Touch typing: the complete beginner's guide

Touch typing is typing by feel instead of by sight. Your fingers learn where every key is, the same way you can find a light switch in a dark room. The method has three parts:

• a fixed home position your fingers return to after every key;
• a set finger for every key, so you never have to think about which finger to use;
• keeping your eyes on the screen, not the keyboard.

The payoff is speed and comfort. Touch typists usually type far faster than hunt and peck typists, with fewer mistakes and less neck strain from looking up and down.

The home row is the middle row of letters. Place your left fingers on A S D F and your right fingers on J K L ;. Your thumbs rest lightly on the space bar.

Feel for the small bumps on F and J. They are there so your index fingers can find home without looking. Every time you lose your place, touch the bumps and reset.

Practise it now in lesson 1: F and J. It only uses two keys, so you can focus on the feel.

Each finger moves up and down a slanted column from its home key. This is the standard map used by most typing courses:

• Left pinky: Q, A, Z, plus 1, Tab, Caps Lock and left Shift
• Left ring: W, S, X and 2
• Left middle: E, D, C and 3
• Left index: R, F, V, T, G, B, 4 and 5
• Right index: Y, H, N, U, J, M, 6 and 7
• Right middle: I, K, comma and 8
• Right ring: O, L, full stop and 9
• Right pinky: P, semicolon, slash, 0, quote, brackets, Enter, Backspace and right Shift
• Thumbs: Space bar (use whichever thumb feels natural)

For capital letters, hold Shift with the pinky of the opposite hand. For a capital A, hold right Shift with your right pinky and press A with your left pinky. Our lessons show the right finger for every key with colour-coded hands, so you never have to memorise this list.

• Sit up with your feet flat and the screen at about eye level.
• Keep your elbows near your sides, bent at roughly a right angle.
• Curve your fingers slightly and keep your wrists level. Do not rest them on the desk while typing.
• Press keys with light, quick taps. You do not need force.
• Take a short break every 20 to 30 minutes to stretch your hands.

Short, daily sessions build the habit fastest. Aim for 15 to 20 minutes a day:

• Week 1, home row: A S D F and J K L ;, then G and H. Finish the home row lessons and type simple words like "lad", "sad" and "flask".
• Week 2, top row: E, I, R, U, T, O and the rest of the top row. Mix in home row words so you keep returning home.
• Week 3, bottom row and capitals: the bottom row, then Shift and basic punctuation.
• Week 4, real text: numbers, then full sentences and practice paragraphs. Use smart practice to drill the keys you miss most.

Take a 1 minute typing test at the start and the end of each week to see your progress.

If you already type with two fingers, touch typing will feel slow for the first week or two. That dip is normal: you are replacing an old habit with a better one. Do not switch back to looking when you need to type something quickly. Most people get back to their old speed within a few weeks and then keep improving well past it, because touch typing has a much higher ceiling.

• Peeking at the keys. Even a quick glance breaks the habit. If you must, look at the on-screen keyboard instead.
• Rushing. Speed built on errors does not last. Keep accuracy at 95% or above before pushing your pace.
• Using the wrong finger for a "hard" key. Keys like B, Y and the pinky keys tempt you to cheat. Stick to the map.
• Long sessions once a week. Daily 15 minute sessions beat a two hour session on Sunday.
• Skipping the boring part. Home row drills feel slow, but everything else is built on them.

Once you know the home row, mix lessons with games. Mountain Climb and Warp Words adapt to your speed, and the typing race adds a bit of competition. Teaching a child? The kids zone has big letters, finger hints and stickers. When you are ready to speed up, read how to type faster.