How to customize the touch keyboard on Windows 11

How-to
By Mauro Huculak
published

The new touch keyboard on Windows 11 is very customizable, and in this guide, we'll show you all the settings you can change.

Windows 11 Touch Keyboard Customization
Windows 11 Touch Keyboard Customization (Image credit: Windows Central)

Windows 11 brings several improvements to the experience for touch-enable devices, including changes to the tablet mode that now adds more separation to the items in the Taskbar and makes targets bigger to make it easier on the finger. You will find new finger gestures, and there is a new and very customizable touch keyboard.

The redesigned touch keyboard for Windows 11 ships with a modern look and several improvements. For example, in this virtual keyboard, you will find updated keys with rounded corners, a gripper to drag it around, and a new layout that has been thought for typing comfort and accuracy. The new experience even comes with the emoji panel that now includes GIFs and the Clipboard history interface.

In addition to these improvements, the touch keyboard also comes with new settings that allow you to customize virtually every aspect of the experience, including the look and feel with 16 different themes and the ability to create a custom color scheme. You can also change the size of the keyboard and keys, and a lot more.

In this Windows 11 guide, we will walk you through the steps to customize the keyboard experience for touch-enabled devices.

How to customize the touch keyboard on Windows 11

On Windows 11, you can control various aspects of the touch keyboard. You can change the size, select a different theme, or create your custom color scheme. You can customize the keyboard keys and more.

Change keyboard size

To change the Windows 11 touch keyboard size, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Personalization.
  3. Click the Touch keyboard page from the right side.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Use the Keyboard size slider to change the size.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. (Optional) Click the Keyboard size setting and click the Reset button to return to the default size.

Enable key background

To set a different background for keys, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Personalization.
  3. Click the Touch keyboard page from the right side.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Click the Keyboard theme settings.
  2. Turn on the Key background toggle switch.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

Change key text size

To make the keyboard keys smaller or larger, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Personalization.
  3. Click the Touch keyboard page from the right side.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Click the Keyboard theme settings.
  2. Use the Key text size drop-down menu to select the text size. Options include:
    • Small
    • Medium
    • Large

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

Change keyboard theme

To change the touch keyboard theme, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Personalization.
  3. Click the Touch keyboard page from the right side.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Click the Keyboard theme settings.
  2. Choose one of the 16 different themes.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Click the Open keyboard button to preview the style.

Open Touch Keyboard

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

Create custom theme

To create a custom theme for the Windows 11 touch keyboard, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Personalization.
  3. Click the Touch keyboard page from the right side.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Click the Keyboard theme settings.
  2. Select the Custom theme option.
  3. Click the Edit button.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Click the Text tab.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Select the key text color.
  2. Select the color for the text in the suggestion area.
  3. Click the Keys tab.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Select the key background color.
  2. Use the slider to select the level of transparency for the background.
  3. Click the Window tab.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Select a color for the keyboard background.
  2. (Optional) Use the Personalize your background drop-down menu and select the Picture option.
  3. Click the Choose your picture button.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Select the picture you want to use as background.
  2. Use the Choose a fit drop-down menu and select the fit option (if applicable).
  3. Use the Background brightness slider to adjust the brightness of the background.
  4. Click the Save button.

Once you complete the steps, the touch keyboard will reflect your new customization changes.

More Windows resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:

Mauro Huculak
Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users get the most out of Windows 10 and its many related technologies. He has an IT background with professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he's a recognized member of the Microsoft MVP community.