How to Change Keyboard on Android: Stock & Samsung

Most Android phones ship with a keyboard that does the job, but after a few weeks of autocorrect fails or a cramped layout, you start wondering if there’s something better waiting in the settings. There is — and switching takes less than a minute once you know where to look. This guide walks you through changing your default keyboard on both stock Android and Samsung Galaxy devices, along with how to reset everything when you want your old keyboard back.

Default Keyboard: Gboard ·
Stock Android Path: Settings > System > Languages & input > On-screen keyboard ·
Samsung Path: Settings > General management > Samsung Keyboard settings ·
Top Change Method: Toggle in Virtual keyboard menu ·
Gboard Setup Source: Google Support

Three settings paths matter across the Android ecosystem: one for stock Android, one for Samsung Galaxy devices, and a universal toggle that works on either. The table below maps the key paths and defaults.

The implication: Samsung users must follow a different menu branch than stock Android, so knowing your device type determines which path to follow.

How to change keyboard style on Android?

The keyboard you see right now is your default — the system loads it wherever you tap a text field. To swap it for something with a different look or feel, you need to do two things: enable the new keyboard as an input option, then promote it to default.

Enable a new keyboard app

Before Android lets you type with a new keyboard, it needs permission to use it as an input method. On stock Android, open Settings > System > Languages & input > On-screen keyboard, and you’ll see every keyboard installed on your device. Tap the one you want and flip the switch to enable it.

Samsung Galaxy users follow a slightly different path: head to Settings > General management > Samsung Keyboard settings, then tap Keyboard list and default. From there, toggle on the keyboard you want to add to your input options (Samsung US Official Keyboard Guide).

Switch styles in Gboard settings

Gboard, Google’s keyboard that ships as the default on most stock Android devices, lets you change theme, key size, and correction settings all in one place. Tap the gear icon when Gboard is open, then explore Theme for visual changes or Preferences for typing behavior (Google Gboard Official Setup Guide).

To switch to Gboard if you’re coming from another keyboard, go to Settings > System > Languages & input > On-screen keyboard, select Gboard, and set it as your default input method.

Customize Samsung Keyboard

Samsung Keyboard offers six customization categories: language, layout, themes, size, feedback, and custom symbols. You can access these by tapping the settings icon directly from the keyboard toolbar, or by navigating through the Settings menu (Samsung Canada Keyboard Settings Guide).

The keyboard toolbar itself can be toggled on or off in Samsung Keyboard settings — flip the switch next to “Keyboard toolbar” to show or hide it from view.

How do I get my keyboard back to normal on Android?

If your keyboard has started suggesting odd words, misbehaving after an update, or just feels wrong after you’ve tweaked settings, resetting it to defaults is the fastest fix. The process differs slightly between Samsung and stock Android, but neither takes more than a minute.

Reset keyboard settings

On Samsung Galaxy phones, resetting keyboard settings is straightforward. Navigate to Settings > General management > Samsung Keyboard settings, then tap Reset to default settings. A confirmation prompt appears — tap Reset to confirm. Critically, this does not remove any downloaded languages you have added to the keyboard (Samsung US Official Keyboard Guide).

Revert to default Gboard

For Gboard on stock Android, clearing recent data and resetting suggestions works differently. Open Gboard, tap Settings, then navigate to Text correction and look for the option to clear personalized data. This removes learned words and predictions while keeping your installed languages intact.

Clear keyboard app cache

Both Samsung Keyboard and Gboard store temporary data that can occasionally cause quirks. On Samsung Galaxy phones, you can clear this cache from within the keyboard reset menu: open Settings > General management > Samsung Keyboard settings > Reset To Default Settings and use the Clear cache option. On stock Android, you clear app cache through Settings > Apps > Gboard > Storage > Clear cache (YouTube Samsung Galaxy A25 Keyboard Reset Tutorial).

What this means: cached data builds up over time and can interfere with keyboard responsiveness, so clearing it often resolves mysterious lag or misbehavior.

What is the default keyboard on Android?

Google’s Android is an operating system that device makers customize, so the default keyboard varies by manufacturer. Knowing what ships on your device tells you where to look for settings.

Gboard as stock default

Google’s Gboard is the default keyboard on Pixel phones, Android One devices, and most phones that run a clean or near-clean version of Android. It’s available as a free download from the Play Store for any Android device running version 5.0 or later.

Samsung Keyboard on Galaxy devices

Samsung Galaxy phones come with Samsung Keyboard pre-installed as the default. Samsung Keyboard offers three keyboard modes: Standard keyboard, One-handed keyboard, and Floating keyboard. One-handed mode shifts the keyboard to the right side of the screen, with an option to shift it left using the Left arrow icon (Samsung Canada Keyboard Settings Guide).

Check your current default

The easiest way to check which keyboard you’re currently using is to open any app with a text field, then look at the top-left corner of your keyboard. Samsung Keyboard shows a small logo there; Gboard shows Google’s “G” logo. You can also check in Settings > System > Languages & input > On-screen keyboard on stock Android or Settings > General management > Keyboard list and default on Samsung Galaxy.

How do I change to another keyboard?

Switching keyboards entirely — not just tweaking the one you have — involves installing a new app first, enabling it as an input method, then setting it as your default. Here’s how that works across Android devices.

Install keyboard app first

Open the Play Store (or Galaxy Store on Samsung devices) and search for the keyboard you want. Popular alternatives include Gboard, SwiftKey, Grammarly Keyboard, and Fleksy. Download and install the app before you do anything in settings (Samsung US Official Keyboard Guide).

Set as default input method

After installing, return to your phone’s settings. On stock Android: Settings > System > Languages & input > On-screen keyboard. On Samsung Galaxy: Settings > General management > Samsung Keyboard settings > Keyboard list and default. Toggle on your new keyboard, then tap Default keyboard to promote it to the active default (YouTube Keyboard Change Tutorial).

Switch during typing

Once you have multiple keyboards enabled, you can switch between them on the fly by tapping the globe icon on the keyboard itself. This cycles through all enabled input methods without opening settings.

The pattern: third-party keyboards expand what your phone can do, but you must explicitly grant them permission before they activate — Android’s security model requires this step.

How to change keyboard language on Android?

Typing in a language your keyboard doesn’t know means fighting autocorrect on every word. Adding languages is built into both Samsung Keyboard and Gboard, and the process takes less than a minute.

Add languages in Gboard

Open any app to bring up Gboard, then tap the gear icon to open Gboard Settings. Navigate to Languages > Add language, and select the language you want. Gboard downloads any additional data needed and makes that language available immediately. To switch between languages while typing, tap the globe icon (Google Gboard Official Setup Guide).

Manage input layouts

On Samsung Galaxy phones, adding keyboard languages follows a different path. Open Settings > General management > Samsung Keyboard settings, then tap Languages and types > Manage input languages. Toggle on the languages you want, or tap the download icon next to a language to download the data file before adding it (Samsung US Official Keyboard Guide).

Samsung language settings

To switch between keyboard languages on Samsung Keyboard while typing, tap the language icon — marked with a globe symbol — in the keyboard itself. This cycles through your enabled languages one at a time. You can also long-press the globe icon to see a full list of available languages.

“On your Android phone or tablet, open any app that you can type with. You can change your keyboard’s language, turn on voice typing, or adjust auto-correction settings.”

— Google Gboard Official Setup Guide

“Navigate to and open Settings, then tap General management, and then tap Samsung Keyboard settings. From here, you can reset keyboard settings, change your language, adjust keyboard size, and more.”

— Samsung US Official Keyboard Guide

“Head to the Settings app. Then, tap on ‘System’ and then on ‘Languages & input.’ From there, you can access your keyboard list, enable new keyboards, and set your preferred default.”

— YouTube Keyboard Change Tutorial

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Frequently asked questions