Laptop stand height: where your screen should actually sit

The top of the screen goes at or slightly below eye level, and everything else follows from one measurement.

The rule

US workplace guidance from OSHA states it plainly: the top line of the screen should sit at or slightly below eye level. The UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) gives the same direction in its guidance on display screen equipment. Neither says to raise the screen as high as it will go. Slightly below is correct. Most people read comfortably with their eyes angled a little down, and a screen set a little low keeps the neck neutral while you read the middle of the page.

A laptop on a desk breaks this rule by design. The screen is hinged to the keyboard, and the keyboard has to sit near elbow height. So the screen ends up well below your eyes, and your head tips forward to meet it. A few minutes of that is nothing. A working day of it is what a stand is for.

Measure the lift you need

You do not need a sizing chart. You need a tape measure and two numbers.

1. Set the chair first. Feet flat, forearms roughly level with the desk, back against the backrest. If you change the chair later, the numbers change. 2. Sit the way you work and look straight ahead. Measure from the desk surface up to your eye level. A second person helps. A strip of tape on the wall behind the desk works too. 3. Open the laptop to its working angle. Measure from the desk surface to the top edge of the screen. 4. Subtract the second number from the first. That is the lift that puts the top of the screen at eye level. A little under it is still inside the guidance.

Example numbers, not a standard: if your eyes sit 18 inches above the desk and the top of the open screen sits 9 inches above it, you need about 9 inches of lift. A stand that offers 4 inches gets you part of the way. Part of the way is better than none, but know the gap before you buy.

Distance matters as much as height

OSHA's guidance puts the screen about 20 to 40 inches from your eyes, roughly an arm's length. Closer than that and you lean back or squint. Further and you lean in, which undoes the height fix.

On a shallow desk this gets tight. A raised laptop has to go somewhere, and the keyboard needs space in front of it. Measure the desk depth before you decide where the stand goes. If the screen ends up closer than 20 inches, push the stand toward the back edge.

Once the laptop is raised, the keyboard is wrong

This is the part most product pages leave out. When the screen goes up, the built-in keyboard goes up with it. Typing on a keyboard raised several inches and tilted toward you bends the wrists and lifts the shoulders. HSE guidance on laptops recommends a separate keyboard and mouse for prolonged use for exactly this reason.

So a laptop stand is half a setup. The other half is an external keyboard and mouse. They do not need to be expensive. They need to sit where your elbows are at roughly a right angle and your wrists stay straight, which is how OSHA's guidance describes keyboard position.

If you only work on the laptop for an hour at a time, you can skip the stand and the peripherals. The guidance is written for sustained work.

Glare and lenses

• Put the screen at a right angle to windows where you can. A window behind the screen makes you squint into brightness. A window behind you puts reflections on the glass. OSHA's guidance covers this too.
• A raised screen catches overhead light differently. Check for reflections once the stand is set, and adjust the lid angle until the glare is gone.
• If you wear bifocals or progressive lenses, you read through the lower part of the lens. OSHA's guidance notes that these users may need the screen lower than the standard rule. Set it where you can read without tipping your head back.

What to check on a stand's spec sheet

• Height range, in inches or millimetres. Compare it with the lift you measured. If the listing gives no numbers, keep looking.
• Number of positions. A single fixed height suits one body, one chair and one desk.
• Laptop size range. A stand rated for 10 to 16 inch laptops is not built for an 18 inch machine.
• Stability at the top setting. A light stand at full height can wobble when you touch the trackpad. With a separate keyboard and mouse you touch the laptop less, and this matters less.
• Airflow. Open or slotted designs leave room for air under the laptop's base.
• Packed size. If the laptop travels, check whether the stand folds and how thick it is folded.

The short version

Top of the screen at or just below eye level. Screen 20 to 40 inches from your eyes. An external keyboard and mouse once the laptop is raised. Measure before you buy anything, including from us.

From Undivided

The Undivided Laptop Stand raises a 10 to 16 inch laptop through six height positions and folds flat enough for a bag. It is made from 6061 aluminium, anodised.