A small keyboard on Xiaomi is a problem that makes it difficult to type, or are the buttons too tight and the text barely readable? The problem is familiar to many users of Redmi, POCO or Mi smartphones — especially those with large screens or those who are used to the tablet format. Fortunately, you can change the size of the keyboard without root rights and complex manipulation.
In this article, we’ll look at 7 proven ways to increase the keyboard on Xiaomi, from standard MIUI settings to fine-tuning Gboard and alternative apps, and find out why the keyboard can move out after a system update and how to fix it.
If you use a MIUI (Mi Keyboard) keyboard, most options are hidden in the depth of the menu. On the third hand, Google's Gboard offers more flexibility but requires separate installation. We'll look at both options - choose the one that suits you.
⚠️ Important: Keyboard size settings may vary depending on version MIUI (12/13/14) If your Xiaomi is running on Android One (e.g. Mi) A3), Use the instructions for Gboard – there is no system keyboard.
1. Enlarge the keyboard via MIUI (Mi Keyboard) settings
The Mi Keyboard is built into MIUI firmware and is available on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices. To resize it, follow the following steps:
Open any application where the keyboard appears (such as Notes or Messages). Then click on the gear settings (⚙️) If you don't have an icon, swipe your finger across the keyboard toolbar to the left to reveal additional options.
In the settings menu, select:
- Size and layout (or Display settings in English version)
- Keyboard size;
- Move the slider to the right to increase the height of the keys.
⚠️ Note: In some versions MIUI 14 Option The keyboard size may not be available, in which case try updating the firmware or using alternative methods from the following sections.
Open any text field
Push the gear. ⚙️ keyboard
Select "Size and layout"
Move the slider "Size of the keyboard"-->
2.Scaling the keyboard in Gboard
Gboard is a keyboard from Google that is often installed by default on Xiaomi smartphones with global firmware, and its advantage is flexible size setting, including individual changes in the height and width of the buttons.
To increase the Gboard:
- Open the keyboard in any application.
- Press the gear icon (⚙️) tertiary (⋮) → Settings.
- Go to Topics. → Keyboard size.
- Choose one of the pre-sizes (Ordinary, Large, Very Large) or adjust manually using a slider.
💡 Tip: You can also change the height of the sentence bar (word prompts) in Gboard. → Offers and disable the option Show the sentence string if it interferes.
If the keyboard looks blurry after resizing, update Gboard to Google Play or clear the app cache in your phone’s settings.
Mi Keyboard (branded)
Gboard (from Google)
Other (specify in the comments)-->
3.Using One Hand Mode to Enlarge Keyboard
The MIUI One-handed mode not only shifts the keyboard to the edge of the screen, but also increases its size by narrowing the width, which is convenient for devices with large displays (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra or POCO F5 Pro).
Activate the mode in two ways:
- 🔹 Gesture: Swipe the keyboard icon (in the bottom panel) left or right.
- 🔹 Button: Press the arrow down (↓) on the keyboard panel and select the side of displacement.
To adjust the degree of increase:
- Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → One Hand.
- Turn on the option and select the size of the thumbnail (30 to 70 percent of the original size).
⚠️ Note: In One Hand mode, some buttons (e.g., digital row or emoji) disappear.To return them, temporarily turn off the mode or use an additional panel in the keyboard settings.
How to return the digital number in the mode "One hand"?
4. Installation of third-party keyboards with a customizable size
If the standard methods don't work, try alternative keyboards with extended size settings.
| keyboard | Advantages | How to change size |
|---|---|---|
| SwiftKey | AI tips, cloud dictionary, topics | Settings → Size → Key Height |
| Chroom | Minimalist design, gestures | Settings → Scale → Size slider |
| Fleksy | Up to 300% button size, gesture support | Settings → Keys Size → Select % |
| AnySoftKeyboard | Open source, customization | Settings → Appearance → Scale |
🔹 How to install:
- Download the keyboard from Google Play.
- Go to Settings → System → Language and input → Virtual keyboard.
- Turn on the new keyboard and set it by default.
Important: Once you have installed a third-party keyboard, some MIUI features (like quick responses in notifications) may not work properly.
5. Change the size of the keyboard via ADB (for experienced)
If none of these methods worked, you can force the keyboard to scale through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a technique that is suitable for advanced users and requires connecting a smartphone to a PC.
🔹 Instructions:
- Enable USB Debugging in the developer settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version → Press 7 times).
- Connect Xiaomi to your computer and open the command line (or Terminal on Mac/Linux).
- Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices
- Change the size of the keyboard (for example, to 1.2x): adb shell settings put secure keyboard_height_scale 1.2 Values allowed: from 0.8 (decrease 1.5 (rise).
⚠️ Attention: Wrong commands ADB You can cause system failures. Before experimenting, back up your data through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup.
adb shell settings delete secure keyboard_height_scale
6. Correction of failures after the MIUI update
After updating MIUI (especially from 12 to 13/14), the keyboard can move, become too small or disappear altogether, due to a reset of user settings or conflict of topics.
🔹 Solutions:
🔄 Reset keyboard settings: Go to → Application Settings → Application Management → Mi Keyboard/Gboard → Storage → Clear the data.
🎨 Change theme: In the keyboard settings, select a standard theme (Default or Material You).
📱 Reboot: Sometimes it helps to simply reboot your smartphone (press Power + Volume up for 10 seconds).
If the problem persists, check the keyboard permissions in Settings → Special Access → Manage all files. Lack of access can block user settings from loading.
💡
After major MIUI updates (e.g., 13 to 14), the keyboard can reset to factory settings. Always check the settings after the system upgrade.
7 Additional tricks: font, contrast, gestures
In addition to size, the ease of printing is influenced by the font, the color scheme and additional features.
🔹 Enlarge the font on the keyboard:
In Mi Keyboard: Settings → Design → font size.
In Gboard: Settings → Themes → Set up → Text Size.
🔹 Increased contrast:
Turn on the dark theme for the keyboard (saves battery power on AMOLED- screens).
Use high contrast colors (for example, black keys on a white background).
🔹 Gestures for quick access:
In Gboard, you can swipe your finger across the space to move the cursor.
SwiftKey is available to type gestures without removing your finger from the screen.
⚠️ Warning: On Xiaomi devices with a transparent keyboard (e.g., in MIUI 14), button visibility may be lost on some backgrounds, in which case, turn off transparency in the theme settings.
FAQ: Frequent questions about increasing the keyboard on Xiaomi
Can I increase the keyboard on Xiaomi without installing third-party apps?
Why do emojis or numbers disappear after enlarging the keyboard?
How to return the standard size of the keyboard if it becomes too large?
Can I enlarge the keyboard on a Xiaomi tablet (like the Pad 6)?
Why are some Xiaomi models not able to resize their keyboard?