Reviewed: September 23, 2026. If your Android keyboard does not appear, disappears while you type, freezes, closes immediately or becomes too laggy to use, first identify whether the failure belongs to one app, Gboard itself or Android’s input-method settings. A factory reset should be nowhere near the first step.
Google’s current Gboard troubleshooting guidance recommends restarting and updating first, then checking whether Gboard is enabled, force-stopping it, clearing cache, and only later resetting app data, rolling back an update or reinstalling. Menu names vary across Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO and other Android devices.
First: test whether the keyboard fails everywhere
Open two unrelated apps with ordinary text fields, such as a browser search box and a notes or messaging app. If the keyboard appears in one app but not another, the affected app or its text field is the stronger suspect. If the keyboard is missing across multiple apps, focus on the keyboard app and Android’s keyboard selection.
If taps are failing outside the keyboard too, use our Android touchscreen diagnostic guide. If several apps are crashing, use the Android app crash guide instead of repeatedly resetting Gboard.
1. Restart before clearing anything
Restart the phone, unlock it, and test a simple text field before opening many other apps. Google lists a device restart as an early Gboard troubleshooting step. If a restart fixes the problem once but it repeatedly returns, continue diagnosing rather than relying on repeated reboots.
2. Update Gboard and Android
Open Google Play and check Gboard for an update, then check the phone’s system-update screen. If Play Store downloads are stuck, fix that separately with our Google Play Store stuck-pending guide.
If the failure began immediately after a Gboard or system update, note that timing. It is useful evidence, but does not by itself prove the update caused the problem.
3. Make sure Gboard is enabled and selected
Google notes that Gboard can disappear from the active keyboard list after an update. Look under Settings for Keyboard, On-screen keyboard, Languages & input or Keyboard list and default, then make sure Gboard is enabled and selected. Exact paths vary by manufacturer.
If another keyboard became the default, use Android’s keyboard-switching control when available. Do not uninstall your only working keyboard until another input method is available.
4. Force stop Gboard and reopen a text field
Go to Settings > Apps > Gboard and choose Force stop, then return to an app with a text field. This ends the current Gboard process without intentionally erasing saved data.
5. Clear Gboard cache before storage
Under Gboard’s app information, open Storage & cache and use Clear cache. Google recommends this for crashes, freezes, unresponsiveness and typing lag.
Clear storage or Clear data is more disruptive because it resets Gboard to its default state. Treat it as a later step. If you customized languages, layouts or preferences, expect to configure them again.
6. If typing works but lags, isolate personalization and languages
A keyboard that appears normally but responds slowly is a different symptom from a keyboard that never opens. Google’s Gboard troubleshooting guidance recommends clearing cache and, for persistent lag, testing with personalization disabled. It also advises keeping the active language setup manageable while diagnosing performance.
Change one setting at a time and retest so you can identify what actually changes the behavior.
7. Check microphone permission only for voice typing problems
If normal typing works but the microphone button or voice typing does not, do not reset the entire keyboard first. Check Gboard’s microphone permission and its Voice typing setting. Google documents these as separate requirements for voice input.
If microphones also fail in other apps, use our Android microphone troubleshooting guide.
8. Clear Gboard storage only after reversible fixes fail
Consider clearing Gboard storage when the keyboard fails across multiple apps and restart, update, keyboard selection, force stop and cache clearing have not helped. This resets Gboard’s app state, so it is much less justified when only one app has a problem.
9. If the problem started immediately after an update, consider rolling back that update
Google’s current Gboard help documentation says that if problems began immediately after a Gboard update, uninstalling Gboard updates can return the app to an earlier version where the device permits it. The option can be device-dependent. Retest before changing anything else, and do not leave the keyboard outdated indefinitely.
10. Reinstall only with a fallback keyboard available
Google specifically warns that if Gboard is your only keyboard, you should install a secondary keyboard before removing it. That prevents account sign-in, Wi-Fi passwords and other recovery steps from becoming much harder.
After reinstalling, select the intended keyboard again and test ordinary typing before restoring optional features.
When the problem may not be Gboard
If the screen ignores taps in the same physical area regardless of app, investigate the touchscreen. If multiple apps are unstable, investigate storage or a broader system issue. If only one app refuses to summon the keyboard, investigate that app. If Gboard is absent from the enabled keyboard list, restore the input method before changing unrelated settings.
If several apps are misbehaving and storage is nearly full, use our Android storage cleanup guide to free space deliberately rather than using a random cleaner.
Bottom line
For an Android keyboard that is not showing or Gboard that is not working, use this order: test multiple apps, restart, update, verify the active keyboard, force stop Gboard, clear only its cache, isolate lag or voice-typing issues, then consider storage reset, update rollback or reinstalling only after lower-risk steps fail.
Primary sources
Google Gboard Help: Fix problems with Gboard; Google Gboard Help: Set up Gboard; Google Gboard Help: Type in a different language.
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