Mechanical Keyboard Switches Explained: Linear, Tactile, Clicky and Hall Effect

Switch names sound like a secret language. Red, Brown, Blue, Banana, Holy Panda, Jade, Lekker. Underneath the marketing there are only a few variables, and once you know them, every switch description reads the same way. This is the guide we wish every buyer had before choosing a first mechanical board. When you are ready for specific picks, our mechanical keyboards for programmers guide has them.

The three feels

Every traditional mechanical switch is one of three types.

Linear. Smooth from top to bottom. No bump, no click. Press, it goes down, it comes back. Quiet, fast, and the easiest to type on quickly once you stop bottoming out. Cherry MX Red is the reference. Most gaming boards ship linear.

Tactile. A bump partway down that you feel under the finger, telling you the key has registered. No click sound. Cherry MX Brown is the classic, though many people find it too subtle. Modern tactiles from Gateron, Kailh and boutique makers have a sharper, more pronounced bump. This is the most popular type for programmers.

Clicky. The tactile bump plus an audible click from a mechanism inside the switch. Cherry MX Blue is the one everyone has heard through a Zoom call. Satisfying to type on alone, antisocial anywhere else.

If you are unsure, start with tactile. It gives feedback without noise and suits most people.

The numbers on the spec sheet

Actuation force, in grams. How hard you press before the key registers. Light switches sit around 45 g, medium around 55 to 60 g, heavy at 65 g and up. Lighter is faster and less fatiguing for long sessions. Heavier reduces accidental presses. Most programmers end up between 45 and 55 g.

Actuation point, in millimetres. How far the key travels before it registers. Standard is around 2 mm. Speed switches actuate at 1 to 1.2 mm, which gamers like and typists often find twitchy.

Total travel. How far the key goes to the bottom. 4 mm is standard for full-height switches, 2.5 to 3 mm for low-profile. Shorter travel feels closer to a laptop.

Bottom-out force. How hard you press to hit the bottom. Matters more than actuation force for how a switch feels in practice, because most typists bottom out.

Low-profile switches

A shorter version of all of the above. Lower total travel, lower height, often lighter. They sit between a laptop keyboard and a full mechanical. If you are coming from years on a MacBook, low-profile is the easier transition. Kailh Choc and Gateron Low Profile are the common families.

Hall effect, and why it is different

Traditional switches have a metal contact that closes when you press. Hall effect switches have a magnet in the stem and a sensor on the board. The sensor reads the distance continuously, so the keyboard knows exactly how far down each key is at all times.

That makes three things possible.

Adjustable actuation. Set each key to register at 0.5 mm or 3.5 mm or anywhere between, in software. Light actuation for speed, deep actuation for the keys you hit by accident.

Rapid trigger. The key resets the instant you start lifting it instead of at a fixed point. Gamers care about this a lot. For typing it is a small, pleasant improvement.

No wear. No physical contact means nothing to corrode or bounce. The switch feels the same after millions of presses.

Hall effect switches are almost all linear in feel, because the mechanism does not naturally produce a bump. Some makers add a tactile insert. If you love a sharp tactile bump, Hall effect is not for you yet. If you want to tune your keyboard precisely and never think about switch wear, it is the type to look at.

Hot-swap

A hot-swap keyboard lets you pull switches out with a tool and push new ones in without soldering. It turns “which switch should I buy” from a permanent decision into a weekend experiment. Buy a hot-swap board and a small sample pack of switches. Try five, pick one, order a full set.

Sound

Switch choice is only part of the sound. The case material, the mounting style and the keycaps change it as much. A linear switch in a hollow plastic case sounds cheap. The same switch in a gasket-mounted aluminium case with thick keycaps sounds deep and expensive. If sound matters, read keyboard reviews, not switch reviews.

How to choose without buying five keyboards

1. Decide on noise. Shared space means linear or tactile. Alone means anything.
2. Pick a weight. Long days of typing: 45 to 50 g. Lots of accidental presses: 55 to 60 g.
3. Full height or low profile, based on what you type on now.
4. Buy a hot-swap board and a switch sampler.
5. Type on each for a day, not a minute. First impressions can mislead.

The short version

• Linear: smooth, quiet, fast. Start here if you game.
• Tactile: a bump, no click. Start here if you type.
• Clicky: a bump and a click. Start here if you work alone and like the sound.
• Hall effect: linear feel with adjustable actuation and no wear. Start here if you want to tune everything.
• Hot-swap: the board that lets you change your mind.