How to switch between light and dark mode in Type

To switch between light and dark mode in Type by Zaweba, open the View menu and choose the theme, or press Ctrl+T to flip between the two. That makes it easy to try both and keep whichever is kinder on your eyes.

Type is a free touch-typing tutor for children and adults that works offline with no adverts or accounts. A comfortable screen matters more in a typing tutor than in most apps, because you spend the whole session looking at it rather than at your hands.

Switching in a second

Ctrl+T is the quickest route. Press it once to change theme and again to change back. It's a handy one to remember if you practise at different times of day: a light screen often suits a bright room in the morning, and a dark one is easier late in the evening when the rest of the room is dim.

If you prefer menus, the View menu has the same choice. Either way, nothing about your lessons or progress changes. The theme is purely about how the screen looks.

Which one to pick

Neither theme is right for everyone. Light text on a dark background is calmer in a dark room and stops the screen glaring. Dark text on a light background is often crisper in daylight and closer to how printed text looks. Some people find one easier to read for long passages and the other better for short lessons.

Try a full lesson in each. Watch the live accuracy figure as well as how you feel, and pay attention to the on-screen keyboard. Every key is drawn in its finger's colour, with the next key lit by a bold ring while the others fade back, and the theme that makes that ring stand out most clearly for you is probably the one to keep.

The rest of the View menu

The View menu does more than switch themes. It also shows or hides the on-screen keyboard and the hand diagram, and both have a big effect on how the screen feels.

The keyboard is drawn to scale, ISO or ANSI depending on your layout, including the L-shaped UK Enter key. While you are learning, keep it on. Later, hide it with Show the keyboard to check that you can find the keys without help. The hands are optional cartoon hands in the same finger colours, with the finger to use lit up and a line below such as Next: J (right index finger). Turn them on with Show the hands when you are learning a new row, and off when you want a cleaner screen.

Help that is one key away

The Help menu sits beside View. F1 opens How to use Type by Zaweba, a guide to the app. How speed is worked out explains the standard method Type uses: every five characters count as a word, and each error left uncorrected takes off one. Send feedback and Report a problem are there too, along with the Licence agreement.

A screen set up for practice

A few small choices make practice more pleasant. If you are setting Type up for a young child, kid mode in Profile settings makes the typing text bigger, at 38 point rather than 30, with simpler words, cheerful feedback and no clocks by default. That, plus the theme the child prefers, often makes the difference between a chore and something they will happily come back to.

For adults, decide whether you want the live speed, accuracy and clock in view. They are there while you type, and some people like the push while others find it distracting. Either way, the results card at the end gives the full picture.

Pick a theme, set the keyboard and hands the way you like them, and start a lesson. Type by Zaweba keeps the controls simple so the practice gets your attention.