If you do a lot of writing – whether for business, clubs or study – one of the best keyboards will help you get your work done faster with fewer typos, and with less strain on your poor pinkies. Spending just £10 or £20 more can take you to a different level of usability and comfort. If you do anything on your PC that involves typing, you’ll spend more time physically interacting with the keyboard than anything else bar your mouse or monitor. Never underestimate the importance of a decent keyboard. Microsoft 365 annual subscriptions purchased from the app will be charged to your App Store account and will automatically renew within 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period unless auto-renewal is. Unlock the full Microsoft Office experience with a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription for your phone, tablet, PC, and Mac.Run utility software like Quicken and Microsoft Office, or DirectX games, like Wizard101.READ NEXT: Best wireless mouse How to choose the best keyboard for you What should you look for in a keyboard?See the Office-Watch.com articles Delete an Empty or Blank page in Microsoft Word and Preventing Table overrun to blank page in Word. Scrap remote sessions with multiple users. Introducing CrossOver Chrome OS Run Windows programs that are not available in the Google Play store alongside mobile apps. Impossible they said Hold our beer. (or touch the right edge of the screen) to make the Charm bar appear.You want to run full featured Windows software.Some people love ergonomic keyboards with split layouts, some hate them. Just search for Office in the search bar of the Windows start menu to open it.First of all, there’s no perfect, best keyboard that will work for every user. It will become available to users on a rolling basis over the next few weeks and will be installed automatically as an update to the MyOffice app, which comes pre-installed as part of Windows.
The idea is that your hands are supported by the generous wristrests while the fingers do the heavy lifting. These generally have a shorter travel and a lighter action, which can improve typing speeds when you get used to the overall feel.Ergonomic: Ergonomic keyboards combine traditional keys with a specially shaped form that aims to put each key at the most comfortable position and angle for the finger that you should – with good typing habits – use to press it. The keys tend to have more travel (the distance the key moves before a press is registered), although the action (the weight and feel of the keys) can vary enormously from keyboard to keyboard.Chiclet: These use the flatter "Scrabble-tile" keys introduced with the Sony Vaio and Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops. A complete look at the latest updates from tailored features for the Mac, such as Touch Bar integration, new capabilities to support tea.Keyboards break down into four different styles:Traditional: These have old-fashioned, typewriter-style keys above a membrane or mechanical switch (more on this later). The best thing you can do is try a range of types and work out which feels best for you, though that’s easier said than done – unless you have a big PC store nearby.Office for Mac tour. Movie converet for macAt the most basic level, you have membrane keyboards. Does the switch technology matter?The growth of gaming keyboards has raised interest in the switch mechanisms used in various keyboards. However, making the transition from one type to another can be worth the effort if, for example, you’re finding that using a chiclet keyboard all day is making your wrists ache at night. In this way, they reduce the space they take up on your desktop or and are easier to travel with.As we said, one of these keyboard types will usually work better for you than the rest. Many ergonomic keyboards have a split design, too, with the left-hand keys tilted outwards to sit under the left hand and the right-hand keys doing the same in the opposite direction to sit under the right.Compact: These keyboards have all the extra keys, such as the numeric pad, removed, and are designed to be as small and light as possible. What else should you look for?The layout is crucial. Dome-switch keyboards and scissor-switch models sit somewhere in the middle. Membrane keyboards are quiet, but can feel cheap and unresponsive, while mechanical keyboards have more weight and a satisfying – but noisy – click. This inevitably costs more to produce – and thus to buy – but it does allow the manufacturer to tune the feel of the keyboard and every key on it.Each technology has a different feel. The result is a low-profile keyboard that still has some travel and a satisfying tap.Finally, mechanical keyboards have a switch and spring arrangement under each key. This gives you a more responsive, clicky keyboard than the membrane keyboard, but without the cost of a mechanical construction.Scissor-switch mechanisms can be found in most respectable chiclet-style keyboards, and augment the dome-switch with two interlocking metal or plastic pieces that hold the keytop in place. They may also have switchable function keys, with different roles when an additional Function Shift key is pressed. Shrunken Shift keys and Enter/Return keys are a perennial problem, while some keyboards have a cramped layout, where the keys are smaller and very close together, or a smaller space bar.Similarly, many keyboards have additional media or internet keys, which you may (or may not) have a use for. If you use the numeric pad or the PgUp and PgDn keys a lot, this is something you ought to bear in mind. Wireless models have an obvious advantage, though, and some will even support several different PCs or mobile devices, allowing you to switch between them with the click of a switch. Wired keyboards don’t run out of batteries and sometimes come with extras, like a built-in USB hub. This isn’t a disaster, but it takes some getting used to.Needless to say, you also have to choose between wired and wireless keyboards, and between wireless keyboards that use Bluetooth and those that work with a bundled USB receiver. For instance, Lenovo keyboards have a great reputation, but Lenovo has a tendency to stick a Function Shift key in the bottom-left corner, right where you expect to find Ctrl. Finally, watch out for oddities. Microsoft Office Shrunken Bars Plus Price TagThe regular MX Keys is both MacOS and Windows 10 friendly, with function doubling to help you get work done whatever machine you have connected to the keyboard. The feedback on each keystroke is superb and the layout is too. It has ultra-comfortable chiclet keys, each with a convex recess to guide the fingertips. Logitech MX Keys and MX Keys for Mac: The best backlit keyboard for under £100The Logitech MX Keys is a brilliant high-end keyboard that's essentially the same as the Logitech Craft (see below) but without the fancy rotary ‘crown’ control and £150-plus price tag. The grey chiclet keys are clearly printed and the layout is free of any nasty surprises. With a plastic base and aluminium top, it’s both lightweight and sturdy, while rubber strips on the base do a great job of holding it in place on your desk. All told, the Logitech MX Keys is our favourite all-rounder for both Windows and Mac users if typing comfort is your priority, why consider anything else?Key specs – Type: Chiclet Special features: Reactive backlight Connections: Bluetooth 4, USB, USB wireless dongle Dimensions: 430 x 132 x 20.5mm Weight: 810gAs it was built to match its line of Surface tablets, all-in-ones and laptops, it’s no surprise that Microsoft’s Surface Keyboard is a high-class effort. The battery lasts for up to ten days with the backlight on or up to five months when it’s turned off, and recharges via USB-C. It’s surprisingly similar in feel to Apple’s Magic Keyboard, with the additional benefit of slightly raised labels and concave surface that seem to help your fingertips fall into place. Cherry seems to have tuned its scissor-switch mechanism to near perfection, giving you a crisp action with just enough travel and a little weight. There are precious few holes to pick in the layout, and there’s much to like about the elegant styling and discreet red lights on the caps, scroll and num lock keys.More importantly, it’s a fine keyboard for typing.
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