Home Row Position

Learn the foundational typing technique by positioning fingers on the home row.

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Lesson 1

Exercise 1 of 9

Put your fingers on the ASDF and JKL; keys

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gdthdxjhb hvgbiuhiu yukyfkyf yufckuycuk

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Home row position is where every touch typing lesson starts. The home row is the middle row of letter keys on your keyboard, and it is the spot your fingers rest on and return to between keystrokes. Get this right, and every other key becomes a short, predictable reach. Get it wrong, and nothing else in the course will feel natural.

Where each finger goes

Place your fingers on the keys A, S, D, F on the left hand and J, K, L, semicolon on the right hand. The pairing looks like this:

  • Left hand: pinky on A, ring finger on S, middle finger on D, index finger on F
  • Right hand: index finger on J, middle finger on K, ring finger on L, pinky on semicolon
  • Both thumbs rest lightly on the space bar

Most keyboards have a small raised bump on the F and J keys. Your index fingers can feel them without looking, so you can find the home row in the dark. If your fingers drift away during a lesson, the bumps tell you where to return.

How this lesson works

Put your fingers on the ASDF and JKL; keys, then press Start Typing Now. Type the letters shown on screen without looking at your hands. The lesson counts your typos and your words per minute. Don’t worry about speed here. Aim for clean, even keystrokes, and let your hands get used to the position.

Habits to build from day one

Keep your wrists level and your fingers curved, with only your fingertips touching the keys. Sit about an arm’s length from the screen, with your back straight. Don’t hover your fingers high above the keys. They should stay close to the home row so every reach is short.

After each key you press, return that finger to its home key. It feels slow at first, but this return habit is what makes touch typing accurate. Your fingers learn the distance from home to every other key, and that distance map is the skill you are building.

It’s normal to feel awkward in the first few sessions. Most people need several short practice rounds before the position feels natural.

What comes next

When the home row feels comfortable, move on to the index fingers, which cover the most keys of any finger. You can see the full 15-lesson course in the free typing tutor. If you want to know more about the long-term goal, read about how to type without looking at the keyboard.