Luxia Le

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Those unfamiliar with keyboards might be surprised to know there are many different sizes for these devices. As the size of your keyboard goes down, the amount of available keys does too. In some cases, you might not even notice the missing keys. Few people actually use the Pg Up and Pg Down keys and Delete and Insert aren’t popular. Many people don’t even know what Scroll Lock does. However, some keyboards might be too small for certain people’s needs and that’s okay, too. Let’s look at certain use cases that would determine what size keyboard is best for you.

Small Desk

A small desk space might beget a smaller keyboard. This one might seem fairly obvious but it’s worth mentioning. If you don’t have much space, a 100% keyboard might take up half or more of the lateral space on your desk and prevent you from effectively using other peripherals. So, in this case a keyboard smaller than 90% is probably best for you. In super small spaces, a 60% keyboard is probably perfect.

You Use the NumPad Often

As a veteran NumPad user (I’m actually trained in NumPad data entry), I can’t use a keyboard that doesn’t have a NumPad. I use it for too many things. Faster number inputs and Alt codes are important to me. Will I give a 60% keyboard a try? Sure. However, I’m fairly certain it won’t be suitable for my personal preferences.

In these cases, you’ll want to aim for a keyboard between 90% and 100% in size. Under 90% and the manufacturers will remove the NumPad. However, you can get a more space-conservative keyboard by getting a 96% or 90% keyboard instead of a full-size 100% one. These smaller keyboards truncate or remove some of the lesser used keys like Scroll Lock and Pg Up.

You Use a Screen Reader

You’ll probably need at least a 75% keyboard if you use a screen reader. Most screen reader use both the arrow keys and the function keys for various things, which aren’t present below 75% in size. Depending on which screen reader you use and whether you are partially sighted or not, you may need the additional keys to navigate your computer more effectively.