Only the spacing of the four screw holes on the back of the monitor: 75 × 75 mm (2.95 × 2.95 in) or 100 × 100 mm (3.94 × 3.94 in). Almost every desk arm accepts both, so the pattern rarely decides anything. What decides more is whether your monitor has VESA holes at all, its weight, and whether the back is curved or recessed.
How to check your monitor. Look at the back for four threaded holes in a square, sometimes under the stand’s mounting or a small cover. Measure centre to centre: about 7.5 cm is VESA 75, about 10 cm is VESA 100. The model’s spec sheet usually states it too. Smaller and lighter monitors more often use 75, larger ones 100, but either can appear at most sizes. Larger patterns — 200 × 100, 200 × 200 and up — belong to large monitors and TVs, beyond the range of most desk arms.
Our arms all take both. Every single arm in our monitor arms hub — Acer, Ergotron, HUANUO and Invision — states VESA 75 and 100. So do most dual mounts in our dual monitor mounts hub: the VIVO uses open-top plates that let you hang the screen and then fix it; the Amazon Basics notes longer screws or spacers for monitors with a deep or curved back. The Digitus has a quick-release plate but does not state its patterns — the one to check before buying.
What matters more than the pattern.
- Weight: the arm’s stated range, at both ends — a screen too light for the spring rises. Setting spring tension on a monitor arm explains why.
- Size: a large or ultrawide screen can reach past the arm’s stated maximum even when the holes fit — see what monitor size fits a typical arm.
- Recessed or curved backs: if the holes sit in a recess, the plate may not reach them without spacers, which many arms include.
- The stand’s mounting: some monitors’ stands cover the VESA holes; removing the stand first reveals them.
No VESA holes? Some slim monitors have none. A clamp-on VESA adapter made for your model can work; otherwise keep the original stand and raise it on a monitor riser.
What buyers ask us first
My monitor has no VESA holes — can I still use an arm?
Sometimes, with a VESA adapter that clamps around or hooks onto the monitor; check that one is made for your model and screen size. Otherwise a monitor riser under the original stand is the alternative.
What screws do VESA mounts use?
Most monitors take M4 screws on the 75 and 100 mm patterns, and arms usually include several lengths. Use the shortest that grips fully: too long a screw can bottom out inside the monitor.
Last reviewed 13 October 2026