The information below shows you where your hands should be positioned, and the proper way to place your fingers to type letters, numbers, and special characters efficiently.

Your left-hand fingers should be placed over the A, S, D, and F keys, and the right-hand fingers should be placed over the J, K, L, and ; keys. These keys are considered the home row keys. Your thumbs should either be in the air or very lightly touching the spacebar key.

What fingers press each key on the keyboard?

Below is a list of the home row keys, the finger used, and the keys the thumb (spacebar) presses.

A key

The left pinky (little) finger is placed over the “A” key and is also responsible for the second most keys on the keyboard, including the following keys.

  • “`” (back quote) and when pressing Shift, the “~” (tilde)
  • 1 and when pressing Shift, the “!” (exclamation mark)
  • Tab
  • Q
  • Caps Lock
  • A
  • Left Shift
  • Left Ctrl
  • Z
  • Fn key

S key

The left ring finger is placed over the “S” key and is also responsible for the following keys.

  • 2 and when pressing Shift, the “@” (at sign)
  • W
  • S
  • X

D key

The left middle finger is placed over the “D” key and is also responsible for the following keys.

  • 3 and when pressing Shift, the “#” (hash)
  • E
  • D
  • C

F key

The left index finger is placed over the “F” key and is also responsible for the following keys.

  • 4 and when pressing Shift, the “$” (dollar sign)
  • 5 and when pressing Shift, the “%” (percent)
  • R
  • T
  • F
  • G
  • V
  • B

J key

The right index finger is placed over the “J” key and is also responsible for the following keys.

  • 6 and when pressing Shift, the “^” (caret)
  • 7 and when pressing Shift, the “&” (ampersand)
  • Y
  • U
  • H
  • J
  • N
  • M

K key

The right ring middle finger is placed over the “K” key and is also responsible for the following keys.

  • 8 and when pressing Shift, the “*” (asterisk)
  • I
  • K
  • , (comma) and when pressing Shift, the “<” (less than)

L key

The right ring finger is placed over the “L” key and is also responsible for the following keys.

  • 9 and when pressing Shift, the “(” (left or open parenthesis)
  • O
  • L
  • “.” (period) and when pressing Shift, the “>” (greater than)

; (semicolon) key

The right pinky (little) finger is placed over the “;” key and is also responsible for the most keys on the keyboard, including the following keys.

  • 0 and when pressing Shift, the “)” (right or close parenthesis)
  • P
  • “;” (semicolon) and when pressing Shift, the “:” (colon)
  • “/” (forward slash) and when pressing the Shift, the “?” (question mark)
  • “-” (hyphen) and when pressing Shift, the “_” (underscore)
  • [ (left or open bracket) and when pressing Shift, the “{” (left or open curly bracket)
  • ’ (single quote) and when pressing Shift, the " (quote)
  • Right Shift
  • “=” (equals sign) and when pressing Shift, the “+” (plus sign)
  • “]” (right or close bracket) and when pressing Shift, the “}” (right or close curly bracket)
  • Backspace or Delete
  • “" (backslash) and when pressing Shift, the “|” (pipe)
  • Enter
  • Right Ctrl

Spacebar

Both thumbs are placed over the spacebar and may also be used for the following keys.

  • Alt keys
  • Windows key
  • Option key

The remaining keyboard keys not listed above are not necessarily assigned to a specific finger for pressing them. Instead, you can use whichever finger is easiest or most comfortable for reaching and pressing those keys.

Most people find it awkward to not lift their hands away from the home row to press these keys.

How many fingers should be on the home row?

With the four fingers of both hands on the home row, there should be a total of eight fingers positioned over the home row.

Should my palms be resting, or should they be raised?

When typing, your palms should be raised and not resting on any surface, including a wrist pad, and held at a 10 to 30-degree angle. Raising or lowering your wrists too much in either direction or resting them while typing can cause stress and lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.

Most don’t consider the thumbs “fingers.” However, both thumbs should also be hovering over the spacebar.

Other keyboard safety tips

While keeping your palms raised while typing, there are also other tips you can follow to help prevent carpal tunnel and pain while you type. Keep the following suggestions in mind every time you type.

  • Keep your keyboard home row height as close to elbow level as possible.
  • Center the spacebar with your body.
  • Do not angle or bend your wrists. While typing, keep your wrists elevated and as straight as possible.
  • Avoid hunt-and-peck typing as it causes strain on the neck from having to look down at the keyboard often.
  • Don’t use more force than needed to press the keys; you don’t want to hit the keys, as it could lead to keyboard damage.
  • When you’re not typing, make sure to rest your arms and hands. However, never rest your arms, hands, or wrist on a sharp edge.
  • Take a break from typing every 20 to 30 minutes. If you have a hard time remembering when to take a break, set a timer or drink lots of water, forcing you to go to the bathroom more often.
  • How to improve your typing.
  • Why are there bumps on the F and J keyboard keys?
  • See our keyboard definition for further information and related links.
  • Keyboard help and support.