Keyboard Finger Chart
Touch typing gives every key to one finger. This chart shows which. Press any key on your keyboard, or click one on the chart, to see the finger that should type it.
Keys with a dark outline are the home row, where your fingers rest.
Keys for each finger
| Finger | Keys |
|---|---|
| Left little finger | ` 1 Tab Q Caps A Shift Z Ctrl |
| Left ring finger | 2 W S X |
| Left middle finger | 3 E D C |
| Left index finger | 4 5 R T F G V B |
| Right index finger | 6 7 Y U H J N M |
| Right middle finger | 8 I K , |
| Right ring finger | 9 O L . |
| Right little finger | 0 - = ⌫ P [ ] \ ; ' Enter / Shift Ctrl |
| Thumbs | Alt ␣ |
The home row
Your fingers rest on the middle row of letters. On a QWERTY keyboard the left hand sits on A, S, D and F and the right hand on J, K, L and the semicolon key. The two keys under the index fingers carry a small raised bump, so you can find the position without looking. Both thumbs hover over the space bar.
Each finger keeps to its column
From the home row, a finger moves up and down in a slightly slanted column and then returns. Each index finger covers two columns, because the index fingers are the strongest and quickest. The little fingers cover everything at the edges, including Shift, Enter and Backspace.
The rule is about position, not letters
Finger assignments belong to the physical keys. If you switch from QWERTY to AZERTY, QWERTZ, Dvorak or Colemak, the letters printed on the keys change and the fingers stay where they are. That is why the colours on the chart do not move when you change the layout.
Shift, numbers and symbols
Hold Shift with the little finger of the hand that is not typing the letter. For a capital A, the left hand types A and the right little finger holds Shift. Numbers follow the same columns as the letters below them: stretch the finger upward, press, and return.
How to practise with the chart
Learn the home row first, then add the row above, then the row below, a few keys at a time. Keep the chart on screen and look at it, not at your hands, when you forget a key. Ten to fifteen minutes a day is enough. Most people know every letter key by touch within a few weeks.