How to turn on the keyboard on the Xiaomi smartphone: from the screen to the physical

Xiaomi’s on-screen keyboard is not just a typing tool, but a range of features, from auto-replacement to gesture control. However, sometimes users are faced with a situation where the keyboard suddenly disappears from the screen, does not respond to touch or refuses to turn on after a system update. In this article, we will analyze all possible scenarios, from the basic activation of the standard MIUI keyboard to restoring work after software failures.

We will focus on physical keyboards (for example, in Xiaomi Black Shark models or when connecting Bluetooth accessories), and consider how to return the keyboard to work after resetting settings or installing custom firmware. If you encounter a problem when the on-screen keyboard does not appear in messengers or browsers, here you will find a solution - even for outdated models based on MIUI 10.

1. Standard ways to enable the on-screen keyboard

In most cases, the keyboard on Xiaomi is activated automatically when you go to any type field (such as Messages or Google Search).If this does not happen, first check the basic settings:

• 📱 Reboot the device. Press the power button and select Reboot. This will solve the problem if the failure is caused by a temporary application conflict.
• 🔧 Check language settings. Open Settings. → Additionally. → Language and input → Current keyboard and make sure you choose Gboard (Google) or Xiaomi Keyboard.
• 🔄 Reset keyboard settings. In the same menu, click on the icon ⚙️ next to the active keyboard and select Resetting Settings.

If the keyboard still doesn’t appear, try calling it manually through the notification panel:

1. Pull down the notification curtain.
2. Click on the Selecting method of input icon (usually looks like a keyboard or a globe).
3. Select the desired keyboard from the list.

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If the keyboard icon is not in the notification panel, turn it on in Settings → Notifications Panel → Order of icons

2. Enable keyboard through MIUI settings

If standard methods fail, you need to check system settings. In MIUI 12/13/14, the path to keyboard control may differ, but the general logic is maintained:

1. Go to Settings → System and Device → Language and Enter.
2. Select Current Keyboard (or Keyboard Management in older versions).
3. Activate the switch next to the Gboard or Xiaomi Keyboard.
4. If the keyboard is disabled, click on it and select Enable.

In MIUI 14 and later, the Xiaomi keyboard can be hidden in the section Additional → Special features → Input management – check this way if you do not find the settings in the standard menu.

3. Solving problems with missing keyboard

If the keyboard suddenly disappeared and does not appear in any application, the cause may be:

• 🚫 Disabling the system application, for example, after cleaning the cache or using memory optimizers.
• 🔄 Conflict after update MIUI. Especially relevant for betta versions of firmware.
• 🦠 Viral software: Some malware applications block system services.

To get the keyboard back:

Check the keyboard inclusion in the settings

Reboot the phone

Clear the app cache Settings → Annexes → Application management → keyboard Xiaomi/Gboard → Warehouse → Clear the cache

Install an alternative keyboard from Google Play

Reset application settings (Settings) → System system → Resetting settings → Resetting application settings)-->

⚠️ Note: If the keyboard is missing after rooting the device or installing a custom recaveri (for example, TWRP), The reason could be to delete the system files, and then only flashing through Fastboot will help.

4. physical keyboard settings (Black Shark, POCO F1, etc.)

Some Xiaomi models, such as the Black Shark gaming smartphones or the POCO F1 with plug-in accessories, support physical keyboards to activate them:

1. Connect the keyboard via Bluetooth or USB-C (for Black Shark FunCooler Pro).
2. Go to Settings → Connected devices → Keyboard.
3. Select the connected device and set up the layout (EN, RU, CN, etc. are available).
4. For gaming keyboards, activate Game Mode mode in Settings → Special Features → Physical Keyboard.

Black Shark 4/5 has an additional macro keyboard feature to configure:

Settings → Game space → Accessories → Macros setting

5. Enabling the keyboard after resetting or firmware

After a hard reset or custom firmware installation (e.g. LineageOS) the keyboard may not be available.

1. Install an alternative keyboard from Google Play (such as Gboard or SwiftKey).
2. If Google Play is not available, download it. APK-Keyboard file from the official website and install manually.
3. For firmware based on AOSP (not MIUI), you may need to install Google Apps (GApps).

If the keyboard is not installed due to the error "App is not compatible with the device", try:

• 🔧 Change build.prop (root rights required).
• 📱 Install an older version of the app (e.g. Gboard 10.6 instead of 12.0).
• 🌐 Use APKMirror to download universal versions.

⚠️ Note: On devices with a locked bootloader, installing third-party keyboards may cause a "Minimum functionality" error, in which case you need to unlock through the Mi Unlock Tool.

6.Alternative keyboards and their settings

If the standard Xiaomi keyboard doesn’t suit you, consider alternatives:

To install an alternative keyboard:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Go to Settings → System → Language and input → Current keyboard.
3. Activate the new keyboard and set it by default.

To set up Gboard:

• 🎨 Change the theme in Settings → Topics.
• ⚙️ Set up gestures in Settings → Gestures.
• 🌐 Add languages to Settings → Languages.

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Alternative keyboards (like Gboard) are often updated more often than the standard Xiaomi keyboard and support more features like real-time translation or integration with Google Translate.

7. Frequent errors and their solutions

Let’s look at the typical problems and ways to solve them:

• 🔄 Keyboard permanently desaparece (disappears) when you switch applications. Solution: Disable Memory Optimization in Settings → Battery → Optimization for the application of the keyboard.
• ⌨️ The physical keyboard enters the wrong characters. Solution: Check the layout in Settings → System system → Language and input → Physical keyboard.
• 🚫 Error "Unfortunately, the keyboard has stopped" Solution: Clear the application data (Settings) → Annexes → keyboard → Warehouse → Clear the data).

If the keyboard doesn’t work properly after the MIUI update, try rolling back to the previous firmware version via Fastboot or wait for a patch from Xiaomi.

1. Check out the topic on the official Xiaomi Community forum.
2. If the bug is massive, update the firmware through Settings → About the phone → System update.

Frequently asked questions