Your desk is too high if your shoulders do the shrugging for you. I found out the hard way: three months into remote work, my trapezius felt like a loaded spring and my wrists ached by Thursday every week. The culprit: a 74 cm (29 inch) laminate desk — standard height, completely wrong for my 170 cm frame in a chair that topped out at 48 cm.
Most ready-made desks land between 72 and 75 cm. Most people need a work surface between 62 and 70 cm. That gap is why so many remote workers end up with neck pain, wrist strain, and that shoulder knot massage therapists love to find. Here are nine fixes, cheapest first.
First, confirm the desk is actually too high
The 90-degree test takes ten seconds. Sit with elbows bent to 90 degrees and forearms flat on the surface, as if you’re about to type. Take a side photo with your phone — easier to judge than from inside your own body.
- If your shoulders are hiked up toward your ears, the desk is too high.
- If your forearms slope upward to reach the keyboard, too high.
- If your wrists bend back to type, too high.
- If your elbows sit just below the surface and your shoulders are relaxed, you’re fine.
For a precise number: measure from the floor to the underside of your elbow while seated. That’s your ideal surface height. Subtract 3–5 cm if you plan to use a keyboard tray.
The nine fixes
1. Install an under-desk keyboard tray — the fix that works on any desk
The first fix I’d do. A tray mounts under the desk and drops the keyboard 8–12 cm, putting your hands where they belong even when the desk itself is too tall. Decent trays run $40–$150. Look for one with tilt, height adjustment, and a mouse platform level with the keys — models that force the mouse onto a lower ledge will drive you insane. Mounting takes 20 minutes with a screwdriver; you’ll need roughly 7 cm of clearance under the desk.
2. Raise the chair and catch your feet with a footrest
If you can’t modify the desk, modify your position. Crank the chair up until your elbows line up with the surface, then put something under your feet so they don’t dangle. A proper footrest runs $20–$80 — firm, slightly angled (5–15 degrees), wide enough for both feet. Skip the rocking models: pleasant for the first hour, distracting after. This fix costs nothing if you already own a footrest or a thick hardcover book.
3. Cut the legs down (only for desks you own)
If the desk is solid wood and you’re not renting the apartment around it, cutting the legs is the permanent, zero-gadget fix. Measure up to where the surface should sit, mark all four legs, and cut — for most people that means removing 3–6 cm. Use a circular saw with a guide, or take the legs to a hardware shop; most will cut them for a few dollars. Sand the ends, add felt pads, and check for wobble. Skip this for desks with drawers in the legs, and for anything you plan to sell.
4. Pop off the casters
Some desks roll. If yours has wheels, removing them drops the surface 5–7 cm instantly — two minutes, zero cost. Replace them with felt glides so the floor doesn’t get scratched. Check your chair too: removing its casters lowers the seat, buying extra headroom.
5. Swap in adjustable legs
IKEA-style adjustable legs (like the OLOV) cost about $15–20 each, roughly $60–80 for four, and turn any flat desktop into a height-adjustable one. Undo the old legs, screw in the new ones, and twist to set the height from 60 to 90 cm. You need a desktop you’re willing to drill into. A good middle ground if you like your current top.
6. Mount the desktop on a sit-stand frame
If you’ve been eyeing a standing desk anyway, keep the top you like and buy just the frame. Sit-stand frames run $250–$600. The key spec is minimum height: many bottom out at 62–65 cm with a 2.5 cm desktop on top, still too tall for shorter people. Look for a frame that reaches 58–60 cm or lower — if you’re under 165 cm, this number decides whether you get a fix or an expensive repeat of the problem.
7. Stand instead — raise yourself with a foot platform
A 74 cm desk is roughly elbow height for many people standing up. If the math works for you, stop fighting the chair and stand. A platform riser under your feet (3–6 inches, $50–$150) fine-tunes the height, and an anti-fatigue mat keeps your legs from screaming by 4 p.m. Just don’t stand all day — alternate 30–45 minute blocks with a stool.
8. Use a keyboard bridge for short sessions
A keyboard bridge is a flat board that spans your chair’s armrests, dropping the keyboard to lap level. They’re common in hospital rooms and cost $30–$80. It’s a stopgap, not a solution: no room for a mouse, and your posture depends entirely on the armrests. Fine for a 40-minute email catch-up, not for eight hours.
9. Buy a chair with more seat-height range
Some budget task chairs top out at 48–50 cm of seat height — useless for a 74 cm desk unless you’re over 180 cm. If your chair is maxed out and your feet still dangle, look for a chair that reaches 55–58 cm. Pair it with a footrest and you’ve solved the puzzle without touching the desk.
Don’t forget the monitor
Raising your chair fixes your arms and creates a new problem: the screen drops below eye level, and your neck pays for it. Whatever fix you choose, the top of the monitor should sit at or slightly below eye level, an arm’s length away. A riser ($15–$40) or monitor arm ($60–$200) handles this. I use a gas-spring arm — it also frees up desk space.
When the right move is a new desk
If the desk is a cheap hollow-core top, rented furniture, or something you can’t modify without losing a deposit, the DIY fixes aren’t worth it. A basic sit-stand desk with a low-enough minimum height runs $250–$400 and solves the problem for good. Sell the old desk; think of the difference as a health expense.
FAQ
How do I know if my desk is too high?
Run the 90-degree test: elbows bent, forearms flat on the surface. If your shoulders rise or your forearms slope upward, it’s too high. If you’re unsure, take a side photo — easier to judge than a mirror.
Is a 29-inch (74 cm) desk too high?
Not for everyone. It suits taller people — roughly 178 cm and up — and works for standing work. For most people in the 160–175 cm range, a 74 cm surface sits 3–6 cm too tall when seated. That gap causes the shoulder and wrist complaints.
Can I lower an IKEA desk?
Fixed-height IKEA desks like the LINNMON top on ALEX drawers sit at 74 cm with no built-in adjustment. Swap the legs for adjustable ones (the OLOV legs work), add an under-desk keyboard tray, or cut the legs if it’s solid wood. The tray is the least destructive choice for rented setups.
Will a standing desk fix a too-high desk?
Only if its lowest setting is low enough. Many sit-stand desks bottom out at 62–65 cm, still too high for shorter users. If you’re under 165 cm, look for a frame that reaches 58–60 cm or lower.
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[PHOTO: Side-view photo of a person sitting at a desk with visibly shrugged shoulders and bent wrists, showing the “desk too high” posture]
[PHOTO: Close-up of an under-desk keyboard tray mounted below a desk, keyboard and mouse resting at elbow height]
[PHOTO: Person sitting on a raised chair with both feet flat on an angled footrest under the desk]
[PHOTO: Solid wood desk with all four legs marked for cutting, measuring tape laid along one leg]