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Android: Change the Gboard Keyboard Background

The stock Gboard keyboard on Android ships with a flat gray background that rarely matches your wallpaper or app design. Gboard actually supports colored themes, gradients, and even your own photos as a keyboard background, plus a separate toggle for key borders. Most people never find this option because it sits inside the keyboard app settings instead of the general Display menu.

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Step 1 of 8: Tap on **Settings**

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Android 14 · Android 14
Change Gboard Keyboard Theme – Android 14: step 1 – Tap on Settings
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Android

Change Gboard Keyboard Theme auf Android

Android sets a neutral gray background on Gboard by default because the keyboard app, not the phone system, controls its own appearance. This is why you will not find a keyboard color option in the general Display settings - it lives inside Gboard's own preferences.

To change it, go to Tap on SettingsTap on SystemTap on KeyboardTap on On-screen keyboardTap on GboardTap on Theme. From there you can pick a preset color, a gradient, or one of your own photos as the keyboard background.

After selecting a design, use the toggle to Turn on/off Key borders and confirm with Apply. Key borders draw a visible outline around each key, which helps if a busy photo background makes letters harder to read.

If your keyboard app is not Gboard but a third-party app, the theme option will not appear in this menu at all - each keyboard app manages its own appearance separately. In that case, open the third-party keyboard's own settings instead of the system Keyboard menu.

Changing the theme has no effect on autocorrect, typing speed, or layout - it only changes the visual background and key outlines.

Frequently asked questions

No. The theme setting only applies inside Tap on GboardTap on Theme. If you switch to a different keyboard app later, that app keeps its own separate appearance settings.