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What desk and chair height actually fits you

Enter your height. These are the numbers to set things to before you start adjusting by feel.

Units
Recommended heights for a person 178 centimetres tall
MeasurementRangeWhy
Desk surface, seated28–30 inKeyboard at elbow height with your shoulders relaxed.
Desk surface, standing42–44 inSame elbow rule, standing. Set this once and save the preset.
Seat height17.5–19 inFeet flat, thighs roughly parallel to the floor.
Top edge of the screen49–52 inAt or just below seated eye level, about an arm’s length away.

Why these are ranges and not one number

Two people the same height can have very different leg-to-torso proportions, so a single figure implies a precision that stature alone cannot support. Start in the middle of the range, work for a day, then move in half-inch steps.

What to change first if it still feels wrong

Set the seat first, then the desk to your elbows, then the screen to your eyes — in that order. Adjusting the screen to fix a seat problem is how people end up craning. If your feet do not reach the floor once the desk is right, you need a footrest, not a lower seat.

None of this replaces standing up every hour, which does more for your back than any number on this page.