How to Use a Computer Keyboard
Sit with good posture., Center the keyboard., Avoid resting your palms or wrist., Use a soft touch., Relax your hands when you’re not typing., Open a word processor., Find the Home position with both hands., Practice typing the home keys., Use the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Sit with good posture.
In order to prevent strain on your hands, back, neck, and other joints, you'll want to sit at the keyboard with good posture.
Sit slightly reclined in your seat, allowing the chair to support your lower back.
Ideally, your elbows should be angled down slightly to promote circulation.
Your feet should be planted firmly on the floor.Standing desks are growing increasingly popular, but an improper desk can promote bad posture.
Your standing desk should be elbow-level or just slightly lower.
Your monitor should be eye-level to keep you from hunching over, and should be around two feet from your eyes. -
Step 2: Center the keyboard.
When typing, your keyboard's spacebar should be centered to your body.
This will help keep you from having to rotate to reach the keys. , Your hands should float above the keys while you type.
This will help you reach keys by moving your hands instead of stretching your fingers.
Resting your palms or your wrist on the front of the keyboard and stretching your fingers promotes carpal tunnel syndrome , Most keyboards are fairly sensitive and don't need much pressure for the key to register.
Lightly tapping keys will help keep your fingers active and will improve your speed.
Keep your wrists straight as you type.
Twisting your wrists can cause discomfort and unnecessary stress. , When you're not actively typing, rest your hands.
Keeping your hands tense when not typing can increase stiffness and soreness later. , Nearly every computer has a word processor installed.
Even a basic text editor like Notepad will work.
This will let you see what you type while you practice. , The Home position is where your hands will start when your typing, and where your fingers return to after striking a key.
Most keyboards have raised bumps on the F and J keys.
These indicate where your index fingers are placed.
Slightly arch your fingers, and place your fingers on the keys next to F and J.
Your left pinky rests on A, your left ring finger on S, and your left middle finger on D Your right pinky rests on -
Step 3: Avoid resting your palms or wrist.
your right ring finger on L, and your right middle finger on K.
Your thumbs rest on the spacebar. , Get used to pressing each key with it's corresponding finger.
Memorize the key that each finger rests on through repetition.
You want the home keys permanently imprinted in your memory so repetition is essential. , You can capitalize letters by holding the ⇧ Shift key when you press the letter.
Use your pinky to press and hold the ⇧ Shift key using the hand that isn't pressing the letter, and then press the letter you want to capitalize. , Once you have a good handle on the Home keys, you can start expanding to the other keys on the keyboard.
Use the same repetition exercises to memorize the locations of the other keys.
Use the nearest finger to reach the key.
If you are keeping your wrists elevated, you will be able to easily strike the keys that are slightly outside of your reach. , Now that you are able to reach most keys without looking, it's time to start typing sentences.
Try transcribing something else on your screen without looking at your keyboard.
Sentences like "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" contain every letter in the alphabet, allowing you to practice with all the keys. , Punctuation marks such as ., -
Step 4: Use a soft touch.
and " are located on the right side of the keyboard.
You can reach these keys using your right pinky.
Many symbols need to have the ⇧ Shift key pressed in order to type them.
Symbols are located above each of the number keys that run along the top of the keyboard.
You will need to have the ⇧ Shift key pressed in order to type them. , While typing fast may seem useful, it won't matter if you're making a lot of errors.
Speed will come with practice, so focus all of your efforts on avoiding mistakes.
You'll be typing faster before you know it.
See this guide for more tips on learning how to type. , There are lots of programs and games for all ages that teach typing skills through exercises and gameplay.
These can making typing practice a bit more fun, and can do a lot for your accuracy and speed. , The arrow keys ↑↓←→ are your main navigation keys on the keyboard.
You can use them in a word processor to move around and between lines, use them on webpages to scroll, and use them in games to move around.
Use your right hand to press the keys. , You can quickly scroll through documents or webpages with the ⇞ Page Up and ⇟ Page Down keys.
If you are using a word processor, these keys will move your cursor one page up or down from the cursor's current location.
If you are viewing a webpage, these keys will scroll the page up or down one screen-length. , You can move the cursor directly to the start or end of a line with the ⇱ Home and ⇲ End keys.
These keys are most useful in word processors. , The ← Backspace key will delete a character to the left of the cursor, while pressing Delete will delete a character to the right of the cursor.
You can also press ← Backspace to go back on a webpage. , The Insert key changes the text input mode for your word processor.
When Insert mode is toggled on any character you input will replace the character to the right of the cursor.
With Insert mode toggled off, existing characters will not be replaced. , Using a calculator program is the best way to get used to the keys on the numeric pad.
You can use the numeric pad keys to perform calculations in the calculator program. , When the numeric pad is not activated, the 8, 4, 6, and 2 keys will act as arrow keys.
Press NumLock to enable the keypad.
Some laptop keyboards do not have a separate numeric pad.
They often need to be activated using the Fn key, which changes keyboard functions. , Like the main part of the keyboard, the numeric pad has a Home position.
On the 5 key, you will feel a raised bump similar to the F and J keys.
Place your right middle finger on the 5 key, and then place your right index finger on the 4 key.
Place your right ring finger on the 6 key, and your thumb on the 0 key.
Your pinky rests on the ↵ Enter key. , Use your fingers to press the number keys. you will see the numbers appear in the calculator program.
Use repetition to memorize the number placement and which fingers you use to press them. , Around the edge of the numeric pad, you will see the basic arithmetic keys.
These let you divide (/), multiply (*), subtract (-) and add (+).
Use these keys to perform a variety of calculations. , You can use your keyboard to quickly perform a variety of tasks in Windows.
These are called keyboard shortcuts, and are built into nearly every operating system and program.
These are especially useful if you can't use your mouse or for saving time digging through menus.
Below are some of the most common shortcuts:
Alt+Tab ↹:
Switch between windows ⊞ Win+D:
Minimize or restore all windows Alt+F4:
Close active program or window Ctrl+C:
Copy selected item or text Ctrl+X:
Cut selected item or text Ctrl+V:
Paste copied item or text ⊞ Win+E:
Display Windows Explorer ⊞ Win+F:
Open the Search tool ⊞ Win+R:
Display Run dialog box ⊞ Win+Pause:
Display System Properties dialog box ⊞ Win+L:
Lock the workstation ⊞ Win:
Open the Start menu/Start screen ⊞ Win+L:
Switch Users ⊞ Win+P:
Change active display Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Escape:
Task Manager , Most applications have their own keyboard shortcuts.
These vary from program to program, but most word processors share basic shortcuts.
Below are some of the most common:
Ctrl+A:
Select all text Ctrl+B:
Bold selected text Ctrl+I:
Italicize selected text Ctrl+S:
Save document Ctrl+P:
Print Ctrl+E:
Center alignment Ctrl+Z:
Undo Ctrl+N:
Create new document Ctrl+F:
Find text in document , You can use your keyboard to quickly perform a variety of tasks in Mac OS X.
These are called keyboard shortcuts, and are built into nearly every operating system and program.
These are especially useful if you can't use your mouse or for saving time digging through menus.
Below are some of the most common shortcuts: ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+A:
Open the Applications folder ⌘ Cmd+C:
Copy selected item/text to the Clipboard ⌘ Cmd+X:
Cut ⌘ Cmd+V:
Paste ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+C:
Open the Computer window ⌘ Cmd+D:
Duplicate selected item ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+D:
Open desktop folder ⌘ Cmd+E:
Eject ⌘ Cmd+F:
Find any matching Spotlight attribute ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+F:
Find Spotlight file name matches ⌥ Option+⌘ Cmd+F:
Navigate to the search field in an already open Spotlight window ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+G:
Go to Folder ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+H:
Open the Home folder of the currently logged-in user account ⌥ Option+⌘ Cmd+M:
Minimize all windows ⌘ Cmd+N:
New Finder window ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+N:
New folder ⌥ Option+⌘ Cmd+Esc Open the Force Quit window , Most applications have their own keyboard shortcuts.
These vary from program to program, but most word processors share basic shortcuts.
Below are some of the most common: ⌘ Cmd+A:
Select all text ⌘ Cmd+B:
Bold selected text ⌘ Cmd+I:
Italicize selected text ⌘ Cmd+S:
Save document ⌘ Cmd+P:
Print ⌘ Cmd+E:
Center alignment ⌘ Cmd+Z:
Undo ⌘ Cmd+N:
Create new document ⌘ Cmd+F:
Find text in document -
Step 5: Relax your hands when you’re not typing.
-
Step 6: Open a word processor.
-
Step 7: Find the Home position with both hands.
-
Step 8: Practice typing the home keys.
-
Step 9: Use the Shift key to capitalize the home letters.
-
Step 10: Expand to the keys surrounding the home keys.
-
Step 11: Practice typing basic sentences.
-
Step 12: Learn the positions of punctuation and symbols.
-
Step 13: Focus on accuracy over speed.
-
Step 14: Find a game or program to teach typing skills.
-
Step 15: Move up
-
Step 16: and right.
-
Step 17: Scroll quickly through pages.
-
Step 18: Jump to the beginning or end of a line.
-
Step 19: Understand the difference between Delete and Backspace.
-
Step 20: Use Insert to toggle Insert mode.
-
Step 21: Open the calculator program.
-
Step 22: Use NumLock to toggle the numeric pad.
-
Step 23: Find the Home position.
-
Step 24: Enter numbers.
-
Step 25: Perform calculations.
-
Step 26: Operating system shortcuts.
-
Step 27: Word processor shortcuts.
-
Step 28: Operating system shortcuts.
-
Step 29: Word processor shortcuts.
Detailed Guide
In order to prevent strain on your hands, back, neck, and other joints, you'll want to sit at the keyboard with good posture.
Sit slightly reclined in your seat, allowing the chair to support your lower back.
Ideally, your elbows should be angled down slightly to promote circulation.
Your feet should be planted firmly on the floor.Standing desks are growing increasingly popular, but an improper desk can promote bad posture.
Your standing desk should be elbow-level or just slightly lower.
Your monitor should be eye-level to keep you from hunching over, and should be around two feet from your eyes.
When typing, your keyboard's spacebar should be centered to your body.
This will help keep you from having to rotate to reach the keys. , Your hands should float above the keys while you type.
This will help you reach keys by moving your hands instead of stretching your fingers.
Resting your palms or your wrist on the front of the keyboard and stretching your fingers promotes carpal tunnel syndrome , Most keyboards are fairly sensitive and don't need much pressure for the key to register.
Lightly tapping keys will help keep your fingers active and will improve your speed.
Keep your wrists straight as you type.
Twisting your wrists can cause discomfort and unnecessary stress. , When you're not actively typing, rest your hands.
Keeping your hands tense when not typing can increase stiffness and soreness later. , Nearly every computer has a word processor installed.
Even a basic text editor like Notepad will work.
This will let you see what you type while you practice. , The Home position is where your hands will start when your typing, and where your fingers return to after striking a key.
Most keyboards have raised bumps on the F and J keys.
These indicate where your index fingers are placed.
Slightly arch your fingers, and place your fingers on the keys next to F and J.
Your left pinky rests on A, your left ring finger on S, and your left middle finger on D Your right pinky rests on
your right ring finger on L, and your right middle finger on K.
Your thumbs rest on the spacebar. , Get used to pressing each key with it's corresponding finger.
Memorize the key that each finger rests on through repetition.
You want the home keys permanently imprinted in your memory so repetition is essential. , You can capitalize letters by holding the ⇧ Shift key when you press the letter.
Use your pinky to press and hold the ⇧ Shift key using the hand that isn't pressing the letter, and then press the letter you want to capitalize. , Once you have a good handle on the Home keys, you can start expanding to the other keys on the keyboard.
Use the same repetition exercises to memorize the locations of the other keys.
Use the nearest finger to reach the key.
If you are keeping your wrists elevated, you will be able to easily strike the keys that are slightly outside of your reach. , Now that you are able to reach most keys without looking, it's time to start typing sentences.
Try transcribing something else on your screen without looking at your keyboard.
Sentences like "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" contain every letter in the alphabet, allowing you to practice with all the keys. , Punctuation marks such as .,
and " are located on the right side of the keyboard.
You can reach these keys using your right pinky.
Many symbols need to have the ⇧ Shift key pressed in order to type them.
Symbols are located above each of the number keys that run along the top of the keyboard.
You will need to have the ⇧ Shift key pressed in order to type them. , While typing fast may seem useful, it won't matter if you're making a lot of errors.
Speed will come with practice, so focus all of your efforts on avoiding mistakes.
You'll be typing faster before you know it.
See this guide for more tips on learning how to type. , There are lots of programs and games for all ages that teach typing skills through exercises and gameplay.
These can making typing practice a bit more fun, and can do a lot for your accuracy and speed. , The arrow keys ↑↓←→ are your main navigation keys on the keyboard.
You can use them in a word processor to move around and between lines, use them on webpages to scroll, and use them in games to move around.
Use your right hand to press the keys. , You can quickly scroll through documents or webpages with the ⇞ Page Up and ⇟ Page Down keys.
If you are using a word processor, these keys will move your cursor one page up or down from the cursor's current location.
If you are viewing a webpage, these keys will scroll the page up or down one screen-length. , You can move the cursor directly to the start or end of a line with the ⇱ Home and ⇲ End keys.
These keys are most useful in word processors. , The ← Backspace key will delete a character to the left of the cursor, while pressing Delete will delete a character to the right of the cursor.
You can also press ← Backspace to go back on a webpage. , The Insert key changes the text input mode for your word processor.
When Insert mode is toggled on any character you input will replace the character to the right of the cursor.
With Insert mode toggled off, existing characters will not be replaced. , Using a calculator program is the best way to get used to the keys on the numeric pad.
You can use the numeric pad keys to perform calculations in the calculator program. , When the numeric pad is not activated, the 8, 4, 6, and 2 keys will act as arrow keys.
Press NumLock to enable the keypad.
Some laptop keyboards do not have a separate numeric pad.
They often need to be activated using the Fn key, which changes keyboard functions. , Like the main part of the keyboard, the numeric pad has a Home position.
On the 5 key, you will feel a raised bump similar to the F and J keys.
Place your right middle finger on the 5 key, and then place your right index finger on the 4 key.
Place your right ring finger on the 6 key, and your thumb on the 0 key.
Your pinky rests on the ↵ Enter key. , Use your fingers to press the number keys. you will see the numbers appear in the calculator program.
Use repetition to memorize the number placement and which fingers you use to press them. , Around the edge of the numeric pad, you will see the basic arithmetic keys.
These let you divide (/), multiply (*), subtract (-) and add (+).
Use these keys to perform a variety of calculations. , You can use your keyboard to quickly perform a variety of tasks in Windows.
These are called keyboard shortcuts, and are built into nearly every operating system and program.
These are especially useful if you can't use your mouse or for saving time digging through menus.
Below are some of the most common shortcuts:
Alt+Tab ↹:
Switch between windows ⊞ Win+D:
Minimize or restore all windows Alt+F4:
Close active program or window Ctrl+C:
Copy selected item or text Ctrl+X:
Cut selected item or text Ctrl+V:
Paste copied item or text ⊞ Win+E:
Display Windows Explorer ⊞ Win+F:
Open the Search tool ⊞ Win+R:
Display Run dialog box ⊞ Win+Pause:
Display System Properties dialog box ⊞ Win+L:
Lock the workstation ⊞ Win:
Open the Start menu/Start screen ⊞ Win+L:
Switch Users ⊞ Win+P:
Change active display Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Escape:
Task Manager , Most applications have their own keyboard shortcuts.
These vary from program to program, but most word processors share basic shortcuts.
Below are some of the most common:
Ctrl+A:
Select all text Ctrl+B:
Bold selected text Ctrl+I:
Italicize selected text Ctrl+S:
Save document Ctrl+P:
Print Ctrl+E:
Center alignment Ctrl+Z:
Undo Ctrl+N:
Create new document Ctrl+F:
Find text in document , You can use your keyboard to quickly perform a variety of tasks in Mac OS X.
These are called keyboard shortcuts, and are built into nearly every operating system and program.
These are especially useful if you can't use your mouse or for saving time digging through menus.
Below are some of the most common shortcuts: ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+A:
Open the Applications folder ⌘ Cmd+C:
Copy selected item/text to the Clipboard ⌘ Cmd+X:
Cut ⌘ Cmd+V:
Paste ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+C:
Open the Computer window ⌘ Cmd+D:
Duplicate selected item ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+D:
Open desktop folder ⌘ Cmd+E:
Eject ⌘ Cmd+F:
Find any matching Spotlight attribute ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+F:
Find Spotlight file name matches ⌥ Option+⌘ Cmd+F:
Navigate to the search field in an already open Spotlight window ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+G:
Go to Folder ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+H:
Open the Home folder of the currently logged-in user account ⌥ Option+⌘ Cmd+M:
Minimize all windows ⌘ Cmd+N:
New Finder window ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+N:
New folder ⌥ Option+⌘ Cmd+Esc Open the Force Quit window , Most applications have their own keyboard shortcuts.
These vary from program to program, but most word processors share basic shortcuts.
Below are some of the most common: ⌘ Cmd+A:
Select all text ⌘ Cmd+B:
Bold selected text ⌘ Cmd+I:
Italicize selected text ⌘ Cmd+S:
Save document ⌘ Cmd+P:
Print ⌘ Cmd+E:
Center alignment ⌘ Cmd+Z:
Undo ⌘ Cmd+N:
Create new document ⌘ Cmd+F:
Find text in document
About the Author
Christine Hall
A seasoned expert in arts and creative design, Christine Hall combines 25 years of experience with a passion for teaching. Christine's guides are known for their clarity and practical value.
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