How to make the font bold on the keyboard Xiaomi: all the ways for MIUI 14 and 15

You try to write a message on WhatsApp or Telegram, but the standard Xiaomi keyboard does not give you the text to be bold? The problem is familiar to many users of Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones — unlike the iPhone, where bold font is turned on by a pair of taps, on Android with the shell MIUI this process often raises questions. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods, including hidden keyboard functions, Gboard settings and workarounds for messengers.

It’s important to understand that formatting text depends not only on the keyboard, but also on the application you’re typing in. For example, in VK or Instagram* bold may not be supported at all, whereas in Telegram or Slack there are special commands for this. We’ll focus on the universal methods that work on most Xiaomi devices with MIUI 14/15 (including Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T and other models from 2022-2026).

1. Xiaomi's standard keyboard: where to look for bold

By default, Xiaomi smartphones use the Mi Keyboard (or Xiaomi Keyboard in the newer versions) which has a bold feature hidden in an unobvious way — it is not on the main panel, but it is available through an additional menu.

To highlight the text in bold:

1. Print the desired text in any messenger (for example, Telegram or WhatsApp).
2. Select a word or phrase with a long tap (hold your finger for 1-2 seconds).
3. In the menu that appears, tap on three points (⋮) or the "A" icon (depending on version) MIUI).
4. Select the option "Fat" (or Bold in English localization).

If you do not have this item, check:

• 🔄 Version MIUI: on old firmware (below) MIUI (12) the function may not be.
• 📱 Keyboard model: some regions get simplified versions without formatting.
• 🔧 Keyboard settings: go to Settings → System and device → Language and input → Current keyboard → Settings and enable the option "Toolbar".

⚠️ Attention: POCO F4 redmi K50 s MIUI 14 Global users complain of a bug where bold is applied only to the first word in the selection.The solution is to update the keyboard via Google Play or use Gboard.

2.Gboard: the most reliable way for all Xiaomi devices

Google's keyboard (Gboard) offers a more convenient formatting of text and is more stable than the standard one.

1. Install Gboard from Google Play (if not already installed).
2. Activate the keyboard in settings: Settings → System & Device → Language & Input → Current Keyboard and select Gboard.
3. Open any chat (for example, in Telegram) and type the text.
4. Select the phrase and tap on the icon "A" with emphasis in the toolbar.
5. Select "B" (fat) in the formatting menu.

The advantages of Gboard:

• 🎯 It works on all Xiaomi models, including Redmi. 10A and POCO M4 Pro.
• 🔄 Supports hot keys: highlight text and press Ctrl+B on the connected physical keyboard.
• 🌐 Automatically adapts to the language (Russian, English, Ukrainian, etc.).

If the “A” icon doesn’t appear, upgrade to the latest version of Gboard or check your settings:

Settings Gboard → Text input → Toolbar → Enable "Text Formatting"

Install Gboard from Google Play|

Activate the keyboard in the MIUI | settings

Enable the toolbar in the Gboard| settings

Update the application to the latest version-->

3. hot keys for messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp, VK)

Some apps support Markdown markup or custom formatting commands, and this is the fastest way to make text bold if you communicate frequently on a particular messenger.

Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 14 and newer on WhatsApp may not work markup text due to conflict with the system keyboard. Solution: temporarily switch to Gboard or use the formatting menu (allocation + button "B").

There's an extra life hack for Telegram: if you use bold often, create a quick command in your keyboard settings. For example, you can add a text snippet to Gboard:

Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal phrases → Add:


Short title: “g”




Phrase: "|" (insert text between the stars)

4 Third-party keyboards with extended formatting

If the standard methods don’t work, consider alternative keyboards with built-in text editor.

• 🔹 SwiftKey (from Microsoft): supports bold, italic and underline through the dashboard. Minus - sometimes brakes on budget models (Redmi) 9A, POCO C31).
• 🔹 Fleksy: unique gestures for formatting (e.g. swipe left for bold) Suitable for single use.
• 🔹 Chroom: Keyboard with Support HTML-tag (<b>text</b>). Useful for web forms and email.

How to install and configure (as in SwiftKey):

1. Download the keyboard from Google Play.
2. Activate it in Settings → System and device → Language and input.
3. Open any input field and tap on the "T" icon in the top menu.
4. Select "Format" → "Fatty".

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi with Chinese firmware (without Google Play), third-party keyboards are installed only through the APK. Risk: these files may contain malicious code. Check sources on APKMirror or 4PDA.

💡

If it doesn’t appear on the list of available keyboards after you install the new keyboard, reboot your smartphone. On Xiaomi with MIUI 15, it sometimes helps to clear the Settings app cache (Settings → Applications → App Management → Settings → Clear the cache).

5. Bypass: bold text generators and Unicode characters

If none of these things worked (for example, on very old models like the Redmi 4X), you can use Unicode characters that mimic bold.

1. Go to a generator site, such as LingoJam.
2. Enter the text in the input field.
3. Copy the generated “fat” version (it will consist of special symbols).
4. Put it in the message.

Example:

Common text: Hello

"Fat Unicode: 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘁

Cons of the method:

• ❌ Not all fonts support such symbols (in the VK Instagram can be displayed by the cracks).
• ❌ Takes up more space in SMS (up to 2-3 times more symbols).
• ❌ Does not work in fields with special characters restriction (for example, in Telegram group names).

The alternative is to use emoji for accents, like:

• 🔴 IMPORTANT (red circle)
• ⚠️ Attention (prevention)
• 📌 SECURED (Staff button)

💡

Unicode characters are not real bold, but visual imitation. In most cases, it is better to use standard methods (Gboard or Markdown), since they are universal and do not depend on font support.

6 Why bold doesn't work: frequent problems and solutions

If you’ve tried all the ways but the text still doesn’t go bold, check out these points:

Xiaomi with Chinese firmware (without Google Play) often lacks updates for system applications.

1. Install Gboard through APK-File (download from a verified source).
2. Use Telegram X (alternative client with Markdown support).
3. For WhatsApp, try the web version via your browser (whatsapp.com).

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi Note 8 Pro, Mi) 9T) After resetting to factory settings, you lose the ability to format in Mi Keyboard. Solution: Before reset, back up your keyboard settings in Settings. → System and device → Backup.

FAQ: Frequent questions about bold font on Xiaomi