If you're spending considerable amount of time of your daily life in front of the PC then you should consider learning touch typing.
Although it may take anywhere from a couple of weeks to 2-3 month before you can master your keyboard it totally pays off in the long run. Plus there are plenty of free programs and websites that make it an easy and fun process.
Whether you're a beginner or simply want to improve on your current typing speed, these free typing exercises can help you improve the accuracy and the overall typing speed. You will learn how to type fast, using all of your fingers, without looking at the keyboard. There is something for everyone here, from online games to excellent typing programs.
Practice Touch Typing Online
TypeRacer is an online speed typing game. We have covered several online typing games before but this one is one of a kind. Here you can practice your typing accuracy and speed by "typeracing" against other people in real-time. The goal is to type-in the given text accurately and fast, and get your car to the finish point ahead of the others. Be warned, the game is quite addictive. Read more ...
This one has been my favorite online touch typing practice tool for a long time now. Not only does it help you improve on your typing speed but it also lets you learn to type without looking at the keyboard. This is one important feature that is not usually present in other online typing excercises. To get started, simply select the preferred keyboard layout and you're good to go. Read more ...
Free Touch Typing Software
My very first touch typing software is Bruce's Typing Wizard [Broken URL Removed]. I used it to learn the keyboard layout. It can be used both by beginner and advanced level users. Depending on your present level you can start with typing lessons where you basically train your fingers to the keyboard layout or with Typing Practice to gain some speed. The program should work on any Windows machine.
Another good one is TypeFaster [Broken URL Removed]. Typefaster claims to teach you how to touch type within 20 dedicated lessons and one 3D game. FreeSoftwareMagazine covers it in detail here
When it comes to Linux users they might interested in HyperType. I couldn't find any free typing program for Mac users, if you aware of any good ones please let us know in comments.