Laptops are built to be portable, not to be worked on for eight hours. With the screen and keyboard joined together, you end up either looking down at the screen or reaching up to the keys. The good news: you can set up a much more comfortable workstation at home with a few simple, inexpensive changes.
This guide shares general setup tips, not medical advice. If you have ongoing pain, talk to a healthcare professional.
1. Raise the screen
Ergonomics guides commonly recommend that the top of your screen sit at or slightly below eye level, roughly an arm's length away. With a laptop flat on a desk, the screen is usually well below that, which is why so many people end up hunched forward. An adjustable laptop stand lifts it up. Ours has seven height settings, so you can find the one that suits your desk and chair, and it fits laptops from 8 to 16 inches.
2. Add a separate keyboard and mouse
Once the laptop is raised, its built-in keyboard is too high to type on comfortably. Any external keyboard and mouse lets you keep the screen up and your hands down at desk height. They don't need to be expensive.
3. Keep your wrists straight
A frequent recommendation is to type with your wrists in a straight, neutral position rather than bent up or down, and with your elbows relaxed at your sides. A silicone wrist rest gives your wrists somewhere comfortable to rest during pauses. It comes in keyboard and mouse versions, or as a set.
4. Give your keyboard and mouse a home
A felt desk mat defines your work area, works as an oversized mouse pad and keeps a hard desk from feeling cold under your forearms.
5. Sit well
General guidance is to sit with your back supported, feet flat on the floor or a footrest, and knees around hip height. Adjust your chair first, then set the screen height to match.
6. Have a plan for the couch
Some days you'll work from the sofa no matter what. A foldable wooden lap desk gives your laptop a stable, flat surface instead of your knees or a cushion, and it folds away when you're done.
7. Move regularly
Even a good setup isn't meant to hold you in one position all day. Most guidance suggests short breaks to stand, stretch and rest your eyes by looking at something in the distance.
Your checklist
- Screen top at or slightly below eye level, about an arm's length away
- External keyboard and mouse at elbow height
- Wrists straight, elbows relaxed
- Back supported, feet flat
- Regular breaks
Free printable: download the Home Office Desk Checklist (PDF) and keep it by your desk.
For more affordable upgrades, see Desk Setup Essentials Under $30 or browse our home office comfort picks.