computer writing keyboard

Using your keyboard

Whether you're writing a letter or calculating numerical data, your keyboard is the main way to enter information into your computer. But did you know you can also use your keyboard to control your computer? Learning a few simple keyboard commands(instructions to your computer) can help you work more efficiently.

How the keys are organized

The keys on your keyboard can be divided into several groups based on function:

Typing (alphanumeric) keys . These keys include the same letter, number, punctuation, and symbol keys found on a traditional typewriter.

Function keys . The function keys are used to perform specific tasks. They are labeled as F1, F2, F3, and so on, up to F12. The functionality of these keys differs from program to program.

Navigation keys . These keys are used for moving around in documents or webpages and editing text. They include the arrow keys, Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Delete, and Insert.

Numeric keypad . The numeric keypad is handy for entering numbers quickly. The keys are grouped together in a block like a conventional calculator or adding machine.

The following illustration shows how these keys are arranged on a typical keyboard. Your keyboard layout might be different.

Typing text

In addition to letters, numerals, punctuation marks, and symbols, the typing keys also include Shift, Caps Lock, Tab, Enter, the Spacebar, and Backspace.

Using keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcutsare ways to perform actions by using your keyboard. They're called shortcuts because they help you work faster. In fact, almost any action or command you can perform with a mouse can be performed faster using one or more keys on your keyboard.

In Help topics, a plus sign (+) between two or more keys indicates that those keys should be pressed in combination. For example, Ctrl + A means to press and hold Ctrl and then press A. Ctrl + Shift + A means to press and hold Ctrl and Shift and then press A.

Find program shortcuts

You can do things in most programs by using the keyboard. To see which commands have keyboard shortcuts, open a menu. The shortcuts (if available) are shown next to the menu items.

Keyboard shortcuts appear next to menu items.

Choose menus, commands, and options.

You can open menus and choose commands and other options using your keyboard. In a program that has menus with underlined letters, press Alt and an underlined letter to open the corresponding menu. Press the underlined letter in a menu item to choose that command. For programs that use the ribbon, such as Paint and WordPad, pressing Alt overlays (rather than underlines) a letter that can be pressed.

Press Alt + F to open the File menu, then press P to choose the Print command.

This trick works in dialog boxes too. Whenever you see an underlined letter attached to an option in a dialog box, it means you can press Alt plus that letter to choose that option.

Useful shortcuts

The following table lists some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts. For a more detailed list, see Keyboard shortcuts.

Using navigation keys

The navigation keys allow you to move the cursor, move around in documents and webpages, and edit text. The following table lists some common functions of these keys.

Using the numeric keypad

The numeric keypad arranges the numerals 0 though 9, the arithmetic operators + (addition), - (subtraction), * (multiplication), and / (division), and the decimal point as they would appear on a calculator or adding machine. These characters are duplicated elsewhere on the keyboard, of course, but the keypad arrangement allows you to rapidly enter numerical data or mathematical operations with one hand.

Numeric Keyboard

To use the numeric keypad to enter numbers, press Num Lock. Most keyboards have a light that indicates whether Num Lock is on or off. When Num Lock is off, the numeric keypad functions as a second set of navigation keys (these functions are printed on the keys next to the numerals or symbols).

You can use your numeric keypad to perform simple calculations with Calculator.

Operate Calculator with the numeric keypad

Open Calculator by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Calculator , and then, in the list of results, click Calculator .

Check your keyboard light to see if Num Lock is on. If it isn't, press Num Lock .

Using the numeric keypad, type the first number in the calculation.

On the keypad, type + to add, - to subtract, * to multiply, or / to divide.

Type the next number in the calculation.

Press Enter to complete the calculation.

Three odd keys

So far, we've discussed almost every key you're likely to use. But for the truly inquisitive, let's explore the three most mysterious keys on the keyboard: PrtScn, Scroll Lock, and Pause/Break.

PrtScn (or Print Screen)

A long time ago, this key actually did what it says—it sent the current screen of text to your printer. Nowadays, pressing PrtScn captures an image of your entire screen (a "screen shot") and copies it to the Clipboard in your computer's memory. From there you can paste it (Ctrl + V) into Microsoft Paint or another program and, if you want, print it from that program.

More obscure is SYS RQ, which shares the key with PrtScn on some keyboards. Historically, SYS RQ was designed to be a "system request," but this command is not enabled in Windows.

Tip:  Press Alt + PrtScn to capture an image of just the active window, instead of the entire screen.

ScrLk (or Scroll Lock)

In most programs, pressing Scroll Lock has no effect. In a few programs, pressing Scroll Lock changes the behavior of the arrow keys and the Page Up and Page Down keys; pressing these keys causes the document to scroll without changing the position of the cursor or selection. Your keyboard might have a light indicating whether Scroll Lock is on.

Pause/Break

This key is rarely used. In some older programs, pressing this key pauses the program or, in combination with Ctrl, stops it from running.

Some modern keyboards come with "hot keys" or buttons that give you quick, one-press access to programs, files, or commands. Other models have volume controls, scroll wheels, zoom wheels, and other gadgets. For details about these features, check the information that came with your keyboard or computer, or go to the manufacturer's website.

Tips for using your keyboard safely

Using your keyboard properly can help avoid soreness or injury to your wrists, hands, and arms, particularly if you use your computer for long periods. Here are a few tips to help improve keyboard use:

Place your keyboard at elbow level. Your upper arms should be relaxed at your sides.

Center your keyboard in front of you. If your keyboard has a numeric keypad, you can use the spacebar as the centering point.

Type with your hands and wrists floating above the keyboard, so that you can use your whole arm to reach for distant keys instead of stretching your fingers.

Avoid resting your palms or wrists on any type of surface while typing. If your keyboard has a palm rest, use it only during breaks from typing.

While typing, use a light touch and keep your wrists straight.

When you're not typing, relax your arms and hands.

Take short breaks from computer use every 15 to 20 minutes.

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How to Type

Last Updated: September 18, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Luigi Oppido . Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,407,684 times.

Do you look at the keyboard and type each letter at an unbearably slow speed? Impress your friends and family by learning how to type faster! The following steps will increase your ability to touch-type at a faster speed. If you follow the steps in this article, over time you will become a better typist, able even to correct errors while looking at the screen instead of the keyboard.

Learning to Type

• Place your right index finger on the "J" key and let the other three fingers fall naturally onto the "K", "L" and ";" keys respectively. Place your left index finger on the "F" key and let the other three finger fall naturally onto the "D", "S", and "A" keys respectively. Both thumbs should rest on the space bar, but only the right thumb should key it. [2] X Research source
• You should feel a raised bump on both the "F" and "J" keys. These will allow your fingers to find the home position without having to look at the keyboard.

• In other words, when the letter you would like capitalized is typed with your left hand, you press the right shift key with your right pinkie.
• When the letter you would like capitalized is typed with your right hand, you press the left shift key with your left pinkie.

• "q" "a" and "z" are typed with the left pinkie, and so are the tab, caps lock, and shift keys.
• "w" "s" and "x" are typed with the left ring finger.
• "e" "d" and "c" are typed with the left middle finger.
• "r" "f" "v" "b" "g" and "t" are typed with the left index finger.
• Your thumbs should never leave the space bar.
• "u" "j" "n" "m" "h" and "y" are typed with your right index finger.
• "i" "k" and the keys with "," and "<" are typed with the right middle finger.
• "o" "l" and the keys with ">" and "." are typed with the right ring finger.
• Your right pinkie finger is used for typing: "p", ";", ":", "'", """ (a quotation mark), "/", "?", "[", "{", "]", "}", "\", "|", and is used for pressing the shift, enter, and backspace keys.
• Type the sentence over and over, watching your fingers to make sure they go to the right keys and immediately return to home position.
• Once you begin to feel comfortable with the way your fingers are moving, try to look at the screen while you type rather than looking at the keyboard. This is known as touch typing.

Improving Your Typing Skills

• It will be slow at first, and you may need to sneak a peek at the keyboard from time to time, but soon your fingers will be able to find the right keys without much difficulty.
• A good tip during this early stage is to say the name of the letter as you type it. This will help your brain associate that letter with the appropriate finger movement.

• If you make a mistake, go back and correct it immediately. Try to do so without looking at the keyboard.
• If you find you are making a lot of mistakes, slow down. Your first priority should be 100% accuracy.
• If you don't learn how to use these additional keys properly, you will find that they will slow you down for the rest of your life. To avoid this, make sure to incorporate all of the less commonly used keys into your typing practice.
• Avoid thumping your fingers down each time. Your fingers and hands will soon grow weary, and it'll feel like a chore instead of a tool. In other words, don't hit the keys. Tap them.

• Save: Command + s (which means to hold down the "command" key and simultaneously tap the "s" key)
• Copy: Command + c
• Cut: Command + x
• Paste: Command + v
• Undo: Command + z
• Redo: Shift + Command + z
• Highlight next letter: Shift + left arrow or right arrow
• Highlight next word: Command + shift + right arrow or left arrow
• Search within text: Ctrl+f

• It won't take long to improve your typing, and once you've got the hang of it, you'll never return to your old habits.
• Don't forget to practice numbers and symbols. Type phone numbers and addresses, and incorporate the use of the various symbols just to practice them. The more keystrokes you work on, the more advanced your typing becomes.

Typing Exercises

• Pack my box with five dozen liquid diet cans or jugs.
• Crazy Fredericka bought many very exquisite opal jewels.
• Sixty zippers were quickly picked from the woven jute bag.
• Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes.
• Heavy boxers perform quick waltzes and jigs.
• Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz.
• The five boxing wizards jump quickly.
• How quickly daft jumping zebras vex.
• Quick zephyrs blow, vexing daft Jim.
• Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
• Waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex Bud.
• Blowzy night-frumps vex'd Jack Q.
• Glum Schwartzkopf was vex'd by NJ IQ.

Adjusting Your Workstation

• Keep your wrists elevated. A wrist support can help if you can't remember to do it self-supported. There is an array of supports available, such as cushions or foam bars, or you can improvise by placing a book so that it raises your wrist to a height almost level with the keyboard. You'll move faster and have fewer errors.
• Sit up straight and put your feet flat on the ground. [13] X Research source

• The standard QWERTY layout was designed to prevent typewriter jams (which is no longer necessary with computers), whereas the Dvorak layout was designed specifically to be easy on the hands. [ citation needed ]
• However, if you share your computer with others or if you frequently switch computers, you may find the changed layout confusing.
• More information on typing on a Dvorak keyboard can be found here .

Typing Help

Expert Q&A

Video . By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube.

• Use the small "bumps" on the "F" and "J" keys to keep your fingers located in the right spot as you're typing. You can feel them with your fingertips as you're typing or when you're pausing. [15] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you want to make typing easier, improve your hand-eye coordination. It helps if you play guitar or another hand instrument. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• If you're trying to receive a typing certificate, see if you can practice on a regular keyboard rather than a laptop. The letters on some laptop keyboards are closer together than the ones you'll be using to take the typing test. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1

• Using acronyms can allow you to type faster, but it may diminish the quality of your typing and turn into a bad habit that's hard to break! Avoid practicing with Internet and mobile slang such as "LOL", "BFF", etc. Practice without using pseudo-words ("text-speak"), as they may hinder your typing speed in more formal applications. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• Never slouch. Not practicing proper posture might cause slower typing, carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injury, or outright fatigue. [16] X Research source Take regular breaks and walk around a bit to stretch and straighten out. An occasional, deep breath works wonders, too. [17] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School's Educational Site for the Public Go to source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.typing.academy/10-finger-typing
• ↑ https://www.typingme.com/touch-typing/typing-tutor-basicposition.php
• ↑ http://www.typing-lessons.org/preliminaries_4.html
• ↑ https://www.how-to-type.com/touch-typing-lessons/how-to-type-home-keys/
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/improve-typing-skills
• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12445/windows-keyboard-shortcuts
• ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236
• ↑ Luigi Oppido. Computer & Tech Specialist. Expert Interview. 31 July 2019.
• ↑ https://uhs.umich.edu/computerergonomics
• ↑ https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/Pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=hw200906
• ↑ http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/Dvorak/
• ↑ https://www.technology.org/2018/04/22/why-are-there-little-bumps-on-f-and-j-keys-in-the-keyboard/
• ↑ https://uhs.princeton.edu/health-resources/ergonomics-computer-use
• ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/relaxation-techniques-breath-control-helps-quell-errant-stress-response

About This Article

To type, start by placing the four fingers on your left hand on the A, S, D, and F keys. Place your right hand’s fingers on the J, K, L, and semicolon keys. These letters make up the home row, which is the default position your fingers take when you’re typing. You can move individual fingers around the keyboard to hit different keys, but keep any fingers you aren’t actively using on the home row letters. Each finger controls certain keys in the area around the home row. For example, the middle finger on your left hand can easily reach the E, C, and 3 keys. Your index fingers are responsible for the two columns of keys in the middle of the keyboard that separate the two sides of the home row. If you lose track of the keys while you type, feel around for the little bumps on the F and J keys. Put your index fingers on them, and reposition the rest of your fingers. Let your thumbs rest on or just below the space bar. Use whichever thumb feels more comfortable to you to press the spacebar. Your left or right pinkie finger is in charge of hitting and holding down the Shift key to make capital letters. To memorize the layout of the keyboard and improve your typing speed, look for typing games and practice tools online. To learn how to improve your typing speed, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Typing Lessons

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• Typing test
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Welcome to Touch Typing Study!

Keyboard layout.

How to use a computer keyboard

Print this guide

Whenever you use a computer, you'll probably use a keyboard

The most common kind of keyboard is referred to as a ‘QWERTY’ keyboard after the keys on the top row of letters. It was invented by C L Scholes in the 1860s when he was working out the best place to put the keys on a manual typewriter.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to help you get to know what your keyboard can do

So that you can carry out the simple exercises below, you’ll need a document open to type into. Read our guides What is WordPad? and How to open WordPad . Then create a WordPad document and go through the following steps.

Step 1: Have a good look at your keyboard. The most important keys are labelled on the diagram below:

Click here for an enlarged version of the above diagram , which you can print out for easy reference.

Some keyboards, especially those on laptops, will have a slightly different layout. For example, yours might not have a number pad or the delete key may be in a different place. But virtually all keyboards will have these important keys somewhere.

Step 2: The main keys are the letter keys. When you type just using these, you get lower-case print. However, if you hold down a ‘shift key’ (there are two to choose from) at the same time as you type, you’ll get UPPER-CASE letters.

Try typing your name, including capitals (UPPER-CASE) and spaces. The ‘space bar’ (which you press briefly to make a space) is the wide key at the bottom of the keyboard.

Step 3: If you make a mistake in your typing, there’s always a remedy.

To delete a letter, place your cursor (mouse pointer) just after the letter and click. Then press Backspace briefly. (Always press briefly – otherwise, you’ll get repeated deletions, spaces, letters or whatever.) Or place your cursor just before the letter, click and press Delete .

Step 4: Now try typing a sentence:

This is a good sentence to practise because it contains most of the letters of the alphabet.

Step 5: You can move the cursor along this sentence without deleting anything by using the arrow keys:

Try moving the cursor backwards and forwards through your sentence.

Step 6: Now try using the number pad, if you have one.

To use this to type numbers, you have to press the Num Lock key. There may be an indicator light at the top of the keyboard or on the ‘Num Lock’ key itself to show that it’s on.

Step 7: You can also type using the numbers on the main keyboard. You’ll find them on the row of keys above the top line of letters.

Above these numbers are various symbols, which include ‘£’, ‘&’, ‘!’. To use these, hold down the Shift key while you type. So if you press ’7′ on its own, you get ’7′, but if you press ’7′ while you hold down the ‘Shift’ key, you get ‘&’.

Try typing:

You’ll find similar extra symbols elsewhere on the keyboard:

They operate in exactly the same way as the ones above the numbers.

Step 8: If you want everything to appear in upper case, press the Caps Lock key and then type:

Again, an indicator light may come on to show that your capitals are ‘locked’. Don’t forget to press this key again when you’re finished to turn ‘Caps Lock’ off.

Step 9: The ‘Windows’ key comes in a number of different designs, such as the example to the right. 

It does exactly the same thing as the Windows button on the taskbar on your computer screen. You can choose to open the ‘Start’ menu by pressing this key or by clicking the button on the taskbar with your mouse.

Step 10: There are a number of ways that you can move round a web page. Try using the keys below to see where they take you:

Step 10: You’ll be told to use the ‘Control’ (Ctrl) and ‘Alternate’ (Alt) keys for some operations. When you do so, keep holding down one or the other key or both keys while you press any other keys.

For example, if you press Ctrl , Alt and Delete all at the same time, a menu will open. To make it disappear, press the ‘Escape’ ( Esc ) key in the top left-hand corner of the keyboard.

Step 11: Some of the things that you use the mouse for can be done with keyboard shortcuts. These require you to hold down one key while pressing another, and often involve using the ‘Ctrl’ and/or ‘Alt’ keys. Some people prefer using them to using the mouse. There are many shortcuts – check out the list provided by Microsoft Support .

Last updated May 2022

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