Use your Pixel Tablet's on-screen keyboard to type and insert emojis. You can also change your keyboard preferences to customize the function and design of your keyboard. Some features may not be available in all countries or languages.
Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 14 and up. Learn how to update your Android version.
Open and change on-screen keyboard settings
- To open the on-screen keyboard, tap any text box on the screen.
- To hide the on-screen keyboard, tap the down arrow
near the space bar.
near the space bar.To open the keyboard automatically when you swipe up on your home screen:
- Open your device's Settings app
.
- Tap Hub Mode
At a glance
- Turn on Always show keyboard.
.You can use a split on-screen keyboard to make it easier to type while holding your tablet.
- Open your device's on-screen keyboard.
- To turn on the split keyboard, tap Split keyboard
.
- To turn off the split keyboard, tap Keyboard
.
You can make your keyboard size smaller so that it resembles your phone's keyboard.
- Open your device's on-screen keyboard.
- To make your on-screen keyboard smaller, tap Floating keyboard
.
- To restore the keyboard to its default size, tap the Floating keyboard
- At the top of the keyboard, in the suggestions bar, tap Settings
.
- Tap Theme.
- Choose a theme
- Tap Apply.
At the top of the keyboard, in the suggestions bar, tap Settings 
- To add a language, tap Languages
- To remove a language, tap Edit
.
.Turn Caps Lock on or off
The Caps Lock button is above the left Shift button. Tap it to turn Caps Lock on or off.
Insert emoji or other images
If your on-screen keyboard doesn't have an emoji button:
- At the top of the keyboard, in the suggestions bar, tap Settings
- Tap Emojis, Stickers & GIFs.
- Tap a setting to turn it on or off:
- To turn the emoji button on or off, tap Emojis in symbols keyboard.
- To add a fast access emoji row, tap Emoji fast-access row.
- Tap other settings to turn them on or off.
To add emojis to your documents, emails, or chat sessions:
- Open your device's on-screen keyboard.
- Tap Emoji
If the emoji button doesn't appear on the on-screen keyboard after you enable it, restart your tablet and try again.
Insert a symbol
- Open your device's on-screen keyboard.
- Tap ?123
Not all keyboards support accented letters. To switch to or add a keyboard in a different language:
- Find the settings row above your keyboard.
- Tap Settings
.
- Choose the language of the accented letters you want to use.
.Search for keyboard shortcuts
- Open your device's Settings app
- Tap System
- Under “Options,” tap Keyboard shortcuts. Browse keyboard shortcuts by category or search for a specific shortcut.
To access your keyboard shortcuts, you can also:
Tap Menu
on the left side of the Gboard toolbar 
Show keyboard shortcuts.Open and change physical keyboard settings
If you have a compatible physical keyboard, you can connect it to your Pixel Tablet and change its settings.
When you first plug in a keyboard, your Pixel Tablet will use the same language settings as your on-screen keyboard. It also detects your keyboard’s layout when you connect them. To change your physical keyboard’s settings:
- Open your device's Settings app
- Tap System
- To change the keyboard's layout: Choose your current physical keyboard
- You may also change a few settings under "Options":
- On-screen keyboard: Turn this on if you want to keep your virtual keyboard on the tablet's screen when the physical keyboard is active.
- Modifier keys: Tap this setting to change the behavior of physical keyboard keys like Caps Lock, Ctrl, and Alt.
Troubleshoot issues
- If the on-screen keyboard won't appear, make sure you select a place in your screen where you can type. You can test entry fields on different menus, apps, or websites.
- If you use voice typing but no words show up, check that your microphone isn't being used by other open programs.
- If you have an external microphone, make sure it's plugged in securely, isn't muted, and has up-to-date software.