Mechanical keyboard switches: linear, tactile and clicky explained
A mechanical switch is the spring-loaded part under each key, and switches come in three feels. Linear switches go down smoothly, the push rising evenly all the way. Tactile switches have a small bump you feel just before the key registers. Clicky switches add a click you hear at that bump. Choose by feel and noise; for gaming, the figure that changes timing is how far a key goes down before it registers.
Test every key on your keyboard
Linear smooth all the way down
Tactile a bump you feel
Clicky a bump and a click
Linear, tactile or clicky: what each feels like
- Linear: nothing to push through, so a key goes down the same way every time, which suits fast repeated presses. You get no signal that the key has registered until it stops at the bottom.
- Tactile: the bump tells your finger that the key is about to register, so you can learn to press just past it instead of hitting the bottom every time.
- Clicky: the same bump with a click you hear. Satisfying for some, loud for anyone near you and on voice chat.
Cherry's own figures for five switches
Cherry's MX2A range shows the three feels in numbers. These are the figures from each switch's property table on Cherry's site.
| Switch | Feel | Actuation force | Actuation point | Total travel | Rated for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry MX2A Red | Linear | 45 cN (about 46 g) | 2.0 mm | 4.0 mm | over 100 million presses |
| Cherry MX2A Silent Red | Linear, quiet | 45 cN (about 46 g) | 1.9 mm | 3.7 mm | over 50 million presses |
| Cherry MX2A Speed Silver | Linear | 45 cN (about 46 g) | 1.2 mm | 3.4 mm | over 100 million presses |
| Cherry MX2A Brown | Tactile | 45 cN (about 46 g) | 2.0 mm | 4.0 mm | over 100 million presses |
| Cherry MX2A Blue | Clicky | 50 cN (about 51 g) | 2.2 mm | 4.0 mm | over 50 million presses |
cN is centinewtons, the unit Cherry uses; 1 cN is about the weight of 1 g. For the Brown and the Blue, Cherry's product highlights give a higher "operating force" (55 and 60 cN) than the property table; the table's actuation force is shown for all five so they compare like with like.
What the numbers change
- Actuation force is how hard you press before the key registers. A lighter switch needs less push; a heavier one is less likely to register when a finger only rests on it.
- Actuation point (Cherry's pre-travel) is how far the key goes down before it registers. The Speed Silver registers at 1.2 mm, the Red at 2 mm, so the Silver registers sooner and also more easily by accident.
- Total travel is how far the key can go before it stops. Pressing past the actuation point to the bottom every time adds travel your finger has to come back from.
Choosing for gaming
The time a key spends going down is part of your input delay: filmed at 240 frames a second, a normal press took 4 to 8 frames to go down fully (keyboard latency). A shorter actuation point registers sooner: Cherry makes the Speed Silver, at 1.2 mm against the Red's 2 mm, for gaming. Keyboards with magnetic or analog switches let you set the actuation point yourself, and Rapid Trigger resets a key once it has risen by a distance you choose, instead of at one fixed point, for quick taps and strafes.
Choosing for typing
For typing, the switch is a matter of comfort. The tactile bump lets you stop pressing once a key has registered, which some typists prefer, but speed comes from practice, not from the switch: try your keyboard on the typing test, and if your fingers still look for the keys, start with touch typing.
Noise
Clicky switches are loud by design. Linear and tactile switches are quieter, though a key that hits the bottom still clacks, and silent versions such as the Silent Red add damping to soften it. If you share a room, an office or a voice channel, a quiet switch is the considerate choice.
Check the keyboard you already have
Before you change switches, make sure the ones you have work: the keyboard test shows every key you press, and the double press test catches a switch that types twice. If letters double, see why a keyboard types twice.
Sources: Cherry, MX2A switch pages: Red, Silent Red, Speed Silver, Brown and Blue; Wooting, How to set up Rapid Trigger; the 240 frames a second figure is Dan Luu's, on keyboard latency.