Android Keyboard Not Working? How to Fix It
Android keyboard won't show, keeps stopping, or lags? Set the default keyboard, clear its cache, update or reinstall it, and test in Safe Mode. Fixes here.
When the Android keyboard will not appear, keeps closing, or shows a “Gboard keeps stopping” error, the fix is usually to reset the keyboard app rather than the phone. Start by restarting the phone, then confirm the right keyboard is set as default and clear its cache.
Set the default keyboard
If tapping a text field does nothing, the system may have no keyboard selected. On stock Android, open Settings, System, Languages & input, On-screen keyboard, and pick Gboard, or your keyboard, as the default. On Samsung, it is Settings, General management, Keyboard list and default. If a third-party keyboard was disabled or uninstalled, this is also where you turn one back on.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No keyboard appears | No default selected | Set a default under input settings |
| “Keeps stopping” error | Corrupt app cache | Clear cache, then storage |
| Laggy or wrong layout | Bad update or data | Update, or clear storage |
| Only in one app | That app misbehaving | Update or reinstall the app |
Clear the keyboard’s cache and data
Open Settings, Apps, and select your keyboard, such as Gboard or Samsung Keyboard. Tap Storage, then Clear cache, and test. If it still crashes, tap Clear storage, or Clear data — this fixes most “keeps stopping” errors, but it resets learned words, themes, and preferences, so you will set those again. Restart the phone between steps.
Update, test, or reinstall
Open the Play Store and update the keyboard, since a bad version is a common cause; if an update broke it, uninstall the update to roll back. To find out whether another app is interfering, restart in Safe Mode — if the keyboard behaves there, a downloaded app is the culprit. A phone that is very low on storage also makes apps crash, so it helps to free up storage on Android and, when several apps act up, work through why Android apps keep crashing. Clearing a stuck keyboard’s data is really a specific case of the broader clear the app cache routine.
Most keyboard problems clear at the cache-or-storage step. Keep a second keyboard installed before you uninstall your main one, so you are never left with no way to type.