The touch keyboard in Windows 11 has added several new features and greatly expanded the number of ways you can enter text on screen. You can even use this virtual keyboard if your screen or laptop lacks touch capabilities, in case one or more keys on your physical keyboard aren’t working. This article walks you through some of the key features of the Windows 11 touch keyboard.
Touch keyboard vs on-screen keyboard
Microsoft primarily created the touch keyboard for Windows touchscreen-enabled tablets and laptops. On these devices, it automatically displays when you touch any area that accepts text input and hides when you no longer need it. It also features a modern look that adheres to Microsoft’s latest design language.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard On Screen Comparison](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-on-screen-compare.png)
On the other hand, the On-screen keyboard It is part of the Windows accessibility tools group. It boasts some exclusive extras like a full suite of navigation keys and function keys. It can be utilized on touch screen as well as standard Windows devices.
How to turn on the touch keyboard in Windows 11
To start using your touch keyboard, you must first enable it from your computer settings. Here’s how to do it.
- Right-click or long-tap on an empty space on the Windows taskbar.
- Go to Taskbar Settings to open the Taskbar section of Personalization.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard taskbar settings](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-taskbar-settings.png)
- Alternatively, you can click Win + I amGo to “Personalize” from the sidebar, and finally “Taskbar”.
- Enable the “Touch Keyboard” option from there.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard Customize the taskbar Touch Keyboard Enable](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-personalization-taskbar-touch-keyboard-enable.png)
- Tap or click the small keyboard icon in the notification area to activate the touch keyboard.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard taskbar icon](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-taskbar-icon.png)
Note: If you’re using a Windows tablet or touchscreen without a physical keyboard attached, you can also tap any area that allows text input such as a text box to pop up the keyboard.
With the touch keyboard enabled, here are some essential things you can do with it.
1. Basic input using the touch keys
- Tap or click any key to add its corresponding character after the flashing cursor.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard Basic input](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-basic-inputting.png)
- Press on &One. Two. Three key to change to numbers and symbols. Use the left and right arrow keys below the Subscription card key to move between icons.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard 123](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-123.png)
- If you need to perform a key combination that includes changes such as the Alt or shift Keys, tap or click the modifier key to activate it, then select the other key to perform the combination.
![Windows 11 touch keyboard key combination](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-key-combination.png)
2. Using smooth typing
- To start typing on the screen, tap or click the first letter of a word you want to enter and immediately drag your finger or mouse cursor to the second letter of the word.
- Continue sliding your finger or pointer over the rest of the letters until you complete the word.
![Windows 11 touch keyboard Swipe next typing](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-swipe-typing-next.jpg)
- If you’ve created the wrong word, select one of the suggestions above the top keyword bar to correct it.
![Windows 11 touch keyboard typing suggestion](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-swipe-typing-suggestion.jpg)
3. Adding text with your voice
- From the touch keyboard, tap or click the “Microphone” key to switch to voice typing mode.
![Windows 11 touch keyboard microphone key](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-microphone-key.jpg)
- start talking If you don’t see the “microphone” bubble pulsing, click the area where you want to enter the text, click the microphone, and start speaking again.
![Enable Windows 11 touch keyboard microphone](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-microphone-activate.png)
- Windows should now start transcribing your words.
- If you want to exit this mode, click the “Microphone” bubble again.
![Listen to the microphone on a Windows 11 touch keyboard](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-microphone-listening.png)
4. Entering text using handwriting recognition
- On the on-screen keyboard, tap or click the “gear” icon in the upper right corner.
- Select “Manuscript” from there.
![Windows 11 Touch Settings Handwriting keyboard settings](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-settings-handwriting.png)
- Write your sentence in printed or cursive form with your finger, mouse, touchpad, stylus, or Surace Pen inside the handwriting pad.
![Windows 11 touch keyboard handwriting input](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-handwriting-input.png)
- If Windows didn’t understand your handwriting, choose any of the suggested words above to block handwriting to fix it.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard handwriting suggestions](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-handwriting-suggestions.png)
5. Opening the emoji panel
- On the touch keyboard, tap or click the icon depicting a small heart inside a box to reveal the recently used emoji, GIFs, and symbols. This board reflects the features you can find in Win + ; Emoji panel.
![The Windows 11 Touch Keyboard emoji panel](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-emoji-panel.png)
- Click on any of the small icons above the “Recently Used” strip to go to their respective sections.
- You can also use the search box on the top right to search for emojis and GIFs by keyword.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard Emoji Search Emojis](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-emoji-panel-emojis-search.jpg)
- Tap or click the icon to paste it.
![Emoji input for Windows 11 touch keyboard](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-emoji-input.png)
6. Access to board history
- Tap the heart icon again.
- Go to the Clipboard History icon to see what items you’ve recently saved to the Windows Clipboard (same as Win + V menu).
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard panel icon](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-clipboard-icon.png)
- Click any entry tile on the board to paste the text or data the tile contains.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard Tablet](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-clipboard-panel.jpg)
- If you want to prevent future board entries from overriding a particular board value, click the “snap” icon in the lower left corner of the board value tile you want to keep in memory.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard keyboard pin](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-clipboard-pin.png)
7. Changing the touch keyboard layout
Tap or click the “gear” icon on the touch keyboard and select “Keyboard Layout”. Select any of the three options from the pop-up menu.
![Windows 11 touch keyboard layout menu](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-layout-menu.png)
- Little – Detaches and shrinks the touch keyboard to resemble a smartphone keyboard. Use this option to free up more screen real estate.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard Small Layout 2](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-small-layout-2.png)
- split – Shrinks the keys to smartphone size but repositions half of the keys to the extreme left and right side of the docked area. This layout is ideal for typing on the tablet’s touchscreen with your thumbs.
![Windows 11 Touch split layout keyboard](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-split-layout.jpg)
- traditional – Very similar to a normal physical keyboard layout with a row of numbers and additional symbols that give you faster access to these keys.
![Windows 11 touch keyboard Traditional layout](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-traditional-layout.jpg)
8. Customize your touch keyboard
- Tap or click the “gear” icon on the touch keyboard.
- Go to “Format and Resizing”.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard Settings Theme and Resizing](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-settings-theme-and-resize.png)
- Adjust the “Keyboard Size” slider to shrink or enlarge the touch keyboard. The default size is “100”.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard Customize Touch Keyboard Size Kb](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-personalization-touch-keyboard-kb-size.png)
- If you just want to change the text size on each key while keeping the sizes of the keys themselves, scroll down to the “Key Text Size” option and choose from either of the other two sizes. Use the “Open Keyboard” button to preview the change.
![Windows 11 touch keyboard customization Touch keyboard key text size](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-personalization-touch-keyboard-key-text-size.png)
- If you want to hide the rectangular backgrounds behind each key on the touch keyboard, disable the “key background” option.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard Personalization Keyboard Keyboard Bg](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-personalization-touch-keyboard-key-bg.png)
- Under “Keyboard Theme” select any of the styles you want to apply to your touch keyboard.
![Windows 11 Touch Keyboard Personalization Touch Keyboard Kb Theme](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-personalization-touch-keyboard-kb-theme.png)
- If you are not satisfied with any of the themes that Windows provides, select the “Custom Theme” option and tap the “Edit” button below.
![Windows 11 touch keyboard customization. Custom keyboard theme](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-personalization-touch-keyboard-custom-theme.png)
- Click the “Save” button after you’ve set the colors for your custom theme.
![Windows 11 touch keyboard customization Custom touch keyboard theme colors](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/08/windows-11-touch-keyboard-personalization-touch-keyboard-custom-theme-colors.png)
Common questions
How can I quickly enter bold numbers or characters?
Press and hold a number or key for about a second. You should see some other related keys or icons pop up at the top. Drag your finger or cursor to the desired key. It doesn’t work with every developer.
How can I easily move the blinking text cursor using the touch keyboard?
Hold down the space bar on the touch keyboard with the mouse pointer or finger and drag in any direction.
Why is swipe typing not working?
Swipe typing only works in the “default” and “small” keyboard layouts. Some apps may not support swipe typing as well.
How can I use swipe typing to enter custom words such as initials and nouns?
Swipe typing can also take into account your system’s “personal dictionary” when suggesting words. To add words to your personal dictionary, make sure you have enabled the “Personal Ink & Typing Dictionary” option from “Settings → Privacy & Security → Customize Ink & Typing”. Then continue typing the word using the touch or physical keyboard in any app or field that allows text input. You can see if Windows has added the word to the dictionary by going to “Personal Dictionary” from the “Personalize ink and typing” section.
Image credit and screenshots by John Ruiz
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