How to Change the Order of Keyboards on iPhone

If you type in two languages, landing on the wrong keyboard every time you start a message gets old fast. On current versions of iOS, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards, tap Edit, drag the handle next to a keyboard to a new spot, then tap Done. The new order sets the sequence you step through when you tap the globe key, and where each keyboard sits in the list you see when you touch and hold that key.

Reorder your keyboards in Settings

You need at least two keyboards in the list for the order to matter. The steps below are the same on current versions of iOS; only the look of the screens has changed over the years.

1. Open the Settings app from your Home Screen or App Library.
   

   

2. Tap General.
   

   

3. Scroll down a little and tap Keyboard.
   

   

4. Tap Keyboards at the top of the screen.
   

   

5. Tap Edit in the top-right corner. Each keyboard now shows a handle (three short horizontal lines) on the right side of its row.
   

   

6. Touch and hold the handle next to the keyboard you want to move, drag it up or down to its new place, and let go. Repeat for any other keyboard you want to move.
7. Tap Done in the top-right corner to save the order. Apple’s user guide shows this as a Done button; on recent iOS versions it can appear as an icon rather than the word.
   

   

To confirm the change, go back one screen and open Keyboards again: the list should appear in your new order. Then open Notes or Messages and tap the globe key a few times to watch the keyboards come up in that sequence. If you change your mind, repeat the steps and drag the keyboards back. Nothing is deleted when you reorder, so there is no risk in trying a few arrangements.

Apple documents the reorder steps in the iPhone User Guide page on adding or changing keyboards, which also covers adding, removing and switching keyboards.

What the order changes when you type

The list in Settings is the sequence your iPhone uses when you move between keyboards. Tapping the globe key (Apple calls it the Switch Keyboard key) moves you to another keyboard, following the order of your list.

A practical way to set it up for bilingual typing:

• Put the language you write in most often at the top.
• Put your second language right below it, so a single tap on the globe key gets you there.
• Move Emoji and any rarely used keyboards to the bottom, so they never sit between your two main languages.

Some guides describe the top keyboard as the “primary” or default keyboard. Apple’s documentation does not say that, so treat the top spot as the start of the switching order rather than a guaranteed default.

Reordering keyboards also does not change your iPhone language. That is controlled separately by the Preferred Languages list in Settings > General > Language & Region, which decides how apps and websites display text.

Switch keyboards in one tap or from the list

Once the order is set, there are two ways to change keyboards while typing:

• Tap the globe key to jump to the next keyboard in your list. This is the fast option when you mostly bounce between two keyboards.
• Touch and hold the globe key (or the Emoji key, if that is what you see in its place), then tap the keyboard you want from the list that appears. This is better with three or more keyboards because you can skip straight to the one you need.

If the key in the bottom-left corner shows a smiley face (Apple’s Emoji button) instead of a globe, tapping it opens Emoji; touch and hold it to reach your other keyboards. For more on getting the Emoji keyboard back or moving it, see how to add the Emoji keyboard on iPhone, and for picking and sending emoji in a conversation, see using emojis in text messages.

Remove a keyboard you no longer use

Trimming the list is often better than reordering it. Every extra keyboard is one more stop when you tap the globe key, so removing a language you no longer use makes switching faster.

1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.
2. Swipe left on the keyboard you want to remove.
3. Tap Delete.

That swipe method is the one Apple documents for current iOS. Older iOS versions also showed a red minus button beside each keyboard after you tapped Edit, as in the screenshot above; Apple’s current guide documents only the swipe. Removing a keyboard does not delete anything you typed with it, and you can add it back at any time from the same screen.

Add a keyboard to the list

After adding a keyboard, check where it landed in the list and use the reorder steps above to move it.

Built-in languages and bilingual keyboards

1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.
2. Tap Add New Keyboard.
3. Choose a keyboard from the list. Some languages ask you to pick a variety or input style next.

For some language pairs, such as English (U.S.) and Spanish (Latin America), Apple offers a bilingual option: after tapping Add New Keyboard, you can tap Add to [language] Keyboard so one keyboard handles both languages. Apple says this is available for select language pairs only. A single bilingual keyboard can remove the need to switch at all, which is the simplest fix for the wrong-keyboard problem. Spanish setup, accents and the bilingual option are covered in more detail in how to add a Spanish keyboard on iPhone.

Adding a keyboard for a different language also adds that language to the Preferred Languages list in Settings > General > Language & Region. If apps start showing text in an unexpected language afterward, check the order of that list.

Keyboards from apps

Keyboards from the App Store, such as Gboard, SwiftKey or a Bitmoji keyboard, appear in the Add New Keyboard list after you install the app. Once added, they sit in the same Keyboards list and can be reordered like any other. The app may ask you to turn on a setting usually labeled Allow Full Access. Apple’s developer documentation explains that this kind of access can let a keyboard send keystrokes and other data over the network to its developer, so only allow it for apps you trust and read the developer’s privacy policy first. The Bitmoji route is covered in how to get the Bitmoji keyboard on iPhone.

Keep in mind that iPhone swaps an app keyboard for the built-in keyboard in password fields and phone number pads, then switches back afterward. That is expected behavior, not a problem with your order.

Reordering is not the same as changing the layout

If a keyboard is in the right place but the letters are arranged differently from what you expect, the issue is the layout, not the order. To change it, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards, tap the language, then pick an alternative layout from the list. Common choices include QWERTY, AZERTY and QWERTZ, depending on the language. Changing a layout keeps the keyboard in the same position in your list.

When the order does not seem to stick

• You left without tapping Done. Open the list again and check. If it reverted, drag the keyboards again and tap Done before leaving the screen.
• The globe key opens a different keyboard than expected. The globe key moves to the next keyboard after the one you are on, not to the top of the list. Touch and hold it to pick directly.
• There is no globe key at all. You may see the Emoji button in its place; touch and hold it to see your keyboards. If the keys look squeezed to one side, the one-handed layout is on; see turning off the one-handed keyboard.
• Suggestions or autocorrect still feel wrong after reordering. Order has nothing to do with learned words. Resetting the keyboard dictionary is a separate task, explained in how to reset the keyboard on iPhone.

Keyboard order questions

Will my keyboard order carry over to a new iPhone?

Apple lists device settings among the things an iCloud backup includes, but it doesn’t list keyboards specifically. If the list looks different after setting up a new iPhone, add and reorder your keyboards again with the steps above.

Can I move the Emoji keyboard to the top?

Yes. Emoji is listed with the other keyboards and can be dragged to any position. If you type mostly in one language, keeping Emoji second means one tap on the globe key reaches it.

For a quick explainer on how emoji differ from the personalized stickers some keyboards add, see the difference between emoji and Bitmoji on iPhone.