Learn to type like a professional

Being able to use a computer keyboard is all but essential in many areas of modern life, so the faster and more accurate your typing is, the more productive you can be. If you’re still a one- or two-finger typist, doing almost anything on a computer will seem more difficult and time-consuming than it really is.

In this article, we’ll look at numerous practical ways to learn how to touch-type, including using free tools and games that will help you increase your typing speed. With some time, patience and practice, plus the resources explained here, you’ll be able to type more efficiently than ever before.

Get comfortable
First, make sure your workstation is properly set up. Poor setups can cause injuries: eye strain can result from sitting too close to a monitor, back and shoulder aches can be caused by wrongly sized or poorly erected furniture, and elbow and wrist pain can be the upshot of a badly arranged desk. Using a mouse and keyboard can lead to repetitive-strain injuries (RSI).

The ideal setup lets you sit comfortably at the desk, with feet flat on the floor and knees bent at 90 degrees. The chair should be supportive (if it isn’t, use a cushion or rolled-up towel in the small of your back for lumbar support), and you should always sit up straight, rather than hunching forwards.

The top of your PC monitor should be at around the same height as your eyes, and the monitor should be about an arm’s length away.

Everything you need – keyboard, mouse, office phone, and whatever else you’re using – should be within easy reach, and the keyboard should be positioned so you can type with your wrists straight, or bent downwards (but never bent upwards). Be aware of the light sources around the computer, and make sure that they don’t make it difficult to see the screen.

Also, be sure to take regular breaks to stretch, move around and rest your eyes. For more guidance, visit the NHS web page on avoiding RSI. When everything is set up correctly, it’s time to start typing.

Starting to type
Touch-typing means typing without looking at the keyboard, making use of all fingers and using the same digits to hit the same keys every time. In this manner, with practice, you’ll be able to type faster and reduce the likelihood of developing RSI.

There is no single ‘system’ for learning to type, so the best idea is to familiarise yourself with the position of the keys and then use some simple exercises to practise building your skills and confidence gradually.

Specialist keyboards may be useful in some cases, but if you are using a standard Qwerty keyboard and you have no special requirements, then begin with your fingers resting on the ‘home’ keys.

Your thumbs should be above the space key, your left index finger on the F key, with the rest of your left hand sitting on the D, S and A keys. Your right index finger should be on the J key, with the rest of your right fingers on the K, L and ; (semi-colon) keys.

On many keyboards, the main home keys – that’s F and J – have small ridges, to help identification without needing to look down.

Begin by practising typing straight across the home row, using the specified fingers to hit each key: A with your left little finger, S with your left ring finger, D with your left middle finger, F and G with your left index finger, H and J with your right index finger, K with your right middle finger, L with your right ring finger and ; (semi-colon) with your right little finger.

Type across that row, go in the opposite direction, and repeat until it starts to feel comfortable – it may take a while.

The next row to master is the top row. Starting from the home position, reach up with each finger in turn to the keys on the top row: left little finger up to the Q key, left ring finger to W, and so on, with your index fingers used to tap keys in the centre of the row (R, T, Y and U).

Return your fingers to the home keys after each stroke. The bottom row is the trickiest, but like anything else, it gets easier with practice. As before, start with your fingers on the home keys, and, one by one, practise typing along the keys on the bottom row: using your left little finger to hit the Z key.