Screen Distance Calculator: How Far Should Your Monitor Be

Sitting too close to a monitor makes your eyes work harder to focus; sitting too far makes you lean in or squint. The right distance depends on your screen size, its resolution and your eyesight, but a few guidelines get most people close.

The basic range

OSHA, the US workplace safety agency, suggests placing a monitor 20 to 40 inches (about 50 to 100 cm) from your eyes, roughly an arm's length. If you have to lean forward to read, the text is too small or the screen is too far away.

A rule of thumb by screen size

A rough guide is to sit about 1 to 1.5 times the screen's diagonal away:

• 24-inch monitor: about 24 to 36 inches.
• 27-inch monitor: about 27 to 40 inches.
• 32-inch monitor: about 32 to 40 inches, the upper end of the range.
• Laptops: usually closer, about 20 inches, which is why a separate monitor or a laptop stand helps for long days.

Your whole screen should be visible without turning your head. If you have to swing your eyes or head to see the corners, move back or choose a smaller screen.

Get the height right

• The top of the screen at or slightly below eye level.
• The center of the screen about 15 to 20 degrees below your eyes, as the American Optometric Association recommends, so you look slightly down.
• People who wear bifocals or progressive lenses often need the screen lower still, to avoid tilting their head back.

Fix text size instead of moving closer

If text is hard to read at a comfortable distance, increase scaling in your system's display settings, or Chrome's zoom with Ctrl + +. Moving closer to read small text strains both your eyes and your neck. See resizing text in Chrome.

Quick checks

1. Sit back in your normal position and stretch out your arm. Your fingertips should roughly reach the screen.
2. Read a paragraph of normal text. If you lean in, adjust size or distance.
3. Notice your neck. You shouldn't tilt your head up or far down.

Distance is only part of it

• Take breaks: see the 20-20-20 rule.
• Cut glare: see reducing screen glare.
• Tune your settings: see monitor settings for long days.

In the evening, Blue Light Filter adds a warm overlay to web pages, with adjustable strength and a schedule. If eye strain continues, see an eye doctor; uncorrected vision is a common cause. See computer vision syndrome.