Google Keyboard (Gboard) not Working on Android? Try these fixes

All the praises to some third-party keyboards, but there are good reasons why the majority of Android users go for the Gboard – the Google Keyboard. Once you set it up, it’s quite intuitive and, more importantly, stable. However, there are users that report certain issues. For some of them, Gboard keeps crashing, sometimes even when it’s not in use.

If you are among the affected users, we have a few steps to help you address this without too much effort.

Table of contents:

1. Ensure that Google Gboard is your default keyboard
2. Clear cache and data
3. Reinstall Gboard or uninstall updates
4. Enroll in the Gboard Beta program or install older APK

What to do if Gboard not Working?

First of all, reboot your device once. After that, make sure that the problem isn’t in the third-party gesture app that might, accidentally, close Gboard while typing.

If Gboard keeps crashing despite those two steps, move through our list of 4 solutions to fix it for good.

Solution 1 – Ensure that Google Gboard is your default keyboard

First of all, make sure that Google Keyboard is your default keyboard. There are many reports about crashes caused by a conflict between the system keyboard (e.g. Samsung Keyboard vs Gboard). That’s why you need to ensure that Gboard is the default keyboard on your device.

• Fix: Samsung Keyboard keeps stopping

Follow these steps to set Google Keyboard as the default keyboard on your Android device:

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose System.
3. Select Languages & input.
4. Under the Current keyboard, select Gboard.

Solution 2 – Clear cache and data

The next step is to clear the cache and the data from the Gboard. Namely, there’s a slight chance that the locally stored files are causing issues with Gboard. To circumvent that possibility and reset the Gboard, you should clear both cache and data.

Here’s how to clear cache and data from Gboard on Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose Apps.
3. Select All apps (Manage apps or App Manager).
4. Open Gboard.
5. Tap Storage.
6. Clear cache first and then clear data. Keep in mind that this will reset Gboard settings.
7. Restart your phone or tablet.

If the Gboard keeps crashing, move to the next step.

Solution 3 – Reinstall Gboard or uninstall updates

In case the previous steps failed to resolve the problem, you can try and reinstall the app. If your device comes with the pre-installed Gboard as the system keyboard, you can at least uninstall updates, restart your device, and allow Gboard to update again to the latest version.

Here’s how to reinstall Gboard on Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose Apps.
3. Select All apps (Manage apps or App Manager).
4. Open Gboard.
5. Tap Advanced > App Details. It’ll take you to Gboard’s Play Store page.
6. Uninstall the app.
7. Install the app again from the Play Store.
8. Restart your device.
9. If Gboard comes with the system, navigate to Settings > Apps > All apps > Gboard and uninstall updates there.

Solution 4 – Enroll in the Gboard Beta program or install older APK

Finally, if none of the previous steps resolved the problem with repetitive Gboard crashes, we have two more things to recommend.

The first one is to navigate to Gboard on the Play Store and enrol in the Beta program. Many users who are beta testers for the app claim that it is, believe it or not, frequently more stable than the public version. I personally do have a Beta version and have never run into any issues.

Alternatively, you can navigate to APK Mirror or any other APK hub that aggregates APKs for sideloading. Once there, download and install (sideload) an older version of Gboard. After that, the app shouldn’t keep crashing anymore.

With that said, we can call it a wrap. Thank you for reading, in case you have any questions or suggestions (possibly alternative solutions), make sure to tell us in the comments section below.