What Is the Colemak Keyboard Layout and How Does It Differ from QWERTY and Dvorak?

Updated

Colemak is a modern keyboard layout designed for efficient, ergonomic touch typing in English. It keeps most of the QWERTY letter positions, moves only a small number of keys, and preserves common shortcuts like Ctrl+Z/X/C/V. If you already touch type on QWERTY and want less finger travel and hand jumping without relearning an entirely new layout, Colemak is the intended alternative. The trade-off is a one-time learning investment.

What Colemak Is

Colemak is positioned as a modern alternative to both QWERTY and Dvorak. QWERTY dates to the 19th century, and Dvorak was a 1936 attempt at a faster, more ergonomic layout — good for its time, but created before the computer age and before some of what we now know about efficient typing. Dvorak also moved nearly all the keys, which was not strictly necessary and made it harder to learn.

Colemak takes a different approach: it is designed for efficient and ergonomic touch typing in English, and it is described as a one-time investment that supports faster, pain-free typing afterward. It is now the third most popular keyboard layout for touch typing in English, after QWERTY and Dvorak. It comes pre-installed on Mac and Linux systems, and there are good solutions for Windows users as well. The layout is shown on a US (ANSI) keyboard; keyboards in other regions may vary slightly.

How It Differs from QWERTY and Dvorak

The core difference is how much the layout changes and what that costs the learner.

Dimension QWERTY Dvorak Colemak
Origin 19th century 1936 Modern alternative
Keys moved — Nearly all keys Only a small number; only 2 keys move between hands
Common shortcuts (Ctrl+Z/X/C/V) Native Changed Remain the same
Transition from QWERTY — Harder, because almost everything moves Designed to allow easy transition
Finger travel Baseline Reduced vs QWERTY Fingers move 2.2× less than on QWERTY
Same-hand row jumping Baseline — QWERTY has 16× more same-hand row jumping
Home-row-only words Baseline — 35× more words can be typed using only the home row

The practical takeaway: Dvorak optimizes the layout but asks you to relearn nearly everything, including shortcuts. Colemak optimizes the layout while leaving most of your muscle memory and shortcuts intact, which is why it is described as easy to learn from QWERTY.

Main Advantages

From the colemak.com main page:

  • Ergonomic and comfortable — fingers on QWERTY move 2.2× more than on Colemak; QWERTY has 16× more same-hand row jumping; 35× more words can be typed using only the home row.
  • Easy to learn — allows easy transition from QWERTY; only 2 keys move between hands; many common shortcuts (including Ctrl+Z/X/C/V) remain the same; typing lessons are available.
  • Fast — most typing is done on the strongest and fastest fingers, with a low same-finger ratio.
  • Multilingual — supports typing in over 40 languages and various symbols, such as "pâté", "mañana", €, em-dash, and non-breaking space.
  • Free — free software released under the public domain. You do not have to buy a new keyboard; just install a program.

How to Start Using It

  1. Check your platform. Mac and Linux systems come with Colemak pre-installed, so you can enable it in your system's keyboard/layout settings. Windows users need a separate solution.
  2. Install a program if needed. On Windows, use one of the available solutions rather than buying new hardware — the layout is software, not a physical keyboard requirement.
  3. Decide between all-at-once and step-by-step. If you want to learn it gradually instead of all at once, there are transitional layouts called Tarmak.
  4. Use typing lessons. Typing lessons are available to build the new muscle memory.
  5. Explore community resources. This site is the community hub. Forum user DreymaR has been working since 2007 on implementations of DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks, a collection of mods, tricks, and knowledge centered around Colemak. If you want to know your options, look through the Big Bag.

Who It Suits and What It Costs

Colemak suits people who want to reduce hand fatigue or improve English typing efficiency and are willing to make a one-time learning investment. It is especially attractive if you rely on standard shortcuts, since those stay the same, and if you want to avoid the near-total relearning that Dvorak requires.

The cost is the transition period itself: you are changing a deeply automated skill, so expect a temporary drop in speed while learning. The step-by-step Tarmak layouts exist specifically to soften that transition. If you are unwilling to invest that time, staying on QWERTY is the simpler choice.