The Essential Ergonomic Gear for Your Home Office
We updated the picks for monitors to reflect our current advice in those guides.
As a group that sits (or stands) at our home-office desks at least five days a week, we at Wirecutter know how important it is to be comfortable as you work. Collectively, we’ve spent well over a thousand hours testing more than a hundred pieces of gear that encourage ergonomically healthy posture and won’t leave you feeling achy and sore at the end of each workday.
Small changes
You don’t have to spend a lot of money on gear to avoid straining your arms, wrists, fingers, back, or neck.
Ergonomic keyboard
Keyboards are shaped the way they are because it’s what people were used to when they came over from typewriters. An ergonomic keyboard looks funny but can be more comfortable because your hands and wrists can rest in a more natural position.
This inexpensive ergonomic keyboard puts your wrists in the ideal typing position for pleasant typing over long periods.
The Best Ergonomic Keyboard
This inexpensive ergonomic keyboard puts your wrists in the ideal typing position for pleasant typing over long periods.
A fully split mechanical keyboard that can be angled in any position, though its layout and blank modifier keys take some getting used to.
The Best Ergonomic Keyboard
A fully split mechanical keyboard that can be angled in any position, though its layout and blank modifier keys take some getting used to.
This fully split mechanical keyboard is comfortable and ergonomic too. It has a flat slope, it can tent, it lacks a number pad, and it lets you program it for further customizability.
The Best Ergonomic Keyboard
This fully split mechanical keyboard is comfortable and ergonomic too. It has a flat slope, it can tent, it lacks a number pad, and it lets you program it for further customizability.
Trackball
A trackball isn’t as accurate as a mouse. But either a finger- or thumb-operated model is worth trying if you have nagging wrist or arm pain from using a traditional mouse or trackpad.
With a huge ball and four buttons, this is a near-perfect trackball held back by a gritty scroll ring.
The Best Trackballs
With a huge ball and four buttons, this is a near-perfect trackball held back by a gritty scroll ring.
Comfortable to use and easy to get the hang of, the Ergo M575 is a good choice for new trackball converts. Plus, it includes Bluetooth and USB wireless support.
The Best Trackballs
Comfortable to use and easy to get the hang of, the Ergo M575 is a good choice for new trackball converts. Plus, it includes Bluetooth and USB wireless support.
Laptop stand
Being comfortable at your desk starts with ensuring you’re not hunching over. Putting the top of your laptop screen at your natural eye level encourages good posture, reducing neck and arm strain.
The sturdy Rain Design iLevel 2 has a handy adjustment knob and is made of anodized aluminum.
The Best Laptop Stands
The sturdy Rain Design iLevel 2 has a handy adjustment knob and is made of anodized aluminum.
The mStand is not adjustable, but it is sturdy. It also looks snazzy, and it has a hole for cable management.
The Best Laptop Stands
The mStand is not adjustable, but it is sturdy. It also looks snazzy, and it has a hole for cable management.
Good lighting
Don’t stare at a computer screen in a dark room. Adequate lighting relaxes your eyes, reducing eyestrain and headaches as you work or read. It can also prevent squinting and awkward posture.
This great-quality, highly adjustable aluminum LED desk lamp is affordable, and it can reach high and far
The Best Desk Lamps
This great-quality, highly adjustable aluminum LED desk lamp is affordable, and it can reach high and far
Although you can’t dim the bulb or adjust its color temperature, you can pick your own screw-in LED bulb for this affordable architect-style lamp. It’s also the easiest to position exactly where you want it.
The Best Desk Lamps
Although you can’t dim the bulb or adjust its color temperature, you can pick your own screw-in LED bulb for this affordable architect-style lamp. It’s also the easiest to position exactly where you want it.
For a lower price than most other bulbs, this dimmable LED balances brightness, efficiency, a wide dimming range, and a high CRI of 85, producing warm and accurate light.
The Best LED Light Bulb
For a lower price than most other bulbs, this dimmable LED balances brightness, efficiency, a wide dimming range, and a high CRI of 85, producing warm and accurate light.
Under Desk Footrest
If your feet don’t rest firmly on the floor while you’re sitting at your desk then pressure can build in your legs and feet which can lead to foot, leg, and even back pain. A good footrest can protect against that.
This footrest has a washable velvet cover that feels great if you’re not wearing shoes, and the high-density foam offers firm yet cushy support for your feet.
The Best Under-Desk Footrests
This footrest has a washable velvet cover that feels great if you’re not wearing shoes, and the high-density foam offers firm yet cushy support for your feet.
This solid footrest looks good under a desk and can withstand constant use. It rocks smoothly and can be adjusted in height up to 3 inches.
The Best Under-Desk Footrests
This solid footrest looks good under a desk and can withstand constant use. It rocks smoothly and can be adjusted in height up to 3 inches.
Good Back Support
Bad sitting posture can lead to back pain and drained energy. If you don’t have an adjustable office chair, a lumbar pillow can help restore proper posture.
The Everlasting Comfort is a firm, thick pillow that offers the best balance of support, comfort, and ease of use.
The Best Lumbar Support Pillow
The Everlasting Comfort is a firm, thick pillow that offers the best balance of support, comfort, and ease of use.
Extra seat comfort
If your desk chair is thin or uncomfortable a seat cushion can help relieve some of that discomfort by absorbing the weight from your pelvis and lower back.
The Purple Simply is supportive, stays cool, easily fits on a variety of chairs, and works for a range of body types.
The Best Ergonomic Seat Cushions
The Purple Simply is supportive, stays cool, easily fits on a variety of chairs, and works for a range of body types.
This cushion is wider, thicker, and much squishier than the Purple cushion. If it fits your chair and you don’t mind the sponginess, it’s a great value.
The Best Ergonomic Seat Cushions
This cushion is wider, thicker, and much squishier than the Purple cushion. If it fits your chair and you don’t mind the sponginess, it’s a great value.
Bigger investments
These costly upgrades are worth the splurge if you want to really dial in your workspace ergonomics.
Comfortable chair
A well-built office chair with fully adjustable height, tilt, seat depth, and armrests is the foundation of good desk posture. Although costly, it’s the most important work-related investment you can make in your daily comfort and long-term health.
This is one of the most adjustable chairs available—anyone can make the Gesture comfortable, regardless of their height or size. And it’s built to last.
The Best Office Chairs
This is one of the most adjustable chairs available—anyone can make the Gesture comfortable, regardless of their height or size. And it’s built to last.
Less adjustable but more breathable, and just as comfortable for typing at a desk.
The Best Office Chairs
Less adjustable but more breathable, and just as comfortable for typing at a desk.
This is the most visually distinctive model we tested—and it’s also a great chair.
The Best Office Chairs
This is the most visually distinctive model we tested—and it’s also a great chair.
Monitor
A large, crisp display is easy on the eyes. But just as important is the fact that it allows you to adjust it to your eye level so you’re looking straight at your work, not craning your neck up or down throughout the day.
The P2721Q has a sleek design, plenty of ports, and excellent contrast and color accuracy. And Dell’s monitor warranty is one of the best you can get.
The Best 4K Monitors
The P2721Q has a sleek design, plenty of ports, and excellent contrast and color accuracy. And Dell’s monitor warranty is one of the best you can get.
The ViewSonic VA2456-MHD has a reasonably color-accurate screen with good contrast, DisplayPort and HDMI inputs, and decent-sounding internal speakers.
The Best 24-Inch Monitor
The ViewSonic VA2456-MHD has a reasonably color-accurate screen with good contrast, DisplayPort and HDMI inputs, and decent-sounding internal speakers.
Monitor arm
Ergonomic experts recommend keeping the top of your screen at your eyeline. A monitor arm lets you position your monitor at the right level for you to see most of your screen without craning your neck.
The sleek, stylish Fully Jarvis is easy to move into a wide range of positions, has a five year warranty, and comes in three colors.
The Best Monitor Arms
The sleek, stylish Fully Jarvis is easy to move into a wide range of positions, has a five year warranty, and comes in three colors.
Ergotron’s Tall Pole version adds 6¼ inches of pole length to increase vertical range.
The Best Monitor Arms
Ergotron’s Tall Pole version adds 6¼ inches of pole length to increase vertical range.
The sleek, stylish Fully Jarvis comes in multiple color options, but it’s more difficult to assemble.
The Best Monitor Arms
The sleek, stylish Fully Jarvis comes in multiple color options, but it’s more difficult to assemble.
Standing desk
An adjustable desk lets you switch between standing and sitting so you don’t stay sedentary for too long. But even if you never stand, being able to adjust the height to exactly the right fit for your body and chair improves comfort.
Offering the best combination of stability, operation, features, and design options, Uplift’s standing desk is notable for a lack of major flaws.
The Best Standing Desks
Offering the best combination of stability, operation, features, and design options, Uplift’s standing desk is notable for a lack of major flaws.
Standing desk mat
If you want to stand at your desk, or to switch between standing and sitting, a supportive mat will help you do so comfortably. The best standing desk mats encourage movement, which gets blood moving through your muscles.
The Topo gives your feet varied terrain, encouraging movement and making standing less tedious. It’s also the easiest mat to move when you’re switching positions.
The Best Standing Desk Mats
The Topo gives your feet varied terrain, encouraging movement and making standing less tedious. It’s also the easiest mat to move when you’re switching positions.
This model is not ideal for long standing periods, but it offers the most support of any mat near its price.
The Best Standing Desk Mats
This model is not ideal for long standing periods, but it offers the most support of any mat near its price.
Things to skip
Wrist rest
A good ergonomic keyboard has a built-in wrist rest that positions your wrists at a natural angle for typing.
Exercise ball
Although good for building core strength, an exercise ball lacks the lumbar support you need for proper sitting posture. Get a high-quality, adjustable chair instead.