Why are letters on computer keyboard not written in alphabetical order?

The QWERTY keyboard layout was devised and created in the 1860s by the creator of the first modern typewriter, Christopher Sholes, a newspaper editor who lived in Milwaukee. Originally, the characters on the typewriters he invented were arranged alphabetically, set on the end of a metal bar which struck the paper when its key was pressed. However, once an operator had learned to type at speed, the bars attached to letters that lay close together on the keyboard became entangled with one another, forcing the typist to manually unstick the typebars, and also frequently blotting the document.[1] A business associate of Sholes, James Densmore, suggested splitting up keys for letters commonly used together to speed up typing by preventing common pairs of typebars from striking the platen at the same time and sticking together. The effect this rearrangement of letters had on maximum typing speed is a disputed issue. Some sources assert that the QWERTY layout was designed to slow down ...  more

If you learn the hand technique for typing in the letters you would probably understand that it works out better that way.  more

They are based on what letters are used the most when typing and separating letters that are used together a lot. Supposedly we type faster because of it. Good old QWERTY.  more

It really is a shame. They QWERTY style has been around since 1873, where it was introduced on Remington typewriters. It replaced an alphabetical layout of keys; the problem was that the bars on the typewriter would get stuck together if you typed too quickly and so letters that were commonly used were separated. This made people type less quickly and the bars on the typewriter did not get stuck as often. We don't have this problem today with our electronic keyboards, but the layout will likely never change.  more

In the beginning typewriter are arrange alphabetically but later they found out that it is not easy to type in alphabetic form, that's why they change the key and arrange that is easy to reach especially letters AEIOU  more

The keys are based on the frequency of letters in common words and sentences. The QWERTY keyboard layout is not ideal. The Dvorak keyboard layout (which is NOT alphabetical) is slightly faster, but obviously it is a new thing to learn.  more

They actually used to be alphabetical, but they were changed to the current format to expedite typing during the typewriter revolution. Employers found that they could get more productivity out of their employees if they moved the letters to the current locations.  more

That's just not the way the keyboard is set up. You have what is called "home keys" and they are, on the left FDSA, and on the right JKL: In school we were taught that your hands always start from these positions, right hand, right side; left hand, left side. Then you learn to move your right and left hands up and down, right and left from the "home keys" in order to type correctly. This is the way "correct" typing is taught. Hope I've helped... Also, I learned on electric typewriters, not manual ones. I'm not quite that old...lol. Ignore Ali, he has no CLUE what he is talking about!  more

QWERTY keyboards are not designed to be efficient, they were in fact designed to SLOW TYPISTS DOWN. The first typewriters were mechanical contraptions that would jam if you typed too fast, so Christopher Sholes scrambled the keys to stop people from typing too fast! By the time computers arrived and the original motivation was gone, people were so used to the layout that there has been considerable resistance to change. Also, QWERTY is not the only keyboard layout; in France, for example the top row starts AZERTY. Not to say there hasn't been attempts. For example the Dvorak keyboard was actually designed for efficiency and ergonomics, but the entrenchment of QWERTY has blocked its widespread adoption.  more

The QWERTY layout was created way before computers. The inventor of the typewriter chose this layout to prevent the keys from sticking or jamming, in the case of the letters being placed in abc order. There are other keyboard formats but the Qwerty style is most popular and fastest to type.  more