Monitor Setup Fixes

Find the cause of your desk setup problem, fix it, and check that it holds.

Monitor arms, VESA mounts, tilt heads, and screen position. Pick the line that matches what you're seeing, and the guide will take you from the cause to a fix you can check.

The arm won't stay at the height you set

• Monitor Arm Keeps Falling Down? Check the Weight, Then the Tension
  The arm slowly drops after you let go, while the clamp stays put.
• Monitor Arm Shoots Up When You Let Go: Lower the Spring Tension
  The arm springs upward the moment you release the screen.
• Monitor Arm Won't Stay Down With a Light Monitor: Check Minimum Load
  A lightweight screen keeps drifting up, even with the tension turned down.
• Monitor Arm Sinking in a Cold Room: Why the Gas Spring Loses Lift
  The arm holds in a warm room but sinks when the room is cold.
• Monitor Arm Gas Spring Leaking Oil or Hissing: Is It Failing?
  You see oil on the spring or hear a hiss.
• Monitor Arm Jerks or Sticks When You Raise It: Find the Binding Joint
  The arm moves in jumps or catches partway through its travel.

The screen tilts, turns, or drifts on its own

• Curved Ultrawide Tilting Forward on a Monitor Arm: Fix the Tilt Head
  A wide curved screen slowly nods forward at the tilt head.
• Monitor Keeps Tilting Up on Its Arm: Fix the Tilt Head Tension
  The top edge tips back toward the wall.
• Monitor Arm Drifts Sideways on Its Own: Check If the Pole Is Level
  The arm swings left or right when nobody touches it.
• Portrait Monitor Rotates Back to Landscape: Fix the Rotation Hold
  A screen set vertical slowly turns back to horizontal.
• Pen Display Drifting on a Monitor Arm When You Draw: Stop the Creep
  A pen display creeps away under your hand while you draw.
• Stripped Allen Screw in a Monitor Arm Joint: How to Get It Out
  A joint screw's socket is rounded out and the hex key just spins.

The arm and the desk don't work together

• Monitor Arm Base Tilting Forward on a Thin Desk: Fix the Clamp Spot
  The clamp base leans forward, or the thin desktop bends under it.
• Desk Too Thick for a Monitor Arm Clamp? Options for Solid Wood Tops
  The clamp won't open wide enough for a thick solid wood top.
• Heavy Monitor Arm on a Hollow IKEA Desk: Will It Hold?
  You need to know whether a hollow-core top can carry a heavy arm.
• Heavy Ultrawide Arm Clamp: How to Fit a Reinforcement Plate Right
  You're adding a plate under a heavy screen's clamp and want it seated right.
• Corner Monitor Arm Bending or Rocking the Desk: Find the Weak Link
  An arm clamped at a corner bends the desktop or rocks the desk.
• Monitor Arm Too Short for a 30-Inch Deep Desk? Measure the Reach
  The arm can't bring the screen where you want it on a deep desk.

Two or more screens

• What Angle Should Dual Monitors Be?
  How far to turn each screen toward you, based on how you use them.
• Dual Monitor Arm Sliding Down the Pole: Stop the Collar Slipping
  One arm's collar slips down the pole.
• Dual Monitor Stand Bar Bending in the Middle: Check the Load
  The crossbar of a dual stand bows under the screens.
• Two Different Monitors on One Dual Arm: How to Level the Tops
  Screens of different sizes won't line up along the top.
• Gap Opening Between Two Monitors on a Dual Arm: Stop the Drift
  The screens slowly drift apart and a gap opens between them.
• Portrait Monitor Next to a Landscape One: How to Line Up the Screens
  Lining up a vertical screen beside a horizontal one.
• Stacked Monitors: How High and How Far Should the Top Screen Be?
  Placing the top screen of a stack so you aren't tilting your head back.
• Small Monitor Above a Heavy Ultrawide: How to Mount It Stably
  Mounting a small screen above a big one without wobble.
• Portable Monitor Below Your Main Screen: How to Mount It
  Fitting a portable screen under your main monitor.
• Portable Monitor Falling Off a Magnetic Stand: Fix the Hold
  A portable screen slides or tips off its magnetic stand.

Where the screen should sit

• How High Should a Monitor Be? Top of the Screen at Eye Level
  Setting screen height from your seated eye level.
• How Far Should You Sit From a 27-Inch vs 32-Inch Monitor?
  Choosing a viewing distance when you move to a bigger screen.

Problem is the clamp at the desk edge rather than the arm? See Desk Setup Fixes.

More fixes: Desk Setup Fixes · Chair & Seating Fixes · Keyboard & Mouse Fixes · Workspace Layout Fixes