How long does it take to learn touch typing?

Most people can type the full alphabet without looking after two to three weeks of short daily practice, and overtake their old hunt-and-peck speed somewhere between weeks two and four.

Is touch typing worth learning as an adult?

Yes. The relearning cost is about a week of feeling slow, and the benefit is permanent — not only speed, but being able to keep your eyes on the screen while you type.

What are the bumps on F and J for?

They let you find the home row by touch alone. Your index fingers locate those two keys, and every other finger position follows from them without a glance at the keyboard.

Touch typing: how to learn the home row

Touch typing means typing without looking at your hands, using all ten fingers from a fixed starting position. It is a week of discomfort for a lifetime of being faster.

Where your fingers start

The home row is the middle row of letters. Your left hand rests on A, S, D, F and your right hand on J, K, L and the semicolon. The F and J keys have a raised bump so you can find the position without looking.

Thumbs rest on the space bar. Every key you reach for is a departure from this position and an immediate return to it.

Which finger owns which key

Each finger covers a diagonal column of the keyboard.

Left little finger — Q A Z, plus Shift, Tab and Caps
Left ring finger — W S X
Left middle finger — E D C
Left index finger — R F V, plus T G B
Right index finger — U J M, plus Y H N
Right middle finger — I K and the comma
Right ring finger — O L and the full stop
Right little finger — P, the semicolon, the slash, Enter and the right Shift

Use the correct Shift

Capitals use the opposite hand's Shift from the letter. Shift with the left little finger for a letter typed with the right hand, and the reverse. Almost everyone gets this wrong at first, and fixing it alone makes capitals dramatically smoother.

A realistic plan

Expect to be slower than your current speed for roughly a week. This is the part where most people give up and go back to four fingers forever.

Days 1–3: home row only, looking only when you are genuinely lost. Accuracy over everything.
Days 4–7: add the top row, then the bottom row. Stay slow.
Week 2: full alphabet, no looking at all. Cover your hands if you must.
Week 3: add capitals and punctuation, which is where real text lives.
Week 4 onward: five minutes a day, and start watching the number again.

What to practise on

Common words first, because they make up most of what you will ever type. Once letters are fluent, switch on punctuation and numbers — your score will fall, and that fall is the thing worth working on.

A five-minute test every day is enough. The daily part matters far more than the length.

Common questions

How long does it take to learn touch typing?: Most people can type the full alphabet without looking after two to three weeks of short daily practice, and overtake their old hunt-and-peck speed somewhere between weeks two and four.
Is touch typing worth learning as an adult?: Yes. The relearning cost is about a week of feeling slow, and the benefit is permanent — not only speed, but being able to keep your eyes on the screen while you type.
What are the bumps on F and J for?: They let you find the home row by touch alone. Your index fingers locate those two keys, and every other finger position follows from them without a glance at the keyboard.