Gboard is the stock keyboard app for the Pixel and many other Android phones., It is also one of the best, if under-appreciated, Google apps for Android and iOS. While it provides a seamless, intuitive experience for the regular user, there’s a lot more under the hood than you might expect. Tools like integrated Google Translate and One-handed mode are exceptionally useful for all users, and small features like quick fractions are handy in the right situation.
Whether you’ve been using the keyboard for a while, or are just getting started, it’s worth taking the time to explore different Gboard features. We’ve gathered our ten favorite Gboard tips and tricks to help you improve your typing experience.
Enable one-handed mode
If you’re the owner of a large Android phone like the Pixel 6 Pro, you’ll be hard-pressed to comfortably type messages with one hand. Enabling one-handed mode will make it significantly easier to type messages with just one hand by resizing the keyboard against one side of your screen.
- Open Gboard.
-
Tap the
More
button (ellipses)
in the top right of the keyboard window. -
Tap the
One-handed
button. - Use the three buttons to the side of the one-handed keyboard to return the keyboard to full-size, switch the keyboard’s location, and move the keyboard up and down your screen.
Capitalize letters with one swipe
Tapping the Shift key to capitalize a letter is fairly quick, but there’s a faster way. You can take advantage of Glide typing on the Gboard keyboard and swipe from the shift key to a letter, to insert a capitalized letter.
- Open Gboard.
-
Long press the
Shift
key. -
Drag your finger to any letter and release.
Mix and match emojis
Emoji Kitchen lets you combine two or three emojis into one. Simply add a couple emojis to your text, and Gboard will automatically create a brand-new emoji by combining them into one. However, the result will be a sticker, not an in-text emoji.
- Open Gboard.
-
Tap the
Emoji
key to the left of the space bar.-
You may not see the
Emoji
key. If so, tap and hold the
Comma
key to see the button. - You can also update your Gboard settings by tapping the More button, pressing the gear icon, and toggling on the Show Emoji option.
Choose any two emojis.
-
You may not see the
- Select the result from the top of the keyboard.
- Gboard will replace the two emojis in your text with the combination.
Edit text using the dedicated Text Editor
Editing a lot of text on your phone can be tedious and time-consuming. Gboard’s nifty built-in text editor tool helps speed up editing large chunks of text. However, we recommend sticking with your PC or Chromebook if you plan to be editing for a while.
- Open Gboard.
-
Tap the
More
button (ellipses) in the top right of the keyboard window. -
Tap the
Text Editing
button. - Use the on-screen buttons to select text, move your cursor, copy, and paste.
Translate text in real-time
Google Translate is constantly being improved upon, and Google’s keyboard app takes full advantage of these innovations. It’s built-in Google Translate feature will automatically translate text as you type.
- Open Gboard.
-
Tap the
Google Translate
button at the top of the Gboard window. - Select the language buttons to choose English, or the language you’re typing in, and the translated language.
-
Type your message, and tap the
Check
button in the bottom right of your screen to confirm the message.
Use your spacebar as a cursor
Did you know that you can exhibit some major cursor control in Gboard? Instead of tapping the screen to place your cursor, you can swipe on the spacebar key to move the cursor along the text. Simply swipe left or right on the spacebar to move the cursor. It’s a handy and precise tool that makes text correction easy on your Android or iPhone.
Tap the space bar twice to insert a period and a space.
Gboard lets you end and start a new sentence quickly by tapping the spacebar twice. You Double tapping the spacebar enables autospace, a feature that automatically adds punctuation and a space to your sentence. You also won’t need to worry about capitalization for next sentence since Gboard automatically caps the first letter. It’s an easy way to speed up your typing.
Type commonly used fractions with one tap
Gboard offers a convenient way to quickly type out fractions. Tap and hold on any number to see a list of available fractions.
- Open Gboard.
-
Tap the
?123
button in the bottom left of the window. - Tap and hold on a number.
- Tap a fraction to insert it into your text.
Turn your handwriting into typed text
If your phone came with a stylus, like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, you can handwrite in Gboard. Gboard will turn your handwriting into text as you write, and you can use it for any language. After writing a word, Gboard will instantly clear the screen, so you can handwrite your text with minimal delay. It’s a nice alternative to text messages or Google Searches, but you’ll probably want to stick with typing for anything that’s much longer.
- Open Gboard.
-
Tap the
Settings
button (cog icon) at the top of the Gboard window. -
Tap
Languages
. - Tap the language you are handwriting in.
-
Select the
Handwriting
button.- Here you can also adjust the keyboard to suit your handwriting style.
-
Tap
Done
in the bottom right corner of your screen.
Once you’ve enabled handwriting, tap the Globe button to the left of the Gboard spacebar. You can use a finger or stylus to start writing out text.
Dictate text with voice typing
If you want to give your thumbs a rest, you can dictate to Gboard instead of typing. Simply tap the Microphone button in the top right corner of the Gboard window and start talking. Tap the button again to disable voice typing.
Use Gboard to make typing a breeze
Gboard is one of the best keyboards you’ll find, and has a long list of great features. But it’s not just an Android app; you can also use Gboard on your iPhone. But if you aren’t a fan, you may want to give a different keyboard app like Swiftkey, one of the best Android apps, a try.
