Lightly, yes. Armrests set level with the desk take the weight of your arms so your shoulders can relax, with your elbows near 90° and close to your sides. They should support, not lift: armrests set too high push your shoulders up, and armrests set too low leave your arms hanging. Your wrists are a separate question — they should float while you type.
Set the chair before the armrests. Your seat height comes from the desk: forearms roughly level with the desktop. Setting up a new office chair covers that. Then bring the armrests up until they just touch your forearms with your shoulders relaxed — not pressing up into them.
Too high, too low, too far apart.
- Too high: your shoulders rise and stay tense, and your forearms angle down to the keys. Lower them until your shoulders drop.
- Too low: the armrests do nothing, and you lean onto one side to reach them.
- Too wide: your elbows splay out. Armrests that slide inward or pivot help; the Marsail’s slide 5 cm (2 in) and swivel 5°.
- In the way: if the armrests hit the desk edge and keep you too far back, lower them below desk height or fold them up — the CAPOT’s and Marsail’s fold up 90°. Fixed armrests, like the Yaheetech’s, cannot be moved.
No adjustable armrests? Resting your forearms on the desk surface itself does the same job, if the desk is at elbow height and deep enough. Hard or worn armrests can be softened with a pad: the armrest pads hub has memory-foam and gel covers that strap or slip on, and bolt-on replacement pads for worn originals.
Wrists are different. While you type, keep your wrists straight and floating slightly above the keyboard, moving your forearms rather than bending at the wrist. A wrist rest is for resting the heel of your palm during pauses, not for anchoring your wrists while typing. The wrist rests hub compares foam and gel pads, and the VAYDEER combines a raised keyboard stand with a rest.
On a standing desk, there is nothing to lean on: set the desk so your forearms are level and your elbows hang relaxed at your sides — how tall a standing desk should be shows how.
This is not medical advice. Adjustment ranges, stated weight capacities and construction details are specifications to verify on the current listing, never a guarantee about any individual body or condition. If pain, numbness or discomfort persists, that is a question for a qualified professional, not for a product description. We report what manufacturers publish — an adjustment range, a stated capacity, a certification — and this site describes the equipment only.
Last reviewed 13 October 2026