Using On-Screen Keyboard in Raspberry Pi OS

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Warp Terminal
You’ll see three options:In the Raspberry Pi Configuration tool, go to the Display tab and touch it.Update the package cache of your Raspberry Pi first:

On-screen keyboard on Raspberry Pi
On-screen keyboard on Raspberry Pi

📋

And this way, you can enjoy the keyboard on a touchscreen.
I am using the DIY Touchscreen by SunFounder (partner link). It’s an interesting display that is also compatible with other SBCs. I’ll be doing its full review next week. The steps should also work on other touch screens, too.
SunFounder Latest 10 Inch DIY Touch Screen All-In-One Solution for Raspberry Pi 5, IPS HD 1280×800 LCD, Built-In USB-C PD 5.1V/5A Output, HDMI, 10-point, No Driver, Speakers, for RPi 5/4/3/Zero 2WThis SunFounder Touch Screen is a 10-point IPS touch screen in a 10.1″ big size and with a high resolution of 1280×800, bringing you perfect visual experience. It works with various operating systems including Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu, Ubuntu Mate, Windows, Android, and Chrome OS.
For older versions of Raspberry Pi OS, you could also go with the matchbox-keyboard package.

Just check if you already have the on-screen keyboard support

The official documents of SunFounder’s Touchscreen mentions that Squeekboard is installed by default in Raspberry Pi OS but that was not the case for me.Thankfully, the latest versions of Raspberry Pi OS provide a simple way to install and use the on-screen keyboard.Out of these three, you’ll be tempted to go for the ‘Enabled if touchscreen found’.🚧

On-screen keyboard support already installed on Raspberry Pi
On-screen keyboard support already installed on Raspberry Pi

From Kiosk projects to homelab dashboards, there are numerous usage of a touch screen display with Raspberry Pi.

On-screen keyboard support not installed on Raspberry Pi
Virtual Keyboard is not installed

Getting on-screen keyboard in Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm

Go to the menu, then Preferences and open Raspberry Pi config tool. In the display tab, see if you can change the settings for the on-screen keyboard.
You’ll need a physical keyboard and mouse for installing the required package If you cannot connect one, you could try to SSH into the Pi.

Let me show how you can install the on-screen keyboard support on Raspberry Pi OS.It is also possible that it is installed but not enabled. Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm and later versions include the Squeekboard software for the on-screen keyboard feature.

Accessing Raspberry Pi Config
Access Raspberry Pi Configuration
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sudo apt install matchbox-keyboard

sudo apt install squeekboard

And it makes total sense to use the on-screen keyboard on the touch device rather than plugging in a keyboard and mouse. sudo apt update

Installing it was matter of one command and then the virtual keyboard was up and running. This is tested on Raspberry Pi OS but since Squeekboard is available for Wayland in general, it might work on other operating systems, too.

Virtual keyboard comes up for supported application
Virtual keyboard comes up for supported application but it is also accessible from top panel

If you tap the on-screen keyboard settings and it says, “A virtual keyboard is not installed”, you will have to install the software first. The next section details the steps.

Conclusion

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Partner LinkNow, this package may already be installed by default. If you open a terminal and touch the interface and it brings the keyboard, you have everything set already.However, it didn’t work for me. I opted for Enabled always instead.💬 Did it work for you? If yes, a simple ‘thank you’ will encourage me. If not, please provide the details and I’ll try to help you.But not all applications will automatically bring up the on-screen keyboard. In my case, Chromium didn’t play well. Thankfully, the on-screen keyboard icon at top panel lets you access it at will.

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