What Is a One-Handed Keyboard? Features, Advantages, and Disadvantages
One-handed keyboards are gaining attention, especially in the gaming scene. This article explains their features as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using them.
Modified at: 2025.6.23Posted at: 2024.10.8
What Is a One-Handed Keyboard?
A one-handed keyboard is a keyboard designed so that the functions of a regular keyboard can be operated with one hand.
While any keyboard used with one hand, such as an external numeric keypad, could technically be called a one-handed keyboard, products generally referred to as "one-handed keyboards" are those that lay out only the left half of a full-size keyboard.
If you play FPS games or similar genres on a keyboard, you may already be aware that, since the mouse is operated with the right hand, keyboard shortcuts—such as the "WASD" keys—are concentrated on the keys typed with the left hand. The design of a one-handed keyboard focuses solely on this left-hand typing area.
Advantages of Using a One-Handed Keyboard
Allows for a More Comfortable Posture
When operating both a keyboard and a mouse at a desk, the layout often exceeds the user's shoulder width. With a full-size keyboard, the mouse side is pushed further to the right, making it difficult to maintain a symmetrical posture.
This imbalance when typing on such keyboards can directly lead to discomfort in posture. For those who experience shoulder stiffness or pain from long hours of typing, using a one-handed keyboard can help balance both sides and potentially reduce pain.
Makes Your Desk More Compact
A one-handed keyboard is about one-third the width of a full-size keyboard, allowing you to make your desk much more compact.
A compact desk not only looks better but also frees up space for other devices.
Can Be Laid Out to Match Your Dominant Hand
Keyboards and mice are generally designed for left-hand keyboard and right-hand mouse operation, but with a one-handed keyboard, it’s easy to use the mouse with your left hand and the keyboard with your right hand if you prefer.
Disadvantages of Using a One-Handed Keyboard
Cannot Be Used as a Regular Keyboard
Since a one-handed keyboard is designed by extracting only the left side of a full-size keyboard, it has less than half the number of keys compared to a full-size keyboard. Therefore, it lacks enough keys for normal typing input, and you will need a separate keyboard for standard typing tasks.
For example, if you are using a one-handed keyboard for gaming and need to chat, you will also need the keys on the right side of the keyboard to input regular text, meaning a full-size keyboard is also necessary.
Additionally, depending on the game, the number of shortcuts or key assignments may exceed the number of keys available on a one-handed keyboard, which could result in an overflow of assignable shortcuts. While it is possible to solve this by assigning multiple functions to key combinations, this requires extra configuration and may lead to developing odd habits when switching back to a regular keyboard.
Limited Use Outside of Games and Dedicated Applications
The fact that a one-handed keyboard "cannot be used as a regular keyboard" means its use is quite restricted.
Because one-handed keyboards are often used for gaming, they are typically sold for around 10,000 yen per unit, making them not particularly inexpensive.
Some users feel that, given their limited use, it may be better to allocate that budget to a high-end keyboard instead.