I’ve used Gboard for years, yet I kept making the same frustrating typing mistakes. I’d accidentally tap the wrong keys, waste time switching to the numbers row, and constantly go back to fix words.
It wasn’t until I started exploring Gboard’s settings that I realized how customizable it is.
A few small adjustments made the keyboard better suited to my typing style, including adding frequently used words, resizing the keyboard, and enabling features I had overlooked for years.
These are the Gboard settings that made the biggest difference to my everyday typing.
I made Gboard fit the way I type
I resized the keyboard to match how I hold my phone
When I discovered the Resize tool, I adjusted the keyboard to fit the way I naturally hold my phone rather than adapting to the default layout.
To try it yourself, open Gboard, tap the four-square toolbar icon, and select Resize.
You can adjust the keyboard’s edges to make it taller, shorter, wider, or narrower until it feels comfortable.
I found that making the keyboard slightly taller gave my thumbs more room to land on the right keys, which reduced accidental taps when I was typing quickly.
It only took a minute to adjust, but it made Gboard feel like it was designed for my hands instead of forcing me to work around a one-size-fits-all layout.
I put Gboard’s best features within easy reach
I customized the toolbar to match how I use Gboard
I didn’t realize how much time I wasted digging through Gboard’s menus until I customized its toolbar.
By default, some of Gboard’s most useful tools are tucked away behind the four-square icon, which means you have to open the menu every time you want to access them.
To customize the toolbar, open Gboard, tap the four-square icon, then tap the pen icon to rearrange it.
I pinned the features I use most often, like Clipboard, Translate, and Text editing, so they were only a tap away. Features I rarely used stayed inside the overflow menu instead of taking up space.
I taught Gboard the words I use
My keyboard finally learned my typing habits
One of the biggest reasons I kept correcting the same typing mistakes was that Gboard didn’t recognize many of the words I use every day.
Product names, technical terms, people’s names, and common abbreviations would either trigger an autocorrect suggestion or require me to type them repeatedly.
Adding those words to Gboard’s Personal dictionary fixed the problem. Whenever I noticed Gboard consistently replacing a word I wanted to keep, I opened Settings > Dictionary > Personal dictionary, selected my language, and added the word.
Over time, my personal dictionary became filled with names, acronyms, and other words I use regularly. As a result, I spent less time undoing autocorrect errors or retyping words that should have been recognized in the first place.
I stopped switching keyboards for simple tasks
Keeping the number row visible saved more time than I expected
Another setting I enabled was Gboard’s Number row.
You can enable it by opening Gboard Settings > Preferences and turning on Number row.
After it’s active, a dedicated row of numbers appears above the letters, making digits available without switching keyboard layouts.
Whether I entered two-factor authentication codes, typed measurements, added prices to a shopping list, or mentioned Android versions in my notes, the numbers were within reach.
I let Gboard handle the little things
Auto-spacing after punctuation made my typing feel more natural
I never paid much attention to Gboard’s Auto-space after punctuation setting until I realized how often I manually added spaces after commas, periods, and other punctuation marks.
You can enable it by opening Gboard Settings > Preferences and turning on Auto-space after punctuation.
With the setting enabled, Gboard automatically inserts a space after you choose a punctuation mark from the suggestions strip, so you can continue typing without an extra tap.
Instead of thinking about punctuation and spacing separately, I can focus on what I’m writing while Gboard takes care of the formatting.
A few small Gboard tweaks made a big difference
I used Gboard for years without giving much thought to its settings, assuming the default experience was as good as it gets.
After exploring its customization options, I realized that a handful of small changes could make the keyboard feel much more personal.
Whether it was keeping the number row within easy reach, resizing the keyboard, pinning frequently used text to the clipboard, customizing the toolbar, or letting Gboard handle tasks like spacing after punctuation, each tweak made the typing experience effortless.
