Windows · Personalization
Customize the on-screen touch keyboard
Lets you personalize the appearance and behavior of the on-screen touch keyboard used on tablets, touchscreens, and 2-in-1 devices, including theme, key sound, and text suggestions.
How to open Touch Keyboard Personalization
- Open Settings → Personalization → Touch keyboard
- Pick a built-in theme or select 'Create new theme'
- Adjust background, key, and text colors if customizing
- Toggle key sounds and text suggestions to your preference
What you should know
- Choose a touch keyboard theme or create a custom color scheme
- Enable or disable key press sounds and animations
- Turn text suggestions and autocorrect on or off for the touch keyboard
- Adjust keyboard size and enable the traditional, split, or floating layout
Why it matters
On touch-enabled laptops and tablets, the on-screen keyboard is a primary input method, so its layout, size, and responsiveness directly affect typing speed and accuracy. Custom themes and larger key sizes can meaningfully help users with limited dexterity or visual impairments type more comfortably. Because touch keyboard settings are separate from the physical keyboard and general typing settings, many users never find them despite relying on the on-screen keyboard daily.
Best practices
- Enable key press sounds if you rely on audio feedback for accurate typing
- Use the split layout for easier thumb-typing while holding a tablet
- Increase key size for touchscreens if you frequently mistype adjacent keys
- Turn off animations on lower-powered devices to reduce input lag
Common problems and fixes
- Touch keyboard theme changes don't stick
- Make sure you're editing the active theme and not creating an unsaved custom theme; select 'Save' before closing.
- Touch keyboard doesn't appear automatically
- Enable 'Show touch keyboard when not in tablet mode and there's no keyboard attached' in taskbar settings.
- Key sounds are too loud or distracting
- Disable 'Play key sounds as I type' in the touch keyboard settings.
Tips and tricks
- Use the emoji panel button on the touch keyboard for quick emoji, GIF, and symbol insertion
- Try the floating keyboard layout on larger tablets for one-handed typing near the edge of the screen
Frequently asked questions
Does this affect my physical keyboard too?
No, these settings only apply to the on-screen touch keyboard, not a physical or Bluetooth keyboard.
Can I resize the touch keyboard?
Yes, you can switch between full, split, and compact layouts and drag to resize where supported.
Why don't I see a touch keyboard icon on my taskbar?
Right-click the taskbar and enable the touch keyboard icon, or check that your device supports touch input.
Related settings
- FontsFonts settings let you preview every typeface installed on your PC, download additional fonts from the Microsoft Store, and install new ones by dragging a font file directly onto the page. Every font installed here becomes available system-wide, appearing in the font list of every app that lets you choose one, from word processors to design software.
- Device UsageLets you tell Windows how you primarily use the device, such as Gaming, Family, Creativity, Business, School, or Entertainment, so it can tailor recommendations, tips, and pre-installed app suggestions accordingly.
More Personalization guides for Windows
- PersonalizationPersonalization is the hub for changing how Windows looks and feels — desktop background, accent colors, themes, lock screen, Start menu layout, and taskbar behavior all live under this one settings category. It's the starting point for making a shared or new PC feel like your own.
- ThemesThemes bundle a desktop background, color scheme, sound scheme, and mouse cursor set into a single saved combination you can switch between instantly. Windows includes several built-in themes, and you can download more or save your own custom combination.
- Lock ScreenLock Screen settings control the image, slideshow, or Windows Spotlight photo shown before you sign in, plus which apps can show quick status glances like unread email count or your next calendar event. It's the first thing you and anyone walking by sees on a locked PC.
- TaskbarTaskbar settings control which icons appear, how they're aligned, and which system tray items show by default. This is where you manage pinned apps, the search box, widgets, and corner icons like clock, network, and volume.
- Start MenuStart menu settings let you control which folders appear next to the power button, how many pinned app rows and recommended file rows show, and whether recently added or most-used apps surface automatically. It's where you shape the layout you see every time you click Start.
- Colors & Accent ColorControls the accent color used across Start, taskbar, title bars, and other UI elements, and lets you choose whether Windows should surface a color automatically from your background.