Home row modifiers are a great way to improve your workflow and comfort when using the keyboard.
The idea is simple.
Move Control, Win, Super or Command, Alt, and Shift to the home row, right where your fingers naturally rest.
This way, you don’t need to move your hand or contort your fingers when capitalizing letters or activating shortcuts, which can be surprisingly uncomfortable over time.
Instead, you press the modifier with one hand and the key you want to modify with the opposite hand.
Looks promising, right?
Let’s see how to configure them on your keyboard.
How Home Row Modifiers Work
Home row modifiers use a feature found in programmable keyboards that allows a key to behave differently depending on how it is pressed.
The key outputs a letter when you tap it, and becomes a modifier when you hold it.
This feature is called Tap-Hold in QMK. On Dygma keyboards, it’s implemented through Superkeys.
The first step is setting up those Superkeys.
Set up Home Row Modifiers
Open Bazecor and press Configure on your keyboard.
Go to the Superkeys editor and create a new Superkey.
Let’s start with a simple example: creating a Super F.
First, assign F to TAP.
Then, press HOLD and select the modifier you want to assign.
In this case, choose Shift.
Repeat this process for the remaining keys you want to configure.
Once you’re done, press Save changes and head over to the Layout Editor.
Finally, assign each Superkey to its corresponding physical key.
Press Save changes again, and you’re done.
A Common Home Row Modifier Layout
In this setup, modifiers are placed like this:
A S D F → Option, Alt, Command, Shift
J K L ; → Shift, Command, Alt, Control
On Windows, the equivalent configuration is Win, Alt, Control, and Shift.
This disposition allows you to trigger most shortcuts with one hand and reduces the number of accidental capitalizations when rolling your keys.
Other Ways to Arrange Home Row Modifiers
Of course, there are other ways to arrange the modifiers, each with its own pros and cons.
Shift, Control, Win, Alt is the most straightforward layout to learn, as the modifiers are placed similarly to how most people are used to. However, this setup relies heavily on weaker fingers, such as the pinky and ring fingers.
Win, Alt, Shift, Control is one of the most popular arrangements. It places Shift and Control on the index and middle fingers, which are stronger and more precise.
With Shift in the middle, it also becomes easier to press combinations like Shift+Control or Shift+Alt.
If you’re on macOS, swap Control for Command.
How the Keyboard Knows
Once everything is set up, a natural question arises: how does the keyboard know when you want to type a letter and when you want to trigger a modifier?
The rule is simple: the keyboard outputs the letter on TAP and the modifier on HOLD.
But how long does a HOLD need to be?
What happens if you’re a slow typist and keep your fingers on the key for too long?
That’s where fine-tuning comes in.
Fine-Tuning Home Row Modifiers
Open the Preferences menu in Bazecor. Here you’ll find several Superkey settings:
Hold Timeout, Overlap Threshold, Minimum Hold Time, Minimum Prior Interval, and Next Tap Timeout.
The last one only affects Superkeys with actions beyond HOLD, so for home row modifiers, it can be ignored.
If you want a deeper explanation of Superkeys in general, check out the dedicated Superkeys article.
Hold Timeout
Hold Timeout defines how long you must hold a key to activate HOLD. The default value is 250 milliseconds.
This timeout only applies when the key is pressed by itself. If you press another key at the same time, HOLD activates immediately.
For example, pressing F and then I will instantly trigger Shift+I.
This makes shortcuts fast and fluid, but it can also cause accidental activations.
Overlap Threshold
Most people roll their keys while typing, pressing the next key before fully releasing the previous one.
Overlap Threshold allows for some overlap without triggering HOLD.
Increase this value if modifiers trigger accidentally. Lower it if they don’t trigger when you expect them to.
The default value is 80, but for home row modifiers, a value of 100 is recommended.
Minimum Hold Time
Minimum Hold Time prevents HOLD from activating unless a minimum amount of time has elapsed.
This acts as an additional safeguard in case Overlap Threshold isn’t enough.
The default is 50 milliseconds, but for home row modifiers, values around 80-100 milliseconds are more effective.
Minimum Prior Interval
This setting measures the time between the previous key press and the modifier.
If the time is very short, HOLD will not activate. This works because intentional modifier presses usually involve a brief pause.
Increase this value if modifiers trigger accidentally. Lower it if they don’t trigger when intended.
These same settings apply to any Superkey that uses a modifier or a layer on HOLD.
Beyond Home Row Modifiers
Home row modifiers are just one example; the same logic can be used for arrow clusters, layer-based navigation, or getting the most out of your thumb keys.
Once properly tuned, Superkeys adapt to your typing style, rather than forcing you to adapt to the keyboard.
