FastFingers / Guides / Touch typing
Touch typing for beginners
Touch typing means typing with all ten fingers without looking at the keyboard. It is the single biggest step most people can take to type faster and with less effort.
The home row
Rest your left fingers on A S D F and your right fingers on J K L ;. Most keyboards have small bumps on F and J so you can find them without looking. Your thumbs rest on the space bar.
Which finger presses which key
| Finger | Left hand | Right hand |
|---|---|---|
| Index | R T F G V B (and 4 5) | Y U H J N M (and 6 7) |
| Middle | E D C (and 3) | I K , (and 8) |
| Ring | W S X (and 2) | O L . (and 9) |
| Little | Q A Z, Shift, Tab (and 1) | P ; / ' [ ], Shift, Enter (and 0) |
| Thumbs | Space | |
A two-week plan
- Days 1 to 3: home row only. Type slowly and never look down. Accuracy matters more than speed.
- Days 4 to 7: add the top row, then the bottom row. Use 15-second tests on common words.
- Week 2: 10 to 15 minutes a day of 30-second tests, then drill the keys the result screen marks as slowest or most missed.
Expect to be slower than before for a few days. That is normal; most people pass their old speed within a few weeks.
Track it
The FastFingers test shows a keyboard heatmap of your accuracy per key and which finger misses most, so you can see the new habit forming.
Questions
Should I look at the keyboard while learning?
No. Cover your hands or just accept mistakes at first. Looking down slows the habit from forming.
How long does touch typing take to learn?
Most people learn the key positions in one to two weeks of daily practice and reach their old speed within a few weeks.