUI Keyboard (or Gboard if you use it) and tap it.
3. Select Warehouse → Clear the data and confirm the action.

After discharge:

• ⚠️ All user dictionaries and words will be deleted.
• ⚠️ Themes and layout settings will reset to standard.
• ✅ Predictions of the text will begin to learn again from scratch.

If the reset didn't help, try:

1. Reset the keyboard through Settings → Language and input → Reset the keyboard settings.
2. Update the MIUI firmware to the latest version (sometimes keyboard bugs are patched).

Frequent problems and their solutions

When changing the keyboard style to Xiaomi, users often encounter common errors, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

If none of the solutions worked, try:

• 🔄 Install a different keyboard (for example, go from MIUI Keyboard on Gboard).
• 📱 Check the device for viruses (some malware replaces the system keyboards).
• 🔧 Perform a reset of smartphone settings to factory (pre-make a backup data!).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions