Spacebar counter

How the spacebar counter works

Choose a time, then press the space bar as fast as you can. The timer starts with your first press, so no time is lost reaching for the key. You see your count as you go, and your presses per second when the time runs out. On a phone or tablet, tap the bar on screen instead.

Only real presses count. Hold the space bar down and your computer starts repeating it, the way a held key types a row of letters. Those repeats are not presses, so the counter ignores them: each count is one press down and back up. That makes this spacebar click test fair whatever your keyboard's repeat settings are.

Your best score for each time is kept in your browser, on this device only. Nothing is uploaded.

What's a good spacebar score?

Presses per second, which some people call spacebar CPS, is the fairest way to compare, because it doesn't depend on how long the test was. As a rough guide:

• Under 4 a second: relaxed.
• 4 to 6: typical with one thumb.
• 6 to 8: fast, close to the limit of one finger tapping.
• 8 to 11: very fast, usually with two hands taking turns on the bar.
• Over 11: exceptional, and hard to keep up for long.

Short tests give higher scores. Anyone can sprint for five seconds; over a minute your hand tires, and the bars under your result show it as a slope from left to right. To compare with a friend, agree on the time first. Ten seconds is a good default for a space bar counter.

How to press faster

• Use two hands. Rest a finger from each hand on the bar and take turns. It is the biggest jump most people make.
• Press near the middle. The ends of a long key can tilt or bind on some keyboards, and that costs speed.
• Stay light. The key only has to go down far enough to register. Driving it to the bottom wastes time on the way back up.
• Stay loose. Tension slows you down, and it is what makes your forearm ache.

The keyboard matters a little. Light springs and short travel reset faster. Magnetic keyboards with rapid trigger register the press and the release at whatever depth you choose, so a short, quick tap counts every time; our best rapid trigger keyboards are worth a look if you care about this. Still, technique and practice move the number far more than hardware does.

Go easy on your hands

Pressing as fast as you can is a sprint for small muscles and tendons. Keep tries short and shake your hands out between them. Stop if your wrist or forearm aches or your fingers tingle. A few rounds for fun are fine; an hour chasing a record is not.

If presses go missing

If the counter seems to skip presses you are sure you made, open the keyboard test. It shows every press of your space bar and flags chatter. A stabilizer that rattles or sticks can make the bar miss when you press near one end. On Windows, Filter Keys ignores quick repeated presses and will pull your score down; turn it off in Settings, under Accessibility, then Keyboard.

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Questions