Touch typing guide for beginners
Touch typing means typing without looking at the keyboard, using all ten fingers, each with its own set of keys. It feels slow for the first week or two. After that, it is almost always faster than any self-taught method, and much less tiring.
The home row
Rest your left fingers on A S D F and your right fingers on J K L ;. Most keyboards have a small bump on F and J so you can find them without looking. Your thumbs rest on the space bar.
From here, each finger reaches up or down to nearby keys and always comes back home.
Which finger presses which key
| Finger | Left hand | Right hand |
|---|---|---|
| Index | 4 5 R T F G V B | 6 7 Y U H J N M |
| Middle | 3 E D C | 8 I K , |
| Ring | 2 W S X | 9 O L . |
| Pinky | 1 Q A Z and Shift | 0 P ; / and the keys to their right |
| Thumbs | Space bar | |
Use the Shift key on the opposite hand to the letter you are capitalising. For a capital A, hold the right Shift with your right pinky.
Posture
- Sit with your feet flat and the screen at eye level.
- Keep your wrists straight and floating, not resting on the desk while you type.
- Press keys lightly. You do not need to hit them hard.
A two-week plan
- Days 1 to 3: Lessons 1 and 2 only, for 10 minutes a day. Do not look down.
- Days 4 to 7: add the top row, lessons 3 and 4.
- Days 8 to 10: the bottom row and the full alphabet, lessons 5 and 6.
- Days 11 to 14: short typing tests on common words, then smart practice on your weakest keys.
Expect your speed to drop at first. That is normal. Most people pass their old speed within a few weeks and keep improving after that.
Put it into practice. Take a typing test, then use smart practice to work on the keys the results point to.