Learn how the optimal keyboard layout minimizes finger travel for maximum comfort.
Programmers know that ergonomics is an important yet easily overlooked part of sustaining productivity over the long term. It’s not just about the quality of your chair or desk — the type of keyboard you use can significantly impact your comfort and health, while the wrong keyboard could lead to injuries that compound over time.
The best keyboard layout for programming ergonomically should provide all the functionality you need while removing extraneous keys or features to maximize speed and comfort while typing. Keep reading to learn more.
For more expert advice, check out The Ultimate Guide to the Best Keyboards for Programming, a comprehensive resource for programmers.
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Why do you need an ergonomic keyboard?
What are the best keyboard layouts for programming ergonomically?
Our recommendation: HHKB Professional HYBRID Type-S
Replacing Caps Lock with the Ctrl key
Shifting backspace down one row
Multi-function keys provide versatility in a compact space
Curved design encourages natural hand placement
The benefits of ergonomic keyboards for programmers
Good ergonomics relies on a combination of posture, arm and wrist placement, as well as the quality and layout of your keyboard and mouse. A keyboard that promotes bad ergonomics may increase the likelihood of carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain injury, which could lead to damaging your tendons, nerves, and muscles. These are especially problematic for coders, who often spend long periods behind the keyboard; attempting to “power through” the pain can permanently damage your arms and wrists.
Ideally, your chosen programming keyboard layout should prevent as much hand and wrist movement as possible. The best ergonomic keyboards for programming achieve this by reducing the finger travel required between key presses, using a keyboard that maximizes the use of the home row, and keeping your mouse closer to the keyboard or obviating the need for one altogether. Many keyboards include height adjustment options to ensure your hands stay at a comfortable angle while you type, and can be supplemented by separate accessories like wrist rests and tilt stands. These tweaks will help prevent the repetitive wrist and hand movements that could potentially lead to injury.
What are the best keyboard layouts for programming ergonomically?
Ergonomic keyboard layouts place a premium on comfort and key placement, reducing the stress of repetitive motion while ensuring that all-important flow state while coding. Ideally, you’ll want to choose a layout that puts your most-used keys within easy reach, with an overall design that fits your workspace. Each programmer’s needs are different, so experiment with different layouts to find one that feels natural and maintains your workflow, but these are some of the best layouts for ergonomic programming:
Split keyboards
Conventional keyboards are ubiquitous, but they’re also inflexible. Split keyboards take the standard layout and break it into two pieces, maintaining functionality while allowing more options for hand placement. You can adjust the distance and angle of each half to your liking so your arms can rest naturally, reducing strain on your wrists while typing.
60% compact keyboard
While full-size keyboards feature comprehensive layouts, the increased size makes that one of the least ergonomic options available. As a result, the compact keyboard has seen wider adoption as one of the best ergonomic keyboards for programmers, as coders help maintain their wrist health while reducing their keyboard footprint.
There are a variety of compact keyboard sizes available — like 80% keyboards, which remove the ten-key pad altogether, or 75% keyboards, which also condense much of the extra space between function and arrow keys.
The 60% keyboard has exploded in growth among programmers because it removes all extraneous keys (like the arrows and function keys), replacing their functionality with key combinations. These changes reduce the amount of travel the fingers need to make while typing and the smaller footprint allows for closer placement of the mouse next to the keyboard.
Did You Know? The HHKB layout uses a 60% keyboard for programming efficiency, giving you all of the essential commands you need at your fingertips so you can stay focused on your work. Click here to learn more.
Alternate key layouts
The QWERTY keyboard layout is still the most recognized standard in offices worldwide, but a few alternatives have made inroads among programmers.
Dvorak, which drastically changes key placement, is perhaps the most famous. The most common letters are the easiest to reach while putting uncommon letters and characters in the corners of the keyboard. Colemak is a recent alternative that takes the principles of Dvorak’s efficiency while attempting to hew as closely to the standard QWERTY layout as possible to reduce the pain of relearning a new layout. It also removes the caps lock button entirely, replacing it with a second backspace key that’s easier to reach.
Both of these layouts will require that you effectively relearn how to type. Colemak also requires special software if you want to use it. However, if QWERTY is too uncomfortable for you, these options may provide additional ergonomics and speed once you get used to them.
Did You Know? The HHKB supports Bluetooth and USB Type-C, letting you comfortably type on any device, wherever you are. Click here to learn more.
Our recommendation: HHKB Professional HYBRID Type-S
Dr. Eiiti Wada designed the HHKB over 25 years ago to retain all the functionality a programmer needed while trimming unnecessary fat. The HHKB Professional Hybrid Type-S is the latest evolution of that design philosophy.
The HHKB combines the familiarity of the QWERTY key layout with the ergonomics of a 60% compact keyboard while adding a few tweaks of its own to make coding as speedy as it is comfortable. Here are the most significant changes to the layout that dramatically improve typing comfort for coders and make the HHKB a robust and ergonomic keyboard for programming:
Replacing Caps Lock with the Ctrl key
Caps Lock takes up prime real estate on a keyboard yet is easily one of the most underutilized keys in a programmer’s toolbox. The HHKB relegates the infrequently-used Caps Lock to a function command and replaces it with the Ctrl key, giving coders access to vital functions within their development environment without leaving the home row.
Shifting backspace down one row
Like the Ctrl key, the Backspace will get a heavy workout during intense coding sessions. So why place it so far up in the corner of the keyboard? The HHKB shifts the Backspace key down one row and puts it right above the Return key, making deletion just as easy and comfortable as creating new lines of code.
Multi-function keys provide versatility in a compact space
The HHKB’s 60% compact design removes many of the extra keys you’d find on a full-sized keyboard but retains their functionality with key combinations. Use arrow and function keys when you need them, and let them fade into the background when you don’t.
Contoured design encourages natural hand placement
Along with a smaller footprint, the HHKB features a contoured design that naturally enhances hand and wrist comfort, preventing fatigue. When combined with Topre switches, typing remains smooth and comfortable, no matter how long your coding sessions might last.
Looking for more ergonomic keyboard options? Check out the full range of high-end keyboards from HHKB.