How to Glide Type with Gboard on Android

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 13, 2017 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to use Google's keyboard to gesture (or glide) type -- composing without lifting your finger from the keyboard -- on your Android device.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Downloading and Installing Gboard

1
Open the Play Store app. It's a white app that's shaped like a suitcase and contains a multi-colored triangle.
2
Tap in the search field. It's at the top of the screen.

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3
Start typing "Gboard" in the search field.
4
Tap Gboard. It will appear below the search field as you type.
5
Tap INSTALL. It's a button below "Gboard."
- If prompted, enter your email address and Google password.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Setting Up Gboard

1
Open Settings. It's an app that's typically shaped like a gear (⚙️), but may look like three sliders, and is usually found on your Home screen.
2
Scroll down and tap 🌐 Language & input. It's in the "Personal" section of the menu.
3
Scroll down and tap Current keyboard. It's in the "Keyboard and input methods" section.
4
Tap CHOOSE KEYBOARDS. It's in the lower-right corner of the dialog box.
5
Slide "Google Keyboard" to the "On" position. It will turn blue.
6
Tap Language & input. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen.
7
Tap Google keyboard. It's in the "Keyboard and input methods" section.
8
Tap Gesture typing. It's in the middle of the menu.
9
Slide "Enable gesture typing" to the "On" position. It will turn blue.
- Slide on "Show gesture trail" to display a blue line as your finger moves across the keyboard.
- Slide on "Enable gesture delete" to turn on the function that allows you to delete a word by swiping left from the delete the key.
- Slide on "Enable gesture cursor control" to turn on the function that allows you to move the cursor by sliding your finger across the space bar.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Using Gboard

1
Tap and hold 🌐. It's in the lower-left part of the keyboard in any app that uses a keyboard.
- From an emoji keyboard, you may need to tap ABC in the lower-left to continue switching between keyboards.
2
Tap Google keyboard. It's listed in the pop-up menu.
- If prompted with a Gesture Typing demo, tap GOT IT.
- Google keyboard will work in any app that uses the Android keyboard.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Using Gesture Typing

1
Start with the first letter. Place your finger on the first letter of the word you want to spell.
- Don’t hold your finger down too long, or the keyboard may switch to special character input.
2
Slide your finger to type. Slide your finger across the keyboard to each of the letters in the word, lifting your finger only after you have spelled out the word.
- If you turned on "Show gesture trail," a blue trail will appear marking the path of your finger.
- If you are having trouble, use angles and straight lines on the path between letters.
3
Repeat the process for the next word. Spaces are automatically between words.
4
Use word suggestions to replace incorrect glide entries. If Gesture Typing entered a word other than the one you intended to write, check the suggestions above the keyboard for the correct word.
- If none of the suggestions are correct, you can delete a full word entry with just one tap of the backspace key.
- Single-tap delete will only work for the last word composed. Any words written before that will need to be deleted manually.
- Gesture typing is less likely to accurately guess unfamiliar words, like names or places. But if you enable Contacts Search in the search options, then your contacts’ names will be included in the dictionary of possible words.
5
Practice and be patient. It may take some time to adjust, but try to stick with it. Once mastered, glide typing is a quick and convenient way to compose text.