How long does it take to learn touch typing?

Most people stop looking at the keyboard within two to four weeks of practising fifteen minutes a day. Reaching 40 to 50 words per minute usually takes a few months beyond that.

Should I look at the keyboard while I am learning?

No. Looking down is faster for a few days and slower for years, because your hands never learn the positions. Slow down instead, and use the bumps on the F and J keys to find your place.

Should I practise for speed or accuracy first?

Accuracy, without exception. Fixing an error costs more time than typing a little slower would have, and the habits you build while rushing are hard to undo later.

Guide

How to learn touch typing

Touch typing is not hard, but it is unforgiving about how you start. This covers where your hands go, which finger owns which key, and a routine short enough that you will actually keep to it.

1. The home row is where everything starts

The home row is the middle row: A S D F under the left hand, J K L ; under the right. This is where your fingers rest between keystrokes, and where they return after reaching up or down.

The F and J keys have a small raised bump. Put your index fingers on those and the rest of your fingers land in the right place on their own, which is how you reset your hands without looking down.

Which finger presses which key
Finger	Keys it owns	Resting position
Left little finger	Q A Z and left Shift	A
Left ring finger	W S X	S
Left middle finger	E D C	D
Left index finger	R T F G V B	F
Thumbs	Space bar	␣
Right index finger	Y U H J N M	J
Right middle finger	I K and the comma	K
Right ring finger	O L and the full stop	L
Right little finger	P and the keys to its right	;

2. Posture and hand position

Sit upright with both feet on the floor and the screen at eye level.
Keep your wrists floating slightly, not resting on the desk while you type.
Curve your fingers naturally and touch the keys rather than pressing into them.
Elbows at roughly a right angle, shoulders relaxed.

If your wrists or shoulders ache after ten minutes, it is almost always posture rather than volume. Fix the chair and desk height before practising further.

3. Accuracy first, speed second

This is the single most important rule, and the one most people get backwards. When you push past the speed you can control, your hands practise the wrong movements alongside the right ones, and the wrong ones are the harder to remove. Type slowly and correctly often enough and speed arrives on its own.

A useful marker: hold above 95% accuracy before you think about going faster. The early lessons here enforce it — a mistyped character has to be corrected before you can continue.

4. Fifteen minutes a day

Three minutes warming up on a lesson you already know, to remind your hands where things are.
Seven minutes on something new — one more row, or one more group of characters.
Three minutes on your weak keys, which the app tracks for you.
Two minutes on a short test to see where you are today.

Fifteen minutes daily beats two hours at the weekend by a wide margin. Muscle memory is built by frequent repetition, not by long sessions.

Follow the full practice plan to know what to learn in what order.
If you type Vietnamese, read typing Vietnamese accents.
To find out where you stand, take a speed test.

Start the first lesson

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to learn touch typing?: Most people stop looking at the keyboard within two to four weeks of practising fifteen minutes a day. Reaching 40 to 50 words per minute usually takes a few months beyond that.
Should I look at the keyboard while I am learning?: No. Looking down is faster for a few days and slower for years, because your hands never learn the positions. Slow down instead, and use the bumps on the F and J keys to find your place.
Should I practise for speed or accuracy first?: Accuracy, without exception. Fixing an error costs more time than typing a little slower would have, and the habits you build while rushing are hard to undo later.