How do I change the default keyboard on my Android phone?

Tips
1

I recently installed a new keyboard app on my Android phone, but I can’t figure out how to set it as the default or switch back and forth between keyboards. I’ve checked Settings but I’m worried I might mess something up. Can someone walk me through the exact steps to change the keyboard on Android and any tips to avoid common issues?

2

On Android this is a bit hidden, so you are not messing anything up by poking around. Here is the step by step.

  1. First, turn the new keyboard on
    • Open Settings
    • Go to System or General management or Additional settings, depends on brand
    • Tap “Language & input” or “Languages & input”
    • Tap “On‑screen keyboard” or “Virtual keyboard”
    • Tap “Manage keyboards”
    • Toggle your new keyboard ON
    • You will see a warning about data collection. Read it, hit OK if you trust the app

  2. Set it as default
    On many phones:
    • In the same “On‑screen keyboard” screen, tap “Default keyboard”
    • Pick your new keyboard from the list

    On Samsung:
    • Settings
    • General management
    • Keyboard list and default
    • Tap “Default keyboard”
    • Choose the new one

  3. Quick way to switch while typing
    This is useful if you want to swap back and forth.
    • Open any app where you type, like Messages
    • Tap in a text field so the keyboard pops up
    • Look for a small keyboard icon or globe icon in the nav bar or on the keyboard
    • Tap it, pick the keyboard you want

    If you do not see the icon:
    • Pull down the notification shade while the keyboard is open
    • Tap “Choose input method” or “Select keyboard”
    • Select the one you want

  4. If the new keyboard does not show up
    • Make sure the app is installed, sounds obvious but worth checking
    • Reopen Settings, Language & input, Manage keyboards, confirm the toggle is ON
    • If still missing, restart the phone

  5. To switch back to your old keyboard
    Do the same “Default keyboard” steps and pick Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, or whatever you used before.

Nothing you do in these menus breaks the phone. Worst case, if a keyboard glitches, you switch back using the notification “Select keyboard” option or by going to Settings again.

3

You’re not going to “break” anything in Settings, so you can relax a bit. Worst case, keyboard is weird for a minute and you just switch back.

@reveurdenuit already covered the standard path nicely. Let me add some extra angles and a couple alternatives so you’re not stuck if your menus look different or the app is being stubborn.

1. Use the keyboard app’s own prompt (often the easiest)
Most third‑party keyboards walk you through setup the first time you open them:

  • Open the new keyboard app from your app drawer.
  • It usually shows a wizard like:
    1. “Enable in Settings”
    2. “Select input method” / “Set as default”
  • Just tap through those steps and let the app jump you into the right Settings page.
    If you skipped this earlier, open the app again; a lot of them re-show the setup banner.

2. Use the “Input method picker” shortcut
Sometimes it is faster than digging through menus:

  • Open any app where you can type (Messages, WhatsApp, browser URL bar).
  • Tap the text field so your current keyboard shows.
  • While the keyboard is open, drag down the notification shade.
  • Look for something like:
    • “Choose input method”
    • “Select keyboard”
  • Tap that and pick your new keyboard.
    That temporarily sets it; on many phones this effectively becomes your default until you change it again.

I slightly disagree with @reveurdenuit on one small point: they say “nothing you do in these menus breaks the phone.” In reality you can annoy yourself if you turn all keyboards off and then forget what you did. But even then, a reboot + going back into Settings fixes it, so it’s more “mild self‑sabotage” than actual damage.

3. Double-check permissions if it keeps switching back
If the new keyboard keeps dropping back to Gboard or Samsung Keyboard:

  • Go to Settings → Apps → your new keyboard.
  • Make sure:
    • It isn’t restricted in battery settings (turn off “Optimize” or aggressive power saving).
    • It has allowed permissions if it asks for them (e.g. “Full access” is needed for some features).
      Some “phone manager” or “security” apps like to kill third‑party keyboards in the background, which makes Android fall back to the stock one.

4. Quick way to swap when you’re testing
While you’re deciding if you like the new keyboard:

  • Use that keyboard/globe icon on the navigation bar or on the keyboard itself to flip between them on the fly, instead of going back into Settings every time.
  • If there’s no icon, the notification “Select keyboard” shortcut I mentioned is your friend.

5. If you really panic and want everything “back to normal”

  • Uninstall the new keyboard app.
  • Restart the phone.
  • Android will auto-switch to the built‑in keyboard (Gboard, Samsung, whatever came with your phone).
    There’s nothing permanent here; you can’t ruin anything by turning a keyboard on or off.

TL;DR: poke around in Language & input without fear. You’re more likely to get slightly confused than to mess something up. And if it does get weird, just switch back via the notification “input method” option or uninstall the new one and you’re back where you started.

4

Couple of extra angles that build on what @chasseurdetoiles and @reveurdenuit already covered, without rehashing their step lists.

1. Check the keyboard inside “Default apps” (on some skins)
A few Android skins tuck keyboard choice under “Default apps,” not just “Language & input.”

  • Go to Settings → Apps → Default apps.
  • Look for “Keyboard & input” or “Input method.”
  • Pick your new keyboard there.
    If you only use the Language & input screen, you might miss this extra override. Here I slightly disagree with the idea that once you pick it in Language & input you are done; on some OEM builds, the default apps panel silently wins.

2. Use “Typing” settings inside the keyboard itself
Open the new keyboard app directly. Many of them have:

  • A “Set as default” toggle or shortcut into the right Settings screen.
  • Extra language and layout options that can make switching back and forth less necessary.
    For instance, you can add multiple languages to the same keyboard so you don’t need two separate ones active.

3. Temporary vs “true” default behavior
If you switch keyboards via the small globe / keyboard icon while typing, Android usually remembers it, but not always after reboots or updates.

  • If you notice that every restart sends you back to Gboard or Samsung Keyboard, set the default again from Settings rather than relying only on the quick picker.
    That is one subtle annoyance that often gets missed in simple how‑tos.

4. What if you accidentally disable everything?
This is where I disagree a bit with the “you can’t break anything” sentiment. You can make things annoying:

  • If you turn all keyboards off and you cannot type the phone’s PIN/lockscreen:
    • Restart into Safe Mode (usually hold power, long‑press “Power off,” then confirm Safe Mode).
    • Safe Mode loads the stock keyboard. Go to Settings and re‑enable it.
      You still will not brick the phone, but it can definitely be a mild “what have I done” moment.

5. Testing multiple keyboards efficiently
If you are still deciding which one to keep:

  • Enable 2 or 3 keyboards at once.
  • Use the input picker while typing to compare them in the same app and same text field.
  • After a day or two, disable the ones you do not like so they do not clutter the picker.
    This avoids constantly diving back into menus for every tiny tweak.

6. About “” keyboards: pros & cons
Since you mentioned trying a new one, here is how something like ‘’ typically stacks up in general terms:

Pros

  • Often more customization than stock (themes, key height, layouts).
  • Extra features like swipe typing, built‑in clipboard, or text expansion.
  • Usually better multilingual support than some default keyboards.

Cons

  • More battery and RAM use than super‑light stock options.
  • Needs “Full access” / network permission for some features, which raises privacy questions.
  • Can sometimes lag behind Gboard or Samsung Keyboard on predictive accuracy.

If ‘’ does not feel right, competitors such as the stock Gboard from Google or Samsung Keyboard (on Samsung phones) offer strong prediction and tight system integration without much setup friction. @chasseurdetoiles already went heavy on the system‑side steps and @reveurdenuit added good troubleshooting, so you can mix their directions with the tricks above for a smoother test‑drive.

Bottom line: you are safe to experiment. Just remember there are two key places to check on some phones: “Language & input” and “Default apps.” Once both line up, switching back and forth becomes painless.