8 Easy Solutions To Fix iPhone Keyboard Not Working Issue

User Concern

“Some keys on my keyboard are not working, like the letters q and p and the number button. When I press delete, sometimes the letter m will appear. I tried some quick fixes I found online, like reinstalling the keyboards or changing the settings, but nothing worked so far. Please help!”

Is your iPhone keyboard not working correctly after updating to iOS 18, screen replacement, or while charging? If you're facing similar issues, this article is here to help.

Common problems with the iPhone keyboard including typing the wrong letters, the keyboard is frozen or unresponsive, predictions not working, severe lag, etc. In this article, we'll explore the main keyboard issues and the potential solutions you can try.

Part 1. Common iPhone Keyboard Not Working Glitches

Before we jump into fixes, it’s good to quickly go over some of the most common keyboard problems on iPhone.

• Keyboard freezes or becomes unresponsive: Sometimes the keyboard won’t respond, especially when switching apps or opening specific fields.
• Keys not registering correctly: Certain keys may input the wrong characters, or some may not respond when tapped.
• Predictive text not showing: The QuickType feature may disappear or stop offering suggestions.
• Keyboard lag: A noticeable delay occurs between typing and the text appearing on screen.
• Keyboard not appearing: When tapping a text field, the keyboard may fail to show up altogether.

These issues may stem from software bugs, problematic apps, full storage, or recent iOS updates. Fortunately, they’re often easy to fix using simple solutions.

Part 2. Simple Fixes to Fix iPhone Keyboard Not Working Issues

The fixes listed below can be used to settle conventional Keyboard problems on iPhone.

2.1 Force Restart Your iPhone

Sometimes your iPhone just needs a fresh reboot to get the keyboard working again. A force restart is different from a regular restart — it shuts things down on a deeper level.

Here’s how to do it:

• iPhone 8 or newer: Press and release Volume Up, then Volume Down, then hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
• iPhone 7 / 7 Plus: Hold Volume Down and the Power button at the same time until the Apple logo shows.
• iPhone 6s or older: Hold the Home and Power buttons together until you see the Apple logo.

2.2 Force Close All Apps on iPhone

You should ask yourself a question: Does the iPhone keyboard problem only occur in one app or all apps?

If the keyboard won’t work in all apps, it seems that this issue is not caused by one specific app. Let’s try to close all apps to stop the iPhone keyboard issue.

To close your iPhone app, swipe up from the bottom to the center of the screen to open all the apps running in the background. Then, swipe the apps to the top of the screen to force close all apps.

2.3 Turn off the Reachability Feature

The reachability feature could also cause an issue with your iPhone keyboard since it will move down the whole screen, including the keyboard, when this feature is turned on.

Go to Settings > General > Accessibility to disable the Reachability feature.

2.4 Turn Off the Reduce Motion Feature

If you have a problem typing GIFs when using the keyboard, you may need to turn off the Reduce Mode to check whether the keyboard issue can be fixed or not.

To disable Reduce Mode, you should open Settings and go to General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion to turn off this feature.

2.5 Reset Your Keyboard Dictionary

Your iPhone keeps track of the words you type over time, which helps with autocorrect and suggestions. But if that dictionary gets messed up, it can cause weird typing issues. Resetting it can clear out any bugs.

Here’s how:

• Open Settings. Go to General and tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone.
• Hit Reset, then choose Reset Keyboard Dictionary.
• Enter your passcode if needed, and confirm.

This won’t delete any of your other data — just the custom words and shortcuts your phone has learned.

2.6 Uninstall and Re-install the Problematic App

If the keyboard issue is caused by a certain problematic app on your iPhone, you should uninstall this app from the device and reinstall it later from the official App Store. This will refresh and update the app’s performance and have the keyboard issue fixed later.

• To uninstall the app, keep pressing the problematic app until the app is shaking and an "x" icon is appearing on the app. Click on the "x" icon to delete the app.
• After uninstalling the app, you can go to the App Store to install it again.

2.7 Restore iPhone with iTunes or iCloud

Something goes wrong with your iPhone system will also cause the keyboard problem. Restoring iPhone with iTunes or iCloud is never a bad idea to resolve the "iPhone keyboard not working" issue.

Restore from iTunes Backup:

• You need to plug your iPhone into a computer running the latest version of iTunes.
• Wait until your iPhone is synced with iTunes, and go to the Summary page of the device.
• Click Restore Backup to choose a backup to restore. And the iPhone will enter the automatic restore process.

Restore from iCloud Backup:

To restore your keyboard from iCloud backup, you will need to reset your device through Settings.

Step 1: Go to Settings > General on your iPhone, scroll down to select Transfer or Reset iPhone, and click on Erase All Content and Settings to erase your iPhone data.

Step 2: The iPhone will restart, follow the setups on the screen step by step until you view the option of Restore from iCloud Backup. Select an iCloud backup you made recently to restore your iPhone.

2.8 Fix iPhone Keyboard Issue without Losing Data

If you worry that restore iPhone from iTunes or iCloud backup may lead to data loss, using a 3-rd party tool is applicable to you. FoneGeek iOS System Recovery is what you need. It is powerful to fix numerous problems related to iOS systems without data loss, like iPhone keyboard not working, iPhone keeps looping on start, iPhone won't turn on, iPhone black screen, iPhone ghost touch, etc.

Step 1: Download, install, and run the iPhone System Recovery on your Mac or PC. Choose "Standard Mode" to continue.

Step 2: Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable and wait for the program to detect the device automatically.

Step 3: Click on "Download" when you confirm the device model and firmware version.

Step 4: Click on "Fix Now" to fix the iPhone keyboard not working issue without data loss.

Part 3. Switch to Alternative Keyboards

If the default iPhone keyboard still doesn’t meet your needs, you might consider switching to a third-party keyboard app. These alternatives often offer better customization, predictive typing, and support for multiple languages or themes.

Here are some top-rated keyboard apps you can try:

• Gboard (by Google): Offers excellent autocorrect, glide typing, voice input, and Google search built-in. Very stable and intuitive.
• SwiftKey (by Microsoft): Known for its accurate predictions and personalized learning from your typing habits. Great multilingual support.
• Grammarly Keyboard: Ideal for users who want grammar and spell-checking while typing. Especially useful for professional or academic writing.
• Fleksy: A fast and highly customizable keyboard that includes extensions for GIFs, stickers, and more.
• Typewise: Focused on privacy and designed for two-thumb typing with an intuitive layout and autocorrect engine.

Part 4. FAQs about iPhone Keyboard

Q1.Can a screen replacement affect my keyboard?

Yes. If the touch sensitivity is affected by the screen replacement, it may impact keyboard performance. Visit a certified technician if the issue persists.

Q2. Is it safe to reset the keyboard dictionary?

Absolutely. Resetting the dictionary only removes custom words and shortcuts you've added. It does not affect other phone data or settings.

Q3. My keyboard only stops working in one app — what’s going on?

It’s likely the issue is with the app, not the keyboard itself. Try updating the app, force quitting it, or reinstalling it.

Conclusion

It really bothers a lot when the iPhone keyboard not working. Try the tips mentioned above to sort out the issue. We hope that one of these solutions will be helpful to you. Always remember to back up your iPhone data when you choose to restore your iOS system to avoid data loss.