The rule everyone repeats — "top of the screen at eye level" — is right, and it is also the part most people get wrong, because they measure from where their eyes are when they sit up straight instead of where they actually are after ten minutes of work.
Measure from your real eye level
Sit the way you actually sit: back against the chair, shoulders relaxed. Have someone measure from the floor to your eyes. For a 170 cm person that is usually around 120 cm.
The top bezel of your monitor should sit at or just below that number. The centre of the screen then falls naturally about 10 cm lower, which is where your gaze rests when you look slightly down.
If you cannot change the height of your monitor, you have three options, roughly in order of value:
- A monitor arm ($30–$120). Best range of motion, frees desk space.
- A riser or a stack of books ($0–$40). Fine for a single screen you never move.
- A laptop stand ($20–$60). Required for laptop-only setups, but you also need an external keyboard.
Distance: an arm's length
Sit back and extend your arm. Your fingertips should just about reach the screen. For a 27-inch panel that is roughly 60–70 cm.
Too close and your eyes work harder to converge; too far and you lean forward, which undoes everything the height adjustment achieved.
Tilt is not decoration
Tilt the screen back about 10–20 degrees. A perfectly vertical screen forces you to hold your neck slightly forward to keep the whole panel in focus. A screen tilted too far back reflects the ceiling light into your eyes.
Dual monitors: two layouts
- Side by side — fine if you switch between them. The seam should sit directly in front of your nose, otherwise you end up rotated all day.
- Primary centred, secondary offset — better if one screen gets 80% of your attention. Put the primary straight ahead and angle the second one toward you.
An ultrawide avoids the seam problem entirely, provided the pixel density is high enough that you are not leaning in to read text.
Laptop-only setups
You cannot get a laptop screen to eye level without raising it, and once it is raised the built-in keyboard is unusable. So the honest answer is: laptop stand plus external keyboard and mouse, or accept that a laptop-only setup is a compromise you fix later.
If your neck hurts at the end of the day and your chair is decent, the screen is almost always too low.
Check yourself in 30 seconds
- Top of screen at or just below eye level
- Screen an arm's length away
- Tilted back 10–20°
- No glare from a window directly behind or in front of you
- You are not leaning forward to read text
Need the numbers for your height? Use the desk and monitor height calculator.
Not sure the screen is even your problem? The sitting posture type test takes about a minute and tells you which of the four patterns you actually have — a screen that is too low and a pelvis that rolls back need completely different fixes.
FAQ
How high should my monitor be?
The top edge of the screen should sit at or just below your seated eye height — roughly 70% of your height, about 119 cm for a 170 cm person. Measure while sitting the way you actually sit, not bolt upright. The centre of a 27-inch panel then falls about 17 cm lower, which is where your gaze naturally rests.
How far away should my monitor be?
About an arm's length. Sit back, extend your arm, and your fingertips should just about reach the screen — 60–70 cm for a 27-inch panel. Too close strains convergence; too far and you lean forward, undoing the height adjustment.
Should I tilt my monitor?
Yes, back about 10–20 degrees. A perfectly vertical screen makes you hold your neck slightly forward to keep the whole panel in focus. Tilted too far back and it reflects ceiling lights into your eyes.
Where do I put two monitors?
If you use both equally, put them side by side with the seam directly in front of your nose — otherwise you sit rotated all day. If one gets most of your attention, centre that one and angle the second toward you. An ultrawide avoids the seam problem entirely.
Do I need a monitor arm?
Only if you change position. A fixed stand is fine for a single position; if you alternate sitting and standing, an arm is the cheapest way to avoid re-adjusting the screen every time. It is the reason most people stop alternating otherwise.
Related
- Ergonomic desk setup: the complete guide — all five numbers, in the order they have to be set.
- How to use a laptop without neck pain — the same eye-level rule when the screen is welded to the keyboard.
- What height should your keyboard and mouse be? — fixing the screen while the keyboard stays 5 cm too high only moves the pain.
- Which of the five numbers is wrong? — neck pain is often the screen, but not always; the symptom chart narrows it down.
- How long should you stand at a standing desk?
Get your exact numbers
Enter your height and see the desk, chair, and monitor heights that fit you — about 30 seconds.