# Which hand do you press the Shift key with? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 28, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502 "2008-08-28T01:50:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/1 "2008-08-28T01:50:34Z")
Which hand do you press the Shift key with, and are you right or left-handed? I’m right-handed, and I press with my right hand. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/2 "2008-08-28T01:56:11Z")
You always press the shift key with the same hand? FWIW, I am left handed, but that has little consequence for the way I type. I press the shift key with my left hand if the letter I’m capitalizing is a key on the right side, and I press the shift key with my right hand if the letter I’m capitalizing is a key on the left side. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/3 "2008-08-28T02:06:34Z")
I’m right handed. I always press the shift key with my left hand. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/4 "2008-08-28T02:07:24Z")
I’m left handed, and though I use both hands too, unlike **PastAllReason** I tend to use the hand that’s opposite the side of the keyboard as the letter I need to capitalize. I have short fingers so I often can’t reach a shift key _and_ the letter I want at the same time, so the other hand is pressed into service. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/5 "2008-08-28T02:10:51Z")
Whichever one is typing the letter or number that’s getting…well, shifted. On the other hand, I do seem to always hit the space-bar with my right hand… ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/6 "2008-08-28T02:16:40Z")
I’m like PastAllReason…whichever hand is opposite the side the letter I’m capitalizing, which is how they taught it to us in typing class. The space bar, on the other hand, I always do with my right thumb, and couldn’t do it with my left if I tried! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/7 "2008-08-28T02:24:59Z")
[QUOTE=PastAllReason] You always press the shift key with the same hand? FWIW, I am left handed, but that has little consequence for the way I type. I press the shift key with my left hand if the letter I’m capitalizing is a key on the right side, and I press the shift key with my right hand if the letter I’m capitalizing is a key on the left side. [/QUOTE] Just like Mrs. Duckett taught me in typing class, yep. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/8 "2008-08-28T02:26:07Z")
[QUOTE=elfkin477] I’m left handed, and though I use both hands too, unlike **PastAllReason** I tend to use the hand that’s opposite the side of the keyboard as the letter I need to capitalize. I have short fingers so I often can’t reach a shift key _and_ the letter I want at the same time, so the other hand is pressed into service. [/QUOTE] Um. I misread **PastAllReason** ’s post. So that should be “like **PastAllReason** …” ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/9 "2008-08-28T03:13:40Z")
Same as the folks above - opposite hand as whatever needs the shifting. Re: the space bar, my son once removed the space bar key from my keyboard and the only thing left of it was reachable only by my left thumb. It took a really long time to get the hang of that! ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/10 "2008-08-28T03:19:11Z")
Right handed, always with left. Even if I’m hitting, like an “A,” I switch my fingers so that I still use the same hand. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/11 "2008-08-28T03:21:03Z")
Right handed and I use the left for shift, but the right for space. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/12 "2008-08-28T03:23:44Z")
I press it with my right pinky regardless of the letter I’m typing (I was taught the correct way years ago, but this is more natural). Just to make sure before I answered, I typed a capital R, yup, right finger. Then I typed a capital J. Still the right finger. Then, just to make sure I wasn’t only doing it that way becuase I was thinking about it, I tried using the left shift key to type the capital J. A funny thing happened. First, I found that my left pinky really didn’t even know where the shift key was, then when I pressed it with my left pinky, I still wound up using the other shift key at the same time anyways. It was very hard not to. ETA same for the space bar. You could take out all of the space bar except where my right thumb rests and I probably wouldn’t even notice. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/13 "2008-08-28T03:35:35Z")
I’m right-handed. Like **Cunctator** , I _always_ use my left hand to hit the Shift key; my left little finger, to be precise. My left thumb handles the space bar. I just tried using my right hand for shifting and spacing for a bit. It felt very, very weird. But now I’m getting all self-conscious about my typing, and now everything I do feels weird all of a sudden. Thanks a lot, guys. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/14 "2008-08-28T03:59:27Z")
Rightie here. Left pinky for shift, right thumb for space. ---
**Author:** ![Debon\_Err](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@Debon\_Err](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debon_Err)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/15 "2008-08-28T03:59:38Z")
[QUOTE=Sarahfeena] I’m like PastAllReason…whichever hand is opposite the side the letter I’m capitalizing, which is how they taught it to us in typing class. The space bar, on the other hand, I always do with my right thumb, and couldn’t do it with my left if I tried! [/QUOTE] Couldn’t have said it better myself. ---
**Author:** ![Kim\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5ac83/32.png) [@Kim\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kim_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/16 "2008-08-28T04:17:07Z")
I just checked, and it depends on what letter I’m capitalizing. If I am capitalizing a letter on the left hand side of the keyboard I use my right pinkie, and vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/17 "2008-08-28T04:18:46Z")
I type really fast. Sometimes I hit the shift key with the opposite hand of the key I’m striking, sometimes with the same hand. I don’t know why. I didn’t even know I was doing that until the keyboard on my Mac went screwy, shortly after we got the !@#$% thing, and the one on the right does not work. So, on the Mac, always the left shift key, since the other one on that POS doesn’t work. Otherwise, it’s pretty random. Whatever’s fastest. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/18 "2008-08-28T04:29:22Z")
[QUOTE=PastAllReason] You always press the shift key with the same hand? FWIW, I am left handed, but that has little consequence for the way I type. I press the shift key with my left hand if the letter I’m capitalizing is a key on the right side, and I press the shift key with my right hand if the letter I’m capitalizing is a key on the left side. [/QUOTE] That’s how I do it. I can’t imagine doing otherwise, how the heck would you Shift-A with your left hand? I mean, yeah, I can do it but it would slow me to a crawl if I did. ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/19 "2008-08-28T04:36:42Z")
left handed. I use my left hand. I use my left hand for just about every key except the extreme right side of the keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502/20 "2008-08-28T04:37:38Z")
I always use the left shift, with my left hand, often my pinky finger, while I type using both hands. Even though I’m not a touch typist, I do tend to use multiple fingers something more akin to touch-typing than to two-finger hunt-and-peck. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hand-do-you-press-the-shift-key-with/461502.md?page=2)