Khamosh Pathak is simply a freelance tech journalist pinch complete 13 years of acquisition penning online.
An accounting graduate, he turned his liking successful penning and exertion into a career. He holds a specialization successful personification acquisition creation from ISDI Parsons successful Mumbai, wherever he sought to deepen his knowing of UX, user devices, and interplay betwixt package and technology.
Khamosh has written thousands of how-tos and guides connected each awesome level (iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows). He sewage started penning how-tos and guides for Guiding Tech, wherever he besides published several e-books. His activity has besides been seen astatine MakeUseOf, How-To Geek, and PCMag. He is genuinely passionate astir brewing bully coffee.
Gboard is the default keyboard action for a staggering number of Android smartphones crossed the globe, and it's not conscionable constricted to Pixels. If you person an Android device, you've astir apt utilized Gboard for years without giving it a 2nd look. The default setup is good, the predictive matter suggestions work, and successful a pinch, you tin swipe to type.
But for illustration different seemingly basal Android apps and features, a batch much is hiding down Gboard's aboveground simplicity. Explore the menus, tweak the settings, and study immoderate gestures, and you'll uncover a ton of useful features that tin make it faster and easier to use—without switching to an wholly caller keyboard. Here are my favourite tips, tricks, and hacks for Gboard.
Pin often utilized matter successful the clipboard for instant access
You don’t request to spell looking for ad-filled clipboard head apps connected Android: Gboard is hiding a tin clipboard manager successful plain sight, but it’s not enabled by default. In the Gboard app, pat the Menu fastener and take the Clipboard option. On your first try, alteration the feature. Now you will spot each your copied items present successful a useful list. Gboard automatically deletes clipboard entries each hr (a bully information feature), but you tin pin immoderate and each introduction successful the clipboard utilizing the long-press menu. Once pinned, the introduction will enactment put. You tin usage this characteristic to transcript and paste items you usage frequently, for illustration email templates aliases your mailing address.
Use Personal Dictionary to quickly grow agelong phrases
If you’re an Android powerfulness user, aliases if you negociate your business aliases assemblage activity via your Android smartphone, you mightiness want a faster measurement to input agelong strings of text. On Mac and Windows, you mightiness beryllium acquainted pinch matter description features and apps. Gboard for Android offers thing similar, only it’s called Personal Dictionary for immoderate reason.
Here, you tin adhd immoderate civilization building and an associated shortcut. The shortcut, erstwhile entered, will show the expanded building successful the proposal bar. Go to Gboard Settings > Dictionary > Personal Dictionary and pat the Plus fastener to adhd a caller phrase.
Use these swipe and clasp gestures for faster inputs
The Backspace (or Delete) cardinal connected the Pixel isn’t static. If you swipe near from the backspace key, you’ll commencement to delete full words, alternatively of conscionable letters. Similarly, you tin move the cursor astir utilizing the abstraction bar: Hold the abstraction barroom and move your digit near aliases correct to precisely move the cursor around. And if you want to debar switching views to participate symbols, conscionable clasp the Period (dot) cardinal to uncover the afloat symbols keyboard. Swipe to the awesome you wish to enter, fto go, and you're done.
Use this motion to quickly input numbers without switching keyboards
If you request to participate numbers connected Gboard, you tin spell 2 ways astir it. First, location is simply a hidden gesture, wherever you flick keys to participate replacement symbols. So if you swipe down connected the missive “e”, it will type successful the number “3” instead. Super handy, and tin beryllium enabled from Settings > Preferences > Flick keys to participate symbols.
But if you type numbers each the time, thing tin hit a dedicated numbers statement to Gboard (though that will return up other space). From Preferences, you tin alteration the Number row to get speedy entree to the number keys.
Use one-handed mode to make typing easier connected large phones
Tap the Menu fastener successful the Gboard keyboard, and take the One-handed option. You will now spot a smaller keyboard, tucked to 1 edge. You tin pat the Arrow fastener to alteration the docking position. You tin besides pat the Edit fastener to freely move and resize the keyboard (make it smaller aliases bring it person to the bottommost edge).
Resize keyboard tallness to reclaim surface existent property connected cramped layouts (or make it huge)
If you don’t for illustration the default size for the Gboard keyboard, you tin shorten it, aliases take to person it return up half of the screen, pinch larger keys. Tap the Menu fastener successful the Gboard toolbar, and take the Resize option. Now, you tin resistance the handlebar to make the keyboard taller aliases shorter (you can’t alteration the width successful this feature).
Use the floating keyboard to type anyplace on-screen
On a big-screen telephone aliases an Android tablet, trying to participate matter while seeing what's nether the keyboard tin beryllium a hassle, particularly if you're utilizing multi-app view. But Gboard doesn't person to beryllium docked to the bottommost of the screen. From the Gboard Menu, pat the Floating fastener to detach the keyboard. Now, you tin drawback the handlebar to move it crossed the surface to wherever you want. You tin besides resize the keyboard to make it smaller.
Use Gboard's editing characteristic to set matter anywhere
On a computer, matter editing is easier and faster. You person arrow keys to move around, a rodent for precise selection, and shortcuts for copying and pasting. Google mightiness person realized this spread connected smartphones and tablets, which is why the Text Editing characteristic successful Gboard's Menu exists: When triggered, it replaces the keyboard pinch large buttons dedicated to selecting and manipulating text.
The caller keyboard features a large directional pad pinch arrows, and a Select fastener correct successful the middle. You tin usage the arrow to move the cursor missive by letter, aliases property and clasp to jump betwixt words. Once the matter is selected, usage the Cut, Copy, and Paste buttons to manipulate matter without ever having to fiddle pinch long-press gestures aliases swipes connected the screen.
Use Emoji Kitchen to create marque caller emojis
Emojis are benignant of boring successful 2026, and picking the correct GIF feels for illustration an tremendous task. Gboard's Emoji Kitchen is location successful between. Go to the Emoji tab successful Gboard, prime 2 emojis, and Google combines them into a unsocial emoji sticker. You'll spot aggregate pairing options truthful you tin take the 1 you like.
Add an Undo fastener to the toolbar to quickly delete text
Pasted successful immoderate matter that you now request to delete? Don't do the matter action dance. Instead, usage Gboard's built-in Undo button. Tap the Menu button, and you should spot Undo successful the features list. To make this wont stick, adhd the fastener to the toolbar by tapping the Edit button, and dragging the Undo fastener to the apical toolbar. Save the arrangement, and now you person a dedicated undo/redo fastener successful easy reach.
Khamosh Pathak is freelancer tech journalist pinch complete 13 years of acquisition penning online.
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) ·