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February 06, 2024

How to type faster on your laptop

If you want to increase your work productivity, improving your typing speed can help. Learn how to type faster on your laptop to finish your assignments earlier and enhance efficiency.

Mastering the basics

Before we dive into techniques to improve typing, let’s start with the basics. If you want to type faster, it's essential to have a solid foundation.

Woman typing on her computer

Tips to improve typing speed

Once you have a solid foundation, you can incorporate new techniques and changes to your typing habits. Try some of the following practices.

Practice regularly

Like any skill, typing requires practice. Dedicate some time each day to typing exercises or simply typing out texts to improve your speed gradually. You can try sentence repetition exercises, typing commonly used words, and more. There are plenty of online typing tests and games available to make practice enjoyable.

Learn keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can be a real time-saver. Familiarize yourself with common keyboard shortcuts for tasks like copy (Ctrl+C), paste (Ctrl+V), and undo (Ctrl+Z). These shortcuts can significantly speed up your work.

Improve your posture

Your typing speed can also be affected by your posture. Sit up straight with your feet flat on the ground and ensure your laptop screen is at eye level. This ergonomic setup will allow you to type comfortably and efficiently.

Use online typing tools

There are various online typing tools and tutorials that can help you improve your typing speed and accuracy. These tools provide exercises and lessons to enhance your skills. Applications are available on the Microsoft Store.

Take breaks

Typing for extended periods can lead to fatigue and decreased accuracy. Take short breaks to rest your fingers and wrists, which will ultimately help you maintain a consistent typing speed.

Challenge yourself

Set typing goals and gradually increase your typing speed targets. You can try to improve your typing accuracy level by 5% or increase your typing speed by 5 words-per-minute (WPM) in a specified period. Challenging yourself to type faster can motivate you to improve.

Analyze your typing

Pay attention to your typing errors and try to identify patterns. Are you consistently mistyping specific letters or words? Once you identify your weaknesses, you can focus on improving them.

Test your speed

To track your progress, you can take typing speed tests online. These tests will assess your WPM and accuracy. Monitor your results regularly to see how you're improving over time.

Touch typing

For many looking to type faster, learning this method can be the ultimate goal. Touch typing is a method of typing on a keyboard where the typist uses all ten fingers to type without looking at the keyboard. Instead, they rely on muscle memory to know where each key is located. This technique is more like playing an instrument where you know where each note is without having to look at the keys or strings. The first step? Getting used to placing your fingers on the home row keys (ASDFGH for the left hand, and JKL; for the right hand). This position allows you to reach all other keys easily and develop that muscle memory.

Typing faster on your laptop is an achievable goal with practice and the right techniques. Start with the basics, practice regularly, and implement the fast-typing tips mentioned above. Over time, you'll notice a significant improvement.

Want to do more than just type quickly? Try the versatile PCs and accessories and experience the most powerful, capable, and efficient Microsoft Surface devices yet. Whether you need a 2-in-1 laptop, keyboard, or another convenient accessory, Surface has you covered.

DISCLAIMER: Features and functionality subject to change. Articles are written specifically for the United States market; features, functionality, and availability may vary by region.

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