How can I make the Android emulator show the soft keyboard?

Question

I'm debugging an issue with the soft keyboard display not displaying when it should. However, I don't have a device handy for testing. The problem is that the emulator never shows the soft keyboard.

Some skins have a keyboard constantly displayed on the right, some don't, but none that I've tried so far has ever shown a keyboard on the device screen.

Is there some setting that I missed?

Per this link: Just click on an Edit Text box with your mouse, and the soft keyboard should open: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4141378/is-there-a-popup-soft-keyboard-in-the-android-emulator — paulsm4, Apr 20 '12 at 00:49
Clicking on text entry boxes in my app or stock apps never displays a soft keyboard. — blahdiblah, Apr 20 '12 at 00:55

JoxTraex · Accepted Answer · 2020-08-22T20:28:46.423

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I found out how to do this on the Android emulator itself (Menu, "Settings" App - not the settings of the emulator outside). All you need to do is:

open settings app -> Language & Input -> Go to the "Keyboard & Input Methods -> click Default

This will bring up a Dialog in which case you can then disable the Hardware Keyboard by switching the hardware keyboard from on to off. This will disable the Hardware keyboard and enable the softkeyboard.

edited Aug 22 '20 at 20:28

answered Sep 05 '13 at 03:59

JoxTraex

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This is actually the best way to do it since it allows you to use your physical keyboard for input while at the same time showing the soft keyboard! – Paris Dec 27 '13 at 12:02
My emulator has no menu, only the window with my app running, where is "settings"? Android Studio comes with "File | Settings", but that's not the one. – Jose Manuel Abarca Rodríguez Sep 11 '15 at 23:15
No one said anything about a menu button, Setting is the applications, has nothing to do with android studio. @JoseManuelAbarcaRodríguez – JoxTraex Sep 11 '15 at 23:29
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This is great! Please do this in **the emulator itself; in the emulator itself; in the emulator itself; in the emulator itself; in the emulator itself; in the emulator itself;** – Some Noob Student Feb 03 '16 at 00:10
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This is unclear, as the **emulator itself** has a toolbar for controlling the **emulator itself** (with controls like power, volume up and down, rotate device, camera, etc). You go to Android Settings inside the running Android image on the emulator, not the **emulator itself**. – rmirabelle Jan 20 '17 at 18:38
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Thanks for the solution. – Parth Patel Apr 10 '18 at 10:43

score 40 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 03 '16 at 22:44

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Here are the steps:

=> Settings
=> Language and Input
=> Default
=> Hardware Physical Keyboard
=> off to turn on the On Screen Keyboard

answered Mar 03 '16 at 22:44

Joe Mellin

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score 35 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 20 '12 at 01:46

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If you're using AVD manager add a hardware property Keyboard support and set it to false.

That should disable the shown keyboard, and show the virtual one.

answered Apr 20 '12 at 01:46

Dr. Spam

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I am using the AVD manager, and I'm intrigued by your idea, but (hilariously) every time I try to do it, it resets itself! I click New... Hardware property, select Keyboard Support, change the value to 'no', click edit/create, but when I edit it again or get info: Hardware Keyboard = yes! Ha! I can't express how sublime I find the Android emulator. – blahdiblah Apr 20 '12 at 02:02
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However, manually changing the value of hw.keyboard in ~/.android/avd/whatever.avd/config.ini caused the setting to stick, and that does indeed make the onscreen keyboard visible. Yay! Thanks, Doctor! – blahdiblah Apr 20 '12 at 02:11
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Is it possible to have hw.keyboard=no but still be able to use your keyboard to send keystrokes to emulator somehow? When I set hw.keyboard=no, I have to type everything using the android keyboard (tedious for testing). I am testing this on Linux. – miha Jun 27 '12 at 09:02
In my version, there is a checkbox "Hardware Keyboard Present" in emulator properties. Unchecking the option solved the case for me. Note: I'm not answering to miha. the hardware keyboard is still disabled. – holgac Dec 02 '13 at 22:28
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@miha Leave Hardware Keyboard enabled in the AVD. Just disabled it in the Language & Input settings on the emulator. That will show the soft keyboard and let you type on the hardware keyboard at the same time. – Monstieur Dec 03 '13 at 11:43
@Locutus there is no way to do that on latest 4.x nor 5.0 – gcb Dec 17 '14 at 23:05
@miha Settings > Language & input > Current keyboard > Hardware Switch ON. I just tested it on Android Lollipop and it works. It will show Android software keyboard and the hardware keyboard also will be available. – vovahost Jan 29 '15 at 19:40

score 9 · Answer 4 · answered Jun 25 '15 at 10:40

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Settings > Language & input > Current keyboard > Hardware Switch ON.

This option worked.

answered Jun 25 '15 at 10:40

Ashwini Belsare

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score 4 · Answer 5 · answered Jan 29 '15 at 19:47

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Settings > Language & input > Current keyboard > Hardware Switch ON.
It allows you to use your physical keyboard for input while at the same time showing the soft keyboard. I just tested it on Android Lollipop and it works.

answered Jan 29 '15 at 19:47

vovahost

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score 2 · Answer 6 · answered Mar 04 '15 at 12:35

To be more precise, with Lollipop these are the steps I followed to show soft keyboard:

Settings > Language & Input;
under "Keyboard & input methods" label, select "Current Keyboard";
A Dialog named "Change Keyboard" appears, switch ON "Hardware", then select "Choose keyboards";
another Dialog appears, switch ON the "Sample Soft Keyboard". Here you get an alert about the possibility that keyboard will store everything you write, also passwords. Give OK;
Repeat above steps in order to show "Change Keyboard" Dialog again, here the new option "Sample Soft Keyboard" is available and you can select it.

NOTE: after that, you might experience problems in running you app (as I had). Simply restart the emulator.

score 2 · Answer 7 · answered Jun 30 '15 at 07:58

Edit your virtual device using AVD.
Press the "show advance setting" button to show more option scroll down to the bottom and check "Enable keyboard input" press "finish" button
at the bottom corner of your window
then start the emulator device that you just set up.
inside the emulator, go to the "Settings" -> "Language & Input"
and in the "Keyboard & Input Methods" -> "Default" then "choose input method" is shown
and switch off "Hardware Physical Keyboard" toggle button

score 2 · Answer 8 · answered Jul 29 '20 at 11:59

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There is a bug in the new version of NOX app. Software keyboard doesn't work after switching to it in settings. To fix this, I installed Gboard using the Play Market.

answered Jul 29 '20 at 11:59

Рыбалко А.М.

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score -1 · Answer 9 · answered Aug 29 '21 at 14:10

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Go to Tools > AVD Manager > Click on ▾ on the Respective Emulator and > Wipe Data and Restart, will solve the problem on New Android Studio.

answered Aug 29 '21 at 14:10

user1090751

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How can I make the Android emulator show the soft keyboard?

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