What exactly are keyboard switches?

Greens, reds, browns, blues, maybe yellows? These are all types of mechanical keyboard switches. It can be quite confusing for those who don’t know what these colours mean and how they affect typing and gaming experiences. 

This article aims to explain what mechanical keyboard switches are, how switches work and what are the most popular versions for different use cases.

The switch is the main part of every mechanical keyboard. Because the keyboard is a mechanical device, every keystroke pushes a small stem connected to the switch. When the stem reaches the bottom of the switch, the keystroke is registered. This is what makes that satisfying mechanical keyboard noise and makes these types of keyboards superior in quality and durability to regular membrane keyboards.

The mechanical keyboard switch was first created in the 1970s and has been perfected throughout the next decade by several companies, including Cherry (now Cherry Xtrfy). Back then, all keyboards were exclusively mechanical, with some models, like the IBM Model M, becoming (in vintage keyboard terms) expensive collector’s items. 

As mechanical keyboards became more popular with esports players and more serious gamers, switches also evolved. With more models being created, a naming system was needed to differentiate the different types of switches. Cherry figured out to paint different switches and call them by colour — this is where the genesis of the switch name comes from. First, things were simple: there were reds, blues and browns, the three main types, but now there are dozens of colours to choose from and dozens of different manufacturers to buy from.

The three main types of a switch are linear, clicky and tactile. The linear switches provide no resistance or feedback, the clicky ones have a tactile and audible click when bottoming out, and the tactile switches have a slight tactile bump that can be felt when pressing them. Each of these types also have colours that as largely associated with them.

Probably the most basic mechanical switch, the linear switch, has a relatively light actuation force, meaning that it is relatively easier to press than other variations, such as black or blue. The most notable colour for linear switches is red, but yellow or cream are also popular in different market segments. 

The red switches are perhaps the most widely used and popular type of keyboard switch due to its straightforwardness and lack of strong downsides. Another linear switch colour is black, which is similar to red in its design, but the spring inside it is stiffer which means that the user needs to press the key harder for it to register. 

There are several variations of red switches, with Cherry MX Silent being one of the most popular ones. Due to their linearity and overall quietness, red switches are often used as a base for more silent switches, created by dampening the switch with rubber dampeners or lubricating it to make it produce less noise. The body of the keyboard also plays an important role here.

Probably what comes to mind when someone says “mechanical keyboard”, the clicky switches are the loudest ones that make a very noticeable audible clicking sound when pressed. The (often) blue type of switch is also the oldest kind, being introduced more than 40 years ago. When it comes to gaming and overall user experience, clicky switches are arguably better for typing than gaming due to the distinctive ‘typewriter-like’ sound it makes when pressed. 

Although blue is the most popular variation, different companies also produce pale blue, jade, navy, bronze, green and other variations that are all similar in design but offer different resistance and travel. Green switches usually use the most force, around 80 grams on average, compared to 45-50 grams for linear switches. Although not as prevalent in gaming, greens are sometimes used by users who have to input large amounts of data – the increased force helps users not push two keys by accident!

The tactile feedback switches, most often brown models, sit somewhere in the middle between the audibly clicky blues and linear reds. Tactile feedback provides a degree of certainty when typing due to a very pronounced feedback each key provides without making unnecessary sounds. The tactile switches do provide an interesting combination of features and are used in a lot of gaming keyboards for that reason. 

Blue switches are what most users think of when thinking of a mechanical keyboard, and their reputation makes people think that all switches are loud like that.

In addition to a wide range of colours for ‘regular’ switches, there are also switches that rely on different technology to register keystrokes. Optical switches were first introduced by Razer and are used in several gaming keyboards from the brand, as well as other manufacturers. These switches use a light source to register keystrokes, making them slightly more responsive than the mechanical ones, but they are also more expensive to produce. 

Magnetic switches offer an interesting feature that other switches lack: custom actuation. The switch allows the user to customise how long the key travels before being registered, which is useful if you use the keyboard for both work and gaming.