Keyboard Finger Placement Chart: Which Finger for Each Key

The typing finger chart

Keys are coloured by finger, and mirrored across hands: blue for pinkies, green for ring fingers, yellow for middle fingers and coral for index fingers. The small number on each key is its finger, numbered as in piano music: 2 index, 3 middle, 4 ring, 5 pinky.

Tap a finger to light up the keys it owns, or type a word to see which fingers do the work.

⌫

tab

[

]

caps

;

enter

shift

space

Type a word or sentence

Rules of thumb (and fingers)

Columns run slightly diagonally. Because keyboard rows are staggered, "straight up" from D is E, and "straight down" is C.
Index fingers work hardest. They each cover two columns: R F V T G B on the left, Y H N U J M on the right.
Pinkies handle the edges: Shift, Enter, Backspace, Tab, and the punctuation on the right.
Use the opposite Shift. For a capital typed with the right hand, hold left Shift, and vice versa.

Typing posture

Good finger placement depends on the rest of your body too. Sit with your feet flat and your back supported. Keep your forearms roughly level and your elbows near your sides, at about a right angle. Let your wrists float just above the keyboard instead of bending up from the desk edge. Curve your fingers so the tips, not the pads, touch the keys. Put the screen at arm's length with the top at about eye level.

These are the same broad recommendations given in workplace ergonomics guidance such as the UK Health and Safety Executive's advice on display screen equipment.

FAQ

What is the correct finger placement on a keyboard?

Rest your fingers on the home row (A S D F and J K L ;) with thumbs on the space bar. Each finger then covers the column of keys above and below its home key, with the index fingers covering two columns each and the pinkies covering the keys at the edges.

Which finger types the Y key?

The right index finger. Y sits above and between H and J. Many self-taught typists use the left hand for Y, which forces the hands to cross.

Which finger should press the space bar?

Either thumb. Most typists use the thumb of their dominant hand, or whichever thumb is on the opposite side from the last letter typed.

Which hand types the 6 key?

Both conventions exist. Many charts give 6 to the left index finger, while others give it to the right. Pick one and use it every time.