The most well-known alternative to the QWERTY keyboard is the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard, patented in 1936 and still the most popular non-QWERTY layout today. But it’s not the only option. Several alternative layouts exist, each designed to fix what many consider QWERTY’s biggest flaw: it forces your fingers to travel far more than necessary.
Dvorak: The Original Alternative
August Dvorak, a professor at the University of Washington, studied letter frequencies and hand physiology to design a layout that would be faster, more comfortable, and less tiring than QWERTY. The core idea is simple: put the most commonly used letters where your fingers already rest (the home row) and arrange them so your hands alternate rhythmically as you type.
On a Dvorak keyboard, all five vowels sit on the left side of the home row, while the most frequently used consonants sit on the right. This means about 70% of your keystrokes in English happen on the home row alone. QWERTY, by comparison, places only about 34% of common letters on the home row, forcing your fingers to constantly reach up or down.
The layout also shifts more work to the right hand (about 56% of strokes), since most people are right-handed. QWERTY does the opposite, loading 56% of strokes onto the left hand. Dvorak’s design also avoids placing common letter pairs under adjacent fingers, which reduces fumbling and awkward hand contortions.
How Much Difference Does Dvorak Actually Make?
The finger travel savings are real and measurable. In typing tests comparing the two layouts, Dvorak reduced finger movement by 20% to 35% depending on the text. In one test of a short business letter, Dvorak users’ fingers traveled about 88 feet while QWERTY users covered over 144 feet, a savings of nearly 57 feet on less than a page of text. Over a full workday, that difference adds up to hundreds or even thousands of feet of reduced finger movement.
Speed gains are more modest. A controlled study at the Santa Fe Institute found Dvorak produced typing speeds about 4% faster on average when experienced QWERTY typists used both layouts. The fastest typist in the study, however, saw a 10% speed advantage on Dvorak, suggesting that skilled typists benefit more from the layout’s efficiency. The takeaway: Dvorak won’t double your speed, but the ergonomic benefits from reduced movement are substantial and well-documented.
One University of Michigan researcher who switched to Dvorak reported about a month of slower typing during the transition, followed by noticeably less hand pain than before switching.
Colemak: Easier to Learn, Similar Benefits
Colemak, created in 2006, takes a different approach. Instead of rearranging every key like Dvorak does, Colemak changes only 17 keys from the standard QWERTY positions. Common shortcuts like Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, and Ctrl+V stay in the same place. This makes it significantly easier to learn if you’re already a QWERTY typist.
Despite moving fewer keys, Colemak achieves similar ergonomic results. About 74% of English keystrokes land on the home row, slightly more than Dvorak’s 70% and more than double QWERTY’s 34%. The layout also minimizes same-finger sequences, where you have to hit two keys in a row with the same finger, which is one of the biggest sources of typing strain and errors.
For people who want better ergonomics but don’t want to completely relearn how to type, Colemak is often the recommended starting point.
Workman and Maltron: Specialized Options
The Workman layout was designed with a particular focus on balancing the workload between both hands and keeping the most common keys under your strongest fingers. It minimizes lateral finger stretches (reaching sideways rather than up or down), which some typists find more comfortable than the vertical reaching that Dvorak and Colemak still require. Workman is especially popular among programmers because it also optimizes the placement of symbols and punctuation used frequently in code.
The Maltron layout goes further by pairing a completely rethought key arrangement with a specially shaped split keyboard. Keys are grouped according to hand and finger strength, with the most-used keys placed under the strongest fingers. Maltron was designed specifically to reduce strain on the hands and wrists, making it a common recommendation for people dealing with repetitive strain injuries or carpal tunnel syndrome. The downside is that it typically requires purchasing a dedicated Maltron keyboard, while the other layouts can be activated on any standard keyboard through software settings.
What the Learning Curve Looks Like
Switching to any alternative layout means a period of painfully slow typing. For Dvorak, the most commonly reported experience is roughly two to four weeks of feeling clumsy, followed by one to three months before reaching your previous QWERTY speed. Some people who dedicate focused practice (using typing tutors and drilling exercises) report getting comfortable in about 40 hours and matching their old speed after another 40 hours of practice. Others who switch cold turkey at work describe a rough first week followed by rapid improvement.
The experience varies widely. Some people hit their stride in two weeks. Others spend four months getting back to normal. The most common frustration is the first month, when you know what you want to type but your fingers haven’t built the new muscle memory yet. One factor that speeds things up: committing fully rather than switching back and forth between layouts, which tends to slow progress on both.
Colemak’s learning curve is generally shorter because so many keys stay in their QWERTY positions. If you can already touch-type on QWERTY, you’re starting with a head start that Dvorak doesn’t offer.
How to Switch on Your Current Keyboard
You don’t need new hardware. Windows, macOS, and Linux all include Dvorak and Colemak as built-in keyboard layout options. On Windows, you can add them through Settings under Time & Language. On macOS, look in System Settings under Keyboard and then Input Sources. Once activated, you can switch between layouts with a keyboard shortcut, so you can always flip back to QWERTY when you need to.
The physical keycaps on your keyboard will still show the QWERTY letters, which actually helps if you’re trying to learn touch typing (not looking at the keys). If you want the labels to match, you can buy sticker overlays or replacement keycaps for most mechanical keyboards. Some people print out a layout diagram and tape it near their monitor as a reference during the transition period.