Stacked Monitors: How High and How Far Should the Top Screen Be?

Quick Answer: Set the bottom screen as your main screen first, then mount the top one as low as the bezels allow and tilt it down toward your eyes.

• Not sure what to fix first: Start with the main screen. Start with Step 1 to set the main screen
• You tilt your head back to read the top screen: It sits too high. Use Fix A to lower and tilt it
• You use the top screen more than the bottom: Swap them. Use Fix C to change the layout

• Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
• Tools: Tape measure, a helper, and the mount's instructions.

Jump to:

• Step 1 - Set the Main Screen, Then Check the Top One
• Step 2 - Place the Top Screen
• Step 3 - Work a Normal Session
• Common Mistakes
• FAQ

Why the Top Screen Is the Hard One

Only one screen can sit at the usual height, with its top near eye level. In a stack, the second screen has to go above it, so reading it means looking up.

The higher the top screen sits, the more you tilt your head back. If it's also mounted farther back, its text looks smaller and you lean in.

A stack works best when the top screen holds things you glance at, like chat or a reference page. Keeping it low and tilted down keeps that glance short.

Critical Safety Warning: A raised top monitor can drop if its height or tilt joint is loosened while it carries the screen's weight. The two screens can also strike each other as you adjust them.

• Have a helper hold the top monitor before you loosen any of its adjustments.
• Keep a gap between the screens while moving either one.
• Stay within the mount's stated weight for both monitors together.

Step 1 - Set the Main Screen, Then Check the Top One

1. Set the bottom screen: Place your main screen first; see How High Should a Monitor Be?
2. Check the gap: Note how much space sits between the two screens' bezels.
3. Check the depth: Measure how far the top screen sits behind or in front of the bottom one, in inches (centimeters).
4. Notice how you use it: Work for a few minutes and count how often you look up, and whether you tilt your head back or lean in.

What your results mean:

• The screens don't line up side to side: That's a centering problem, separate from height.
• A small top monitor wobbles above a heavy one: See Small Monitor Above a Heavy Ultrawide: How to Mount It Stably.
• There's a wide gap, or you tilt your head back: Use Fix A.
• The top screen sits farther back and you lean in: Use Fix B.
• You look up more often than down: Use Fix C.

Step 2 - Place the Top Screen

Fix A - Lower the Top Screen and Tilt It Down

Use when: There's a wide gap between the screens, or you tilt your head back to read the top one.

Before you start: Have a helper hold the top monitor before you release its height adjustment, so it can't drop onto the screen below (supporting the top monitor).

What you need: The mount's height and tilt controls.

1. Lower it: Bring the top screen down until its bezel sits just above the bottom screen's.
2. Leave a small gap: Keep enough space that the edges won't touch when you tilt it.
3. Tilt it down: Angle the top screen so its face points toward your eyes.

Check: You read the top screen with a glance up rather than a head tilt; continue to Step 3.

Fix B - Bring a Distant Top Screen Forward

Use when: The top screen sits well behind the bottom one and you lean in to read it.

Before you start: Move the top screen slowly and watch its lower edge, so it doesn't swing into the screen below.

What you need: The mount's forward adjustment, if it has one.

1. Bring it forward: Move the top screen closer, toward the bottom screen's distance.
2. Check the edges: Make sure it doesn't overhang and block the bottom screen.
3. Enlarge the text if needed: If it can't move closer, raise the display's scaling instead.

Check: You read the top screen without leaning in; continue to Step 3.

Fix C - Swap the Screens or Go Side by Side

Use when: You look up at the top screen more often than down at the bottom one.

Before you start: Take each monitor down one at a time with a helper, following the mount's removal steps (handling monitors on a raised mount).

What you need: Both monitors' weights and the mount's limits.

1. Swap them: Put the screen you use most at the bottom, if the mount supports each weight in its new position.
2. Or go side by side: If both get heavy use, two screens beside each other keep both near eye level.
3. Reset the main screen: Repeat Step 1 for the new bottom screen.

Check: The screen you use most now sits at eye level; continue to Step 3.

Step 3 - Work a Normal Session

1. Work for an hour: Use both screens as you normally do.
2. Notice your head: Check whether you tilt back or lean in.
3. Check the mount: Make sure neither screen has drifted or touched the other.

PASS: You use the main screen comfortably, read the top screen with a short glance, and both screens hold their positions without touching.

FAIL: You keep tilting your head back or leaning in, or a screen drifts or touches the other.

NEXT ACTION:

• Head tilting back: Lower and tilt with Fix A, or swap with Fix C.
• Leaning in: Bring it forward or enlarge text with Fix B.
• Screen drifting: Have the helper hold it as the safety warning says, then retighten its joint as the mount directs.

Common Mistakes

Mistake: Raising the bottom screen to make room for the top one.

What happens: The whole stack climbs, and both screens end up too high.

Instead: Keep the main screen where it belongs and lower the top one.

Mistake: Relying on tilt alone for a screen mounted too high.

What happens: The screen faces you better, but you still look just as far up.

Instead: Lower it first, then tilt.

FAQ

Should both screens be the same distance from my eyes?

Close is fine, but it doesn't have to be exact. Being able to read the top screen without leaning in is what matters.

How much gap should I leave between them?

Just enough that the edges can't touch when you tilt the top screen. Any more pushes it higher than it needs to be.

This guide covers positioning two vertically stacked monitors. It doesn't diagnose or treat neck discomfort.

Written and edited by Lio Lim

Every guide on The ErgoDesk Lab is reviewed before it goes live so each step leads to a clear next action. Spotted something unclear or wrong? Let us know, or read how these guides are made.