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Mechanical Keyboard Switches for Beginners: Linear, Tactile, and Clicky
A mechanical keyboard has one small switch under every key, and the switch decides how each press feels and sounds. If you are shopping for your first board, three words matter most: linear, tactile, and clicky.
What a keyboard switch does
When you press a key, the switch moves down until the keyboard registers the press. Makers measure two things you will see on spec sheets. The first is travel before the key registers. The second is force, often listed in centinewtons (cN), a tiny unit of force. A higher cN number means a heavier press.
Cherry, a long-running switch maker, explains the main feel types in a 2020 guide. It says tactile switches have a noticeable actuation point, and some versions also give audible feedback. Linear switches, it says, actuate in a straight line without clicking or haptic feedback.
Linear, tactile, and clicky compared
The table below uses the three classic Cherry MX switches from that same guide. Cherry lists the Red and Brown at more than 100 million actuations and the Blue at 50 million. Brand names and specs change over time, so check the product page for the exact keyboard you plan to buy.
| Type | How it feels | Cherry example |
|---|---|---|
| Linear | Smooth drop with no bump and no click | MX Red: 45 cN, 2 mm of travel before it registers |
| Tactile | A bump you can feel when the key registers | MX Brown: 55 cN, 2 mm of travel before it registers |
| Clicky | A bump plus an audible click | MX Blue: 60 cN, 2.2 mm of travel before it registers |
Cherry calls the MX Blue “tactile, clicky” and says the clicking noise makes it a poor fit for large offices. Clicky is not a formal category in Cherry’s own list, so treat it as a loud version of tactile.
How to choose your first switch
- Think about noise first. If you share a room or talk on voice chat, skip clicky switches. Cherry’s own note about office noise applies to a shared gaming room too.
- Pick a feel. Choose linear if you want a smooth press with nothing to feel along the way. Choose tactile if you want a small bump that tells you the key registered.
- Compare force numbers. Lower cN numbers are lighter. Within Cherry’s trio, the Red is the lightest at 45 cN and the Blue is the heaviest at 60 cN.
- Check how long you can test it. Look for a store return window, or choose a keyboard that lets you change switches later (see the next section).
- Type and play for a few days. A switch can feel different after an hour of use than it does in the first minute.
Hot-swap keyboards let you test switches
RTINGS says hot-swappable keyboards let you change switches without soldering. Soldering means melting metal to join parts, so skipping it makes switch swaps much easier for a beginner.
Before you buy extra switches, check the keyboard maker’s list of supported switches. Not every switch fits every board, and a wrong fit can damage a socket.
Analog switches and Rapid Trigger
Some gaming keyboards use analog switches instead of the classic on-and-off kind. Wooting says an analog keyboard registers how far you press a key and how fast, not only whether it is down.
Wooting built a feature on that idea called Rapid Trigger. It says the feature lets you trigger a key repeatedly with the slightest movement: the key actuates as you press down and resets as you let up, and you can press again at any point on the way back. Wooting also says Rapid Trigger works only on analog keyboards, not on regular digital ones.
Wooting’s help article says to turn it on in the performance tab of a profile in its Wootility software. You can enable it for all keys or for chosen keys. Per-key use is for its Hall effect boards. The help article also says a higher Rapid Trigger sensitivity means you lift the key less before it resets. Wooting says it introduced the feature in 2019 on the Wooting Two Lekker Edition and did not patent or trademark it.
For a first keyboard, analog is optional. Start with the feel types above, then move to analog if you want fine control in fast games.
Beginner mistakes to avoid
- Buying by color alone. The Red, Brown, and Blue names come from Cherry’s lineup. Other makers use their own names, so read the listed type and force instead.
- Assuming heavier is better. A 60 cN switch is not an upgrade over a 45 cN switch. It is a different feel.
- Expecting analog features on any board. Rapid Trigger needs analog hardware, as Wooting explains.
- Forgetting the room. A loud board is fun alone and tiring for everyone nearby.
Pick one word to start: smooth, bumpy, or loud. Then test it before you buy a second set of switches. If you are also tuning your mouse, our mouse polling rate guide covers the next setting to check.
Image Credit: JL Cabrera on Unsplash
