Typing posture and wrist position: what the ergonomics sources say

What does neutral typing posture look like?

OSHA's eTool for computer workstations describes it from the hands up:

• hands, wrists and forearms straight, in line and roughly parallel to the floor;
• elbows close to the body and bent between 90 and 120 degrees;
• head level, facing forward and roughly in line with the torso;
• back supported, sitting upright or leaning back slightly;
• thighs roughly parallel to the floor, knees about level with the hips, feet slightly forward;
• feet flat on the floor, or on a footrest if the desk can't be lowered.

The keyboard goes directly in front of you, close enough that your elbows can stay at your sides. If the desk is too high, raise the chair and put your feet on a footrest. If that isn't enough, OSHA suggests a keyboard tray that adjusts in height and tilt.

Is it better to have the keyboard flat or tilted?

Flat or tilted slightly away from you, and not propped up at the back.

OSHA's keyboard page says you can raise or lower the tilt with the keyboard feet, then adds: "Do not use keyboard feet if they increase bending of the wrist." Extended rear legs, or a keyboard designed with a steep slope, bend the wrist upward.

Cornell University's ergonomics guidance goes further. Its neutral typing posture has the keyboard base "gently sloped away from the user", called negative tilt, and its workstation guidelines call a height-adjustable negative-tilt tray the ideal arrangement. Cornell also warns that forearms sloping up toward a high keyboard increase muscle load in the upper arms, shoulders and neck.

So, in order of preference: a tray that sits below desk height and tilts the keys slightly away; a flat keyboard at elbow height; a keyboard on its feet only if your wrists stay straight.

Where should your wrists be when you type?

Straight, and in line with your forearms. OSHA says they shouldn't bend up, down or to either side while you type. A bend to the side can come from a keyboard set too far left or right, or from reaching wide for keys at the edge.

Wrist rests are less helpful than they look. Cornell notes that research hasn't shown substantial benefits for them, and advises resting your hands between bursts of typing rather than during them. OSHA warns against rests with hard or sharp front edges, which press into the underside of the wrist. If you use one, treat it as somewhere to pause, not somewhere to anchor while your fingers stretch for the keys.

Touch typing helps here. When your fingers start from the home row, the hand stays in one place and the fingers do the reaching. Our touch typing finger chart shows which finger owns each key.

What is the 90-90-90 rule?

The 90-90-90 rule says to sit with right angles at the elbows, hips and knees. A 2016 safety bulletin from SAIF Corporation, in Salem, Oregon, describes it as the posture "named after the right angles of the elbows, hips, and knees" that was long accepted as the proper way to sit, and says a more open angle is now recommended over it.

The current sources treat 90 degrees as a minimum rather than a target:

Use 90-90-90 as a starting position, then open the angles. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety adds that you should change position often, and that moving outside the recommended ranges now and then is acceptable and sometimes beneficial.

Monitor, breaks and long sessions

Cornell puts the monitor at about arm's length, high enough that you don't crane your neck forward and low enough that you don't tilt your head back. On a laptop the screen and keys are joined, so one of them is always in the wrong place. For long sessions, an external keyboard lets you set each one separately.

For breaks, Cornell suggests looking away from the screen for a minute or two every 15 minutes, and a short rest break every 30 to 60 minutes. Breaks fit typing practice well: a short session each day is easier to sit through properly than one long one, and our post on daily streaks without burning out explains why our streak counts a single short test.

Does typing posture prevent carpal tunnel syndrome?

Nobody can promise that, and we won't. A 2008 systematic review in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders concluded there is insufficient epidemiological evidence that computer work causes carpal tunnel syndrome. Neutral posture is about comfort and reducing strain on the hands, arms, shoulders and neck. Symptoms such as numbness or tingling in the fingers are a reason to see a doctor, not to buy a new keyboard.

A keyboard switch won't fix posture either. Our mechanical keyboards article covers what switches do and don't change.

How to check your setup

Sit as you normally would and look at your wrists from the side. If the back of your hand is higher than your forearm, the keyboard is too high or tilted toward you. Fold in the feet, lower the keyboard or raise the chair.

Then take a long test. The 30-minute typing test is long enough for posture to matter: if your shoulders creep up or your wrists drop onto the desk by minute 20, your setup is what's tiring, not your fingers. If speed is the goal, practice in short sessions with a break between them.

Frequently asked questions

What is proper typing posture?

Wrists straight and in line with your forearms, elbows close to your body and bent between 90 and 120 degrees, feet supported, back supported, and the keyboard directly in front of you at about elbow height.

Should my wrists rest on the desk while typing?

Not while you're actually typing. Cornell advises resting your hands between bursts of typing, and notes that research hasn't shown substantial benefits from wrist rests.

What is the 90-90-90 rule?

Right angles at the elbows, hips and knees. Current guidance treats it as a minimum and recommends slightly more open angles, such as a recline of 100 to 110 degrees.

Is it better to have my keyboard propped up or flat?

Flat, or tilted slightly away from you. OSHA says not to use the keyboard feet if they bend your wrists more, and Cornell recommends a slight negative tilt.