You’re Probably Standing at Your Standing Desk Wrong. We Can Help.

Considering how expensive a standing desk can be, it's tempting to assume that, once it's bought and installed, all of your workday problems will be magically solved: No more back pain! Bad slouching habit gone! Alertness, focus, and maximum productivity forever!

The truth is, like many rewarding things in life, figuring out how to best use a standing desk takes a little work. "A standing desk is just a starting point in your transition to a more active office setup," said Chris Clark, sales manager at Fully at the time of our interview (Fully makes our also-great pick for standing desks, the Jarvis).

Standing desks are such a big investment, so it's worth the time and effort to set them up just right. (That's also why we recommend standing desk converters, which go on top of a fixed-height desk, as a more affordable alternative.) Whether you have a standing desk lingering in your online shopping cart, or you’re wondering how to get acclimated to a new one, here's what to keep in mind to get the most out of it.

It's the most-customizable desk we’ve tested, with a wide height range that works for people between 5-foot-4 and 7 feet.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $0.

The Jarvis standing desk has a lower base price than many competitors, and it accommodates most people 4-foot-9 to 5-foot-11.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $0.

Standing, in and of itself, is not a wellness panacea. "Standing is not a form of exercise; it's not even a good form of stretching or movement," said Dr. Linda Miller, a certified ergonomist, occupational therapist, and CEO of EWI Works, an occupational ergonomics company based in Edmonton, Alberta. Instead, a standing desk (sometimes called a height-adjustable desk) can offer you more opportunities throughout the day for the kinds of modest actions—pacing, fidgeting, getting in and out of your chair—that can help reduce aches and stiffness, as well as lessen the risks that come from sitting all day, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Standing intermittently in a neutral posture—head centered, neck and shoulders relaxed, knees unlocked, feet shoulder-width apart, no leaning to the side—also helps prevent or lessen back pain by distributing pressure more equally across your muscles, ligaments, and spinal discs. "There's also evidence right now that when you alternate sitting and standing, it helps improve the posture in your shoulders, neck, and upper back," Miller added, which, in turn, could ward off a litany of other potential health problems.

Before you commit to a standing desk, however, keep in mind that standing may not be advisable for everyone, including pregnant people. Miller tells clients who are considering getting a standing desk to talk to their doctor before purchasing one.

You should be able to adjust your standing desk so your elbows rest comfortably at a 90-degree angle, with your forearms supported by the desk itself when you’re standing or by the arms of your office chair when you’re sitting. Before going desk shopping, Miller recommends that you have someone measure the distance from the floor to the base of your elbow when you’re standing and when you’re sitting at a comfortable height with your feet flat on the floor. Don't forget to account for your shoes or a standing desk mat, which can add height.

Once your elbows are properly relaxed at right angles, other parts of your posture puzzle should fall into place. "An elbow at 90 degrees is going to naturally lead to the right positioning for the wrists and forearms," Clark explained, "which, in turn, is going to prevent you from either sloping downward as you approach the desk or T-rexing your arms up to your keyboard." (It's possible, however, that you may still find yourself hunching your shoulders or "turtling" your neck, so be mindful of your overall alignment.)

"A lot of times, I don't hear complaints that new standing desk users are experiencing pain or discomfort; it's more fatigue," Miller said. During your first week with a standing desk, get your body acclimated by starting with a five-minute standing stint every hour, and move or sit for the rest of the time. So long as your back and legs feel fine, work up to 10-minute stints the next week and 15-minute segments the week or so after that. Also, if your standing desk isn't height-adjustable, make sure you have somewhere nearby that you can sit comfortably if you feel fatigued.

Even once you’re accustomed to standing, switching between sitting and standing should always be your goal. Standing for prolonged periods—which, depending on the study, means roughly 1 to 2 hours at a time—has been shown to increase "whole-body discomfort," as well as elevate your risk for cardiovascular problems, such as high blood pressure, varicose veins, or carotid artery disease. An ideal routine, Miller said, might be "15 to 20 minutes of standing per hour, with the other 40 minutes combining both sitting and movement, such as going for a short walk." Alan Hedge, professor of ergonomics at Cornell University, recommends alternating between sitting and standing up to 16 times per day. Using a timer can help you remember when to switch back to sitting, which is ideally before your legs start to feel tired.

"Standing on a well-made mat relieves pressure on your entire body and makes standing feel like less of a chore," we write in our guide to standing desk mats. "And the best standing desk mats enable or even encourage you to move."

Our top pick, the Ergodriven Topo mat, has a varied surface that inadvertently encourages you to change the position of your feet. It's also easy to push out of the way when you switch from standing to sitting in your office chair.

Even if you’ve found a mat that makes it more comfortable to stand for longer periods of time, make sure you’re still making time to move and sit, said Miller. Mats with a lot of cushion "can prevent you from getting that immediate feedback from your legs that says, ‘Yeah, I’m getting tired, I should probably sit down.’"

This mat's varied terrain encourages movement so that standing is less tedious and less achy.

You save $20 (20%)

Consider relocating certain everyday items away from your work area entirely so you have to take a few steps every time you need to use them. Miller, for example, keeps her office trash can far enough from her desk that she has to walk over to it every time she throws something away. Placing items such as staplers, sticky notes, water bottles, or your phone on a secondary table or bookcase in your office can also encourage you to move more. Miller also suggests turning off your computer's camera during virtual meetings so that you feel more comfortable walking around the room rather than staying in place.

During the pandemic, foot problems increased dramatically—in large part because people were spending all day barefoot without the shoe support needed to prevent conditions like bunions or plantar fasciitis. "Without good footwear, you might compensate for your lack of support by adopting unhealthy standing habits, like rocking on the sides of your feet," Miller explained. She said that Birkenstock sandals, as well as comfortable running shoes with a cushioned insole, should give you the support you need. The Hoka One One Clifton 8 sneakers from our guide to the best running shoes got high marks from our testers for their generous, notably soft cushioning.

Screen height is just as important as desk height when adjusting your standing desk. As we note in our office chair guide, when you’re sitting, your screen should be positioned roughly an arm's length away from your body, while your eye level should be two to three inches below the top of your screen. Both of those guidelines also apply when you’re standing.

If a laptop is going to be your main screen, accessorize it with an external mouse and keyboard—and position them close to you on your desk so you don't have to reach forward every time you use them—to lessen the strain on your back when you’re working. Our top-pick wireless mouse, the Logitech M720 Triathlon, is affordable, comfortable, and reliable, while our budget-pick ergonomic keyboard, the Microsoft Sculpt, is easy to get used to even after a lifetime of standard keyboard usage. Both of these accessories are also wireless, which means they don't add a lot of extra clutter to your workspace.

It's comfortable for a wide range of hand sizes, and it has six programmable buttons and a long battery life.

This keyboard doesn't clutter your desk with wires, but it's only partially split, and its tenting angle isn't customizable.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $64.

Miller advocates for elevating the actual laptop itself so that you can comfortably look at the screen without your neck bending forward and down. We especially love the Rain Design iLevel2 laptop stand because of how easy it is to adjust.

The Rain Design iLevel2 laptop stand is made of anodized aluminum, so it's exceptionally sturdy and stylish. It's also the easiest to adjust of all the laptop stands we’ve tested.

"If a height-adjustable desk isn't providing the range that you need, don't feel like you can't reach out and say, ‘Hey, this doesn't feel right for me,’" Clark said. The seller should help you figure out the best course of action, whether that's exchanging your desk or being sent new parts to increase its height range. This is also why it's important to look into a brand's service and return policies before you shop. When choosing our standing desk picks, we looked for companies that offered at least a 30-day return window for full refunds as well as free return shipping.

This article was edited by Alex Aciman and Catherine Kast.

Dr. Linda Miller, occupational therapist and CEO of EWI Works, Google Meet interview, January 12, 2023

Chris Clark, sales manager at Fully, Microsoft Teams interview, January 17, 2023

Rose Maura Lorre

Rose Maura Lorre is a senior staff writer on the discovery team at Wirecutter. Her byline has appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Salon, Business Insider, HGTV Magazine, and many more. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, and lots and lots of houseplants.

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