How long does it take to learn touch typing?

The honest answer depends on how often you practise and what you are measuring. But for someone practising ten to fifteen minutes a day, the timeline is fairly consistent.

A typical timeline

• Days 1–3: the home row. You will be slow — often 10 to 20 WPM — and that is expected.
• Week 1–2: the top and bottom rows. Most of the alphabet is in reach, but uncommon letters still need thought.
• Week 2–3: the whole alphabet without looking. This is the milestone that matters.
• Week 3–6: you match, then pass, the speed you had before you started.
• Months 2–6: steady gains toward 50–70 WPM, mostly through accuracy and rhythm rather than raw finger speed.

The dip is normal

If you already type with a few fingers, touch typing will make you slower for a week or two. Almost everybody who gives up does so here. The dip is the old habit being replaced, and it passes — the only way to lose the progress is to go back to looking at the keyboard when you are in a hurry.

What makes it faster

• Daily practice. Short daily sessions beat long weekly ones, because skill consolidates between sessions.
• Never looking down. Every glance reinforces the habit you are trying to break.
• Accuracy over speed. Mistakes you practise become mistakes you keep.
• Practising your weak keys. A general course spends most of its time on common letters you already know. Practice that finds your slowest letters and focuses on them closes the gaps sooner.

That last point is what Keyshand is built on. It starts you on five letters, measures every key you press, adds a new letter only when you are ready, and writes each lesson around the letter you are currently worst at. There is a full explanation of how it works.

When are you "done"?

You have learned to touch type when you can type the full alphabet without looking, at roughly the speed you had before. From there it is just practice — and the most useful measurement is not your overall speed, but which keys are still slowing you down. A typing test that names them tells you exactly what to practise next.