Beginners
Touch Typing for Beginners: Finger Placement & First Steps
Touch typing is typing by feel: all ten fingers, eyes on the screen, each finger owning a small group of keys. It's the single biggest upgrade most people can make to their typing. This guide covers everything you need to start.
Step 1: Find the home row
Place your left-hand fingers on A (little finger), S (ring), D (middle) and F (index). Place your right hand on J (index), K (middle), L (ring) and ; (little finger). Both thumbs rest lightly on the space bar.
Feel the small raised bumps on F and J. They're there so you can find home without looking, every time.
Step 2: Learn each finger's zone
| 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, Tab, Caps, Shift (and 1) | P ; / ' [ ], Enter, Shift, Backspace (and 0) |
| Thumbs | Space bar | |
Notice that the index fingers cover two columns each. They're your strongest fingers, so they get the most work.
Step 3: Sit well
- Screen at eye level, about an arm's length away.
- Elbows close to your body, bent at roughly 90°.
- Wrists straight and hovering, not bent upwards or resting heavily.
- Feet flat on the floor. Take a short break every 30–40 minutes.
Step 4: Practise in the right order
Learn the keyboard in small chunks, not all at once:
- Home row (F J, D K, S L, A ;, G H)
- Top row (E I, R U, T Y, W O, Q P)
- Bottom row (V M, C comma, X period, Z slash, B N)
- Shift and capitals, then punctuation
- Numbers and symbols
Our free 48-lesson course follows exactly this order, with an on-screen keyboard that lights up the next key and shows which finger to use.
Step 5: A realistic two-week plan
| Days | Focus | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Home row lessons only. Slow and accurate. | 15 min/day |
| 4–7 | Top row lessons, then home + top row words. | 15–20 min/day |
| 8–10 | Bottom row and all-letters lessons. | 20 min/day |
| 11–14 | Capitals and punctuation, plus a daily typing test and a game. | 20 min/day |
During these two weeks, try to use touch typing for everything, even emails and chats. Switching back to old habits "just this once" slows the learning down a lot.
Common beginner mistakes
- Peeking. Use the on-screen keyboard instead. It's always faster in the long run.
- Rushing. Speed comes from accuracy. Aim for 95%+ before going faster.
- Drifting off home. After every reach, fingers return to the home row.
- One shift key. Use the shift key on the opposite side to the letter.
Start right now with Lesson 1: F and J. It takes about three minutes.