Tech Reference

How to change the default keyboard on a Samsung Galaxy S10 by installing a new one

Galaxy S10 lineup
You can change the default keyboard on a Samsung Galaxy S10 in a few quick steps. Anadolu Agency/Getty
Read in app

One of the strengths of the Android operating system is that it's so easy to customize.

Case in point: If you aren't a fan of your Galaxy S10's default on-screen keyboard, it's easy to change.

The phone comes with one alternative keyboard built in — the Samsung Keyboard Neural — but you can install additional keyboards from the Google Play store and use them as well.

You can install as many keyboards as you like, and switch among them with a couple of taps.

How to install and activate a new keyboard on a Samsung Galaxy S10

Before you can change the default keyboard, you need to have at least one other keyboard to switch to. You can install keyboards from the Google Play store as you would any other app, but keyboards generally need to be enabled before you can use them on the phone.

1. Start the Google Play Store app.

2. Find the keyboard app you want to install. Popular keyboards include SwiftKey, GBoard, and Grammarly.

3. Tap "Install."

4. After it's installed, tap the keyboard app you just downloaded to start it.

5. Follow the instructions in the app to enable it.

keyboard 1
Before you can use a keyboard on your Galaxy S10, you'll need to enable it. Follow the instructions in the app to do that.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

How to change the default keyboard on a Galaxy S10

1. Start the Settings app.

2. Tap "General management" and then tap "Language and input."

3. Tap "Default keyboard."

keyboard 2
You can switch among keyboards by visiting the Default keyboard control in the Settings app.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

4. On the Select keyboard screen, tap the keyboard you want to make your default. If you don't see the keyboard in the list, make sure that you have enabled the keyboard first.

If you want to be able to easily change keyboards while you are typing, turn on "Show keyboard button" at the bottom of the Select keyboard screen. When that is enabled, you can tap the small keyboard button at the bottom right of the keyboard to select a different keyboard.

keyboard 3
Be sure to enable the keyboard button, so you can get to your list of available keyboards right from the keyboard itself.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

Insider Inc. receives a commission when you buy through our links.

Read next

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.