Numbers slow almost everyone down: the number row is far from the home row, and few people ever learn it properly. With a little method, digits become as automatic as letters.
Which finger types which digit
Each finger reaches up from its home key to the number row:
- Left hand: little finger on 1, ring finger on 2, middle finger on 3, index on 4 and 5.
- Right hand: index on 6 and 7, middle finger on 8, ring finger on 9, little finger on 0 and the keys to its right.
Keep your hand anchored: stretch one finger up, type the digit and come straight back to the home row. The other fingers stay where they are, so you never lose your place. Start slowly with this drill:
Your turn! Type the line below: a wrong key stops you until it's right.
Click here and type the words: the keyboard shows each key.
On a French AZERTY keyboard, it works differently: the digits need Shift, and without it the same keys type é, è, ç, à and other characters.
The numeric keypad
If you type a lot of figures (prices, phone numbers, spreadsheets), the keypad on the right of a full-size keyboard is faster still. It is a job for the right hand alone:
- Index on 4, middle finger on 5, ring finger on 6. The 5 has a small bump, like F and J, so you can find it without looking.
- Each finger covers its column: index 7, 4 and 1; middle finger 8, 5 and 2; ring finger 9, 6, 3 and the decimal point.
- Thumb on 0, little finger on Enter, and on + and − above it.
If the keypad moves the cursor instead of typing digits, press Num Lock. When it is off, the keys act as arrows, Home, End, Page Up and Page Down.
Symbols with Shift and AltGr
Many symbols live on the number row and are typed with Shift. On a US keyboard, Shift+2 gives @, Shift+3 gives #, Shift+4 gives $, and Shift+9 and Shift+0 give ( and ). As with capitals, press Shift with the little finger of the other hand: right Shift for @, left Shift for (.
Many European keyboards also have AltGr, the Alt key on the right, which types a third character printed on some keys, such as € or @.
Practise with the numbers test
Go for accuracy first: a wrong digit in a phone number or a price does more harm than a typo in a word. Then take the numbers typing test, a minute of random numbers against the clock, and repeat it until the number row feels as familiar as the letters.