Standing desks

How High Should Your Standing Desk Be?

Published September 25, 2026 · By Ergocrew · Specs and guidance as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Setting the standing height

Do this with the keyboard and mouse on the desk, since they add height of their own.

• Stand in the shoes you normally wear at the desk.
• Let your upper arms hang at your sides and bend your elbows to about 90 degrees.
• Move the desk until your hands rest on the keys without lifting your shoulders or bending your wrists up or down.

OSHA's keyboard guidance describes the result: "Elbows should be about the same height as the keyboard and hang comfortably to the side of the body," and the wrists "should not bend up or down or to either side during keyboard use." CCOHS ties the two positions together. The standing platform should be "approximately at your standing elbow position (e.g., your arms are in the same position as they would be if you were sitting)."

Then the monitor

Once your arms are right, look at the screen. OSHA puts the preferred viewing distance "between 20 and 40 inches (50 and 100 cm)" and the top of the screen "at or slightly below eye level." If the monitor sits on the desk, it moves with the top, so check it again at both heights. A monitor arm lets you change the screen without touching the keyboard height you just found.

The seated height is a separate setting

OSHA's purchasing guide gives 22 to 30 inches for seated keyboard height. Set the chair first, as in our chair adjustment guide, then bring the desk down to your seated elbows. If the desk stops above that point, OSHA's answer for a desk that cannot go lower is to "raise the chair to accommodate the user" and support the feet with a footrest.

If your desk stores heights, type and use the mouse for a few minutes at each setting before you save it.

Standing is one of the positions, not the goal

The point of the desk is to move between heights. CCOHS notes that "Continuous standing or sitting while working is a common source of discomfort and fatigue," and suggests a footrest while standing "to help shift your weight as needed." OSHA's standing reference posture also allows the user to "elevate one foot on a rest."