What to Know
- If the iPhone keyboard is not working or appearing, or lagging, glitching, randomly typing, or disappearing, we can help!
- Troubleshooting steps include resetting your keyboard dictionary, force quitting the misbehaving app, restarting your iPhone, and updating to the latest iOS.
It can be concerning if your iPhone keyboard is not working properly. Whether it is lagging, disappearing, not appearing, typing on its own, or typing incorrectly, it can be fixed! I’ll teach you how to reset your keyboard dictionary, and I’ll go over other basic troubleshooting steps.
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How to Troubleshoot Keyboard Not Working on iPhone
A lot of the time, any issues with the iOS keyboard are related to the app that you are using the keyboard in. If you've noticed your keyboard not working in multiple or all apps, skip to the next step. Otherwise, try the steps below if you experience the keyboard on your iPhone not working:
- Force quit the app you are using the keyboard in by swiping all the way up from the bottom of your display, then swiping up again over the app.
![Force quit the app you are using the keyboard in by swiping all the way up from the bottom of your display, then swiping up again over the app.]()
- Restart your iPhone to fix any random glitches.
![Restart your iPhone to fix any random glitches.]()
- Make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS in case this is a known software issue that has been fixed by Apple.
![Make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS in case this is a known software issue that has been fixed by Apple.]()
- Try uninstalling the app that keeps having keyboard problems and re-installing it again.
![Try uninstalling the app that keeps having keyboard problems and re-installing it again.]()
Once you take these steps and try to use the keyboard again, go slow and make sure your app is fully loaded before you start typing. Sometimes, if you get too excited and start typing too early in the Messages app, for example, the app will have issues loading and can crash, or the keyboard will lag. If this doesn't help, try resetting your keyboard dictionary next. To learn more about your iPhone, sign up for our free Tip of the Day Newsletter.
How to Reset iPhone Keyboard
If your keyboard isn’t working across your apps, your iPhone keyboard settings may be to blame. Here’s how to reset the keyboard on iPhone:
- Open Settings.
![Open Settings.]()
- Tap General.
![Tap General.]()
- Scroll down and select Transfer or Reset iPhone.
![Scroll down and select Transfer or Reset iPhone.]()
- Tap Reset at the bottom of the screen.
![Tap Reset at the bottom of the screen.]()
- Select Reset Keyboard Dictionary.
![Select Reset Keyboard Dictionary.]()
- You'll have to enter your Passcode and follow any other on-screen directions to finish the reset process.
![You'll have to enter your Passcode and follow any other on-screen directions to finish the reset process.]()
After doing this, you may want to force quit the app or restart your iPhone, then try opening the app and seeing if the keyboard works again.
Now you know what to do if your keyboard is not working on your iPhone. We hope this was a one-time issue and that our suggestions helped fix this issue for good. Next, learn how to hide the predictive text feature on your iPhone keyboard.
FAQ
- How do I remove words from iPhone predictive text? If your iPhone often uses the wrong spelling or strange words in the predictive text feature, resetting your keyboard dictionary can fix this.
- How do I use the one-handed keyboard on iPhone? If your iPhone keyboard is too big for you to type with just one hand, you can swipe left or right across the keyboard to make it smaller so you can type comfortably with just one hand.
- What’s the fastest way to type numbers on iPhone? You can type numbers faster without switching back and forth between keyboards if you tap and hold the 123 button with one hand while typing the numbers you need with your other hand. As soon as you let go of the numbers button, you'll return to your regular keyboard.
- How do I make the keyboard bigger on your iPhone? To make your keyboard bigger, you can hold your iPhone in landscape mode (with your rotation lock off) to see a bigger version. You can also bold your text or get a third-party app that offers a larger keyboard.
