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:
- Ensure that Google Gboard is your default keyboard
- Clear cache and data
- Reinstall Gboard or uninstall updates
- Enroll in the Gboard Beta program or install older APK
What to do if Gboard keeps stopping?
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.
Follow these steps to set Google Keyboard as the default keyboard on your Android device:
- Open Settings.
- Choose System.
- Select Languages & input.
- 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 Gboard, you should clear both cache and data.
Here’s how to clear cache and data from Gboard on Android:
- Open Settings.
- Choose Apps.
- Select All apps (Manage apps or App manager).
- Open Gboard.
- Tap Storage.
- Clear cache first and then clear data. Have in mind that this will reset Gboard settings.
- 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 came 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:
- Open Settings.
- Choose Apps.
- Select All apps (Manage apps or App manager).
- Open Gboard.
- Tap Advanced > App Details. It’ll take you to Gboard’s Play Store page/
- Uninstall the app.
- Install the app again from the Play Store.
- Restart your device.
- 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 enroll 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.
I have an Ulefone Armor 3T with Android 9. The voice-to-text was working superbly until 3 weeks ago – then it stopped operating. I went completely through your directions, following your directions to the letter, because I NEED the voice-to-text, but it was to no avail.
When I say that I NEED it, is that I that I suffered a massive stroke a few years ago. I did my own speech therapy, utilizing the voice-to-text/text-to-voice feature. My neurologist said that he was having that added to the speech therapy for all of his stroke/brain injury patients.
Solution 3, had to uninstall and “update” the uninstalled (?) gboard app. Works again.
Hi dear. I am in big trouble.
Cannot unlock my Android 7.0 tablet’s screen because cannot enter password – keyboard does not pop up. Tablet’s specs at
https://www.pdevice.com/product/allview-viva-h802-lte-price-specs
On attempts to unlock screen I do get messages:
‘Gboard keeps stopping’; or message:
‘Gboard has stopped’.
Though during booting, keyboard shows up and I enter password; only when comes to unlocking screen, keyboard does not show itself – cannot enter passwor for screen unlock.
Therefore I cannot reach settings to amend keyboard or anyting else, tablet now is unusable.
Very much help needed. I dread of possible losing all info on the tablet. It is not an option to factory reset…
Your help would be hugely appreciated…
My phone habe same issue ?
Hi dear. I am in big trouble.
Cannot unlock my Android 7.0 tablet’s screen because cannot enter password – keyboard does not pop up. Tablet’s specs at
https://www.pdevice.com/product/allview-viva-h802-lte-price-specs
On attempts to unlock screen I do get messages:
Gboard keeps stopping; or message:
Gboard has stopped.
Though after booting, keyboard shows up and I enter password; only when comes to unlocking screen, keyboard does not show itself – cannot enter passwor for screen unlock.
Therefore I cannot reach settings to amend keyboard or anyting else, tablet now is unusable.
Very much help needed. I dread of possible losing all info on the tablet.
Your help would be hugely appreciated…
I have resolved the Gboard problem for Android 7.0 tablet by taking wired keyboard, adding OTG (On The Go cable, has micro USB on one end to connect to tablet and USB-A female to connect to keybord’s wire on other end). So that on external keyboard I could enter the password to unlock tablet’s screen.
Thank you! Method 3 (Clear cache and data) worked for me.
Hi this is all good however i am paasword protected and cant get in at all. Completely frozenout. WhT do I do?
Clearing the cache and data on the gboard app did the trick.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for the help. I uninstalled gboard. Fixed the problem.?????
I found that as suggested deleting the gboard cache and data with a reboot fixed it.
Clearing the cache and data totally worked for me.
Thank you so much!
just doing this step alone fixed the issue in my phone – If Gboard comes with the system, navigate to Settings > Apps > All apps > Gboard and uninstall updates there.
I tried the first 2 solutions. Still wouldn’t work, getting discouraged. Solution 3 (uninstall updates) fixed it. Thank you!
My only suggestion for dummies like me is to specify exactly how to uninstall updates once you’ve gotten to settings>apps>all apps>Gboard. You say “uninstall updates there”. I looked and looked and looked for a button to do just that, getting desperate, finally noticed an unidentified symbol in the top right corner that, when tapped, gave me the option I wanted.
Again, thanks a million. What a relief!
How are you supposed to search for GBoard in the Play Store without a keyboard? It’s not working…If it were functional, we wouldn’t be here.
Overlooked that one. Thanks for pointing that out!
We updated the steps accordingly.
and if your phone is locked???!! and you need the keyboard to type your password….. it’s more than 6 hours that i’m trying to fix my gboard! when i will manage to lock in i will send my feedback! awful!
Hi there, I am having the same problem today. Any luck fixing and if so, what did you do? I have switched phone off and on, rebooted etc sent feedback via computer as can’t do a thing on the phone.
Hi
Did you find a way of typing your password to unlock the phone
have you tried booting it in sage mode?
I was able to update gboard and (gboard) keyboard came back after successful update. I’d imagine those who have a character password unlock should switch over to pattern unlock. this is the 3rd time gboard failed my motorola droid rzr II. 1st time was character entry, had to reset phone, that time. I must have been pushed an update 2 days ago that wiped the gboard permissions. It was still installed, just corrupted.