How to turn on the keyboard on the Xiaomi smartphone: all the ways (including hidden)

The keyboard on Xiaomi’s smartphone can suddenly disappear from the screen for a variety of reasons, from accidental pressing to MIUI failure. Without it, you can’t type text in messengers, browsers or search bars – which means the phone turns into a “brick” with limited functionality. Fortunately, you can return the keyboard in minutes, even if you have never digging into the settings before.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to enable a keyboard on Xiaomi (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark models) running MIUI 14/15 and Android 12/13/14. From standard methods through the settings menu to hidden features and alternative solutions, you’ll find a variant that will work in your situation.

1. Standard method: Enable via MIUI settings

The most reliable method is to manually activate the keyboard through the system menu, which works 90% of the time unless the problem is caused by a major software failure.

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the desktop).
2. Go to the section Additional → Language and input (on some firmware, the path may look like System and Device → Language and input).
3. Slip on the current keyboard (or keyboard management).
4. Turn on the switch next to Gboard (keyboard from Google) or Xiaomi Keyboard (if you use a branded one).
5. Go back and select the activated keyboard in the default Keyboard section.

If the keyboard doesn’t appear in the apps after this, try restarting your phone — sometimes changes only apply after the reboot, and check if the child mode is turned off (it blocks text input in some apps).

Update. MIUI last-minute|Check the free space on your phone (less than 1GB can cause crashes)|Make sure the keyboard is not disabled in "Special Features»|Reboot your phone after the changes-->

2.Fast solution: Calling the keyboard with a gesture

MIUI 14/15 has a hidden function called calling the keyboard with a double tap on the bottom of the screen, which works even if the keyboard is disabled in the settings, but requires pre-activation:

1. Click the empty space on your desktop and select Desktop Settings.
2. Go to the additional settings → Gestures.
3. Find the option Double Touch to call the keyboard and turn it on.

Now, to call the keyboard in any application, you just need to touch the area above the bottom navigation bar twice (where the Back, Home, Recent buttons are located), this method works even if the main keyboard crashes or is deleted.

Gboard (from Google)| Keyboard Xiaomi|SwiftKey| Other |I don't know what it costs-->

3. if the keyboard disappeared after the MIUI update

Firmware updates often reset the keyboard settings or conflict with the keyboard. If the problem occurs after the update, follow these steps:

• 🔄 Reset the keyboard settings: go to Settings → Annexes → Manage applications, find your keyboard (such as Gboard), open its settings and click Reset settings.
• 📥 Update your keyboard: Go to Google Play and check for updates for Gboard or Xiaomi Keyboard.
• 🗑️ Clear the cache: in the same application management menu, select Clear the cache (not data!).
• 🔧 Restore the default settings: in Settings → System system → Reset settings select Reset application settings (this won’t delete your data, but will return standard settings).

⚠️ Note: If after the update MIUI The keyboard is not only gone, it's not displayed in the list of available ones (language and input), which can mean damage to system files, in which case only flashing or resetting to factory settings will help.

4. Alternative keyboards: installation and configuration

If a standard keyboard refuses to work, you can install a third-party keyboard, such as Gboard, SwiftKey or Fleksy, which is often more stable than a branded Xiaomi keyboard.

1. Download the keyboard from Google Play (such as Gboard).
2. After installation, open Settings → System → Language and input → Current keyboard.
3. Activate the switch next to the new keyboard.
4. Go back and select it as the default keyboard.

Third-party keyboards often offer additional features, such as:

• 🎨 Themes and design (in Gboard you can adjust the color, size and even add a background image).
• 🌍 Multilingual support with automatic switching.
• ⌨️ Gestures (for example, swipe to enter text with one hand).
• 🔒 Privacy protection (some keyboards don’t send typing data).

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If after installing the new keyboard, the old one still pops up, go to its settings and turn off the option “Pop-up window when changing the keyboard”.

5. Hidden Reasons: Why the Keyboard Doesn't Turn on

Sometimes the problem isn't with the keyboard itself, but with the system constraints, and here are some of the non-obvious reasons why it might not work:

Especially often, the keyboard disappears after installing memory optimizers or cache cleaners (such as Clean Master or DU Speed Booster), which can mistakenly delete keyboard system files. If you used these utilities, try restoring your phone from backup or resetting your settings.

Extreme measures: resetting and flashing

If none of these methods work, radical methods remain, and before you resort to them, save important data (contacts, photos, messages) as it may be lost.

• 🔄 Reset application settings: Go to Settings → Memory. → Resetting the app settings, it'll bring all the apps back to the factory settings, but it won't delete any personal data.
• 📱 Hard Reset: Go to Settings → The phone. → Reset settings and select Delete all data.Warning: this will completely clean the phone!
• 🛠️ Fastboot Flashing: If the reset didn't help, the firmware may have been damaged. MIUI Mi Flash Tool (instructions are available on the official website of Xiaomi).

⚠️ Warning: After a hard reset or flash, the phone may require a link to a Mi Account if the Mi Cloud feature was previously activated!

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Before resetting or reflashing, be sure to remove SIM-card and memory card – this will prevent them from being randomly formatted.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the keyboard on Xiaomi