Adjust your chair height first. It’s free and fixes the root problem. A footrest is the better fix only when your chair is already at the correct height for your desk and your feet still don’t reach the floor, common if you’re under 5’4″ or your desk isn’t height adjustable.
- OSHA’s Computer Workstations eTool calls for the entire sole of the foot resting on the floor or a footrest, with the back of the knee slightly higher than the seat.
- Cornell’s ergonomics program uses a 90 degree knee angle as the traditional standard for correct chair height.
- Adjusting your chair height costs nothing and fixes the underlying mismatch between your body and the desk.
- A footrest runs $15 to $40 and is the right fix only when chair height alone can’t get your feet flat on the floor.
- If your desk isn’t height adjustable and raising your chair pushes your arms too high for the keyboard, a footrest is often the only real option.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. If you have persistent pain, consult a physician or physical therapist.
In this article:
- What does a footrest do?
- What does adjusting chair height do?
- Effectiveness
- Cost
- Convenience
- When a footrest is the better fix
- When you should just adjust your chair
- Do you need both?
- Frequently asked questions
| Factor | Footrest | Adjusting Chair Height |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $15-$40 | Free |
| Fixes root cause | No, compensates for it | Yes |
| Works with a fixed-height desk | Yes | Only within the desk’s usable range |
| Best for | Being under 5’4″, or a non-adjustable desk | Anyone with both an adjustable chair and desk |
| Setup time | Minutes | Minutes |
| Main downside | Easy to kick out of place, adds a step | Can push your arms too high if the desk itself can’t come down |
What Does a Footrest Do?
A footrest is a raised platform you rest your feet on when your chair, even at its lowest setting, still leaves your feet dangling above the floor. It doesn’t change your chair or desk. It brings the floor up to meet your feet instead, closing the gap without touching anything else in your setup.
That makes it a workaround, not a fix for the underlying mismatch. It’s the right workaround in a specific, common situation: you’re shorter than the desk and chair were designed for, or your desk height is fixed and can’t come down far enough to let you lower the chair.
What Does Adjusting Chair Height Do?
Raising or lowering your chair changes where your whole body sits relative to the desk, not just your feet. Get it right and your knees, hips, and forearms line up correctly at the same time your feet reach the floor, since a properly adjusted chair solves several posture problems in one move instead of one.
The catch is that chair height and desk height are linked. Lower the chair enough to plant your feet flat, and your arms might end up too low for the keyboard. That’s the exact situation where a footrest, or a keyboard tray to bring the keyboard down instead, becomes necessary rather than optional.
Footrest vs Adjusting Chair Height: Effectiveness
OSHA’s Computer Workstations eTool is specific here: the seat should let your feet rest flat on the floor or a footrest, and if the seat can’t be lowered enough without pushing the keyboard or monitor too high, a footrest should be used to provide stable support (OSHA, Computer Workstations eTool: Chairs). In other words, OSHA lists a footrest as the correct fallback, not a lesser option, once chair adjustment alone runs out of room.
Cornell’s ergonomics program uses a 90 degree knee angle as the traditional benchmark for correct seat height, with the practical version being that your knees should sit level or slightly below level and your feet firmly on the ground (Cornell CUErgo, Computer Workstation Ergonomics Guidelines). Both a correctly adjusted chair and a footrest can hit that target. Which one gets you there depends entirely on whether your desk lets the chair go low enough on its own.
Footrest vs Adjusting Chair Height: Cost
Adjusting your chair costs nothing. It’s a lever you already own. A footrest runs $15 for a basic foam wedge up to $40 or so for an adjustable, rocking model with a textured surface. Neither is expensive in absolute terms, but there’s no reason to spend anything if a five-second lever pull solves the problem outright.
Footrest vs Adjusting Chair Height: Convenience
Adjusting your chair is a one-time fix. Set the lever once and you’re done, no maintenance, nothing to remember. A footrest is a small extra object under your desk, and it’s easy to kick it out of position over the course of a day, especially the flat, non-rocking kind, so you end up readjusting it more often than you’d readjust a chair lever.
When a Footrest Is the Better Fix
Reach for a footrest if you’ve already raised or lowered your chair as far as it goes and your feet still don’t touch the floor, common if you’re under about 5’4″ or you’re at a desk that isn’t height adjustable, a kitchen table or a fixed-height desk in an office you don’t control. It’s also the right call if lowering your chair further would drop your arms below a comfortable typing height. See our picks for adjustable footrests for models that tilt and rock instead of sitting flat.
When You Should Just Adjust Your Chair Instead
If you haven’t actually tried adjusting your chair yet, start there before buying anything. Most office chairs have a lever under the front-left or front-right of the seat, pull it up while sitting to lower the seat, or stand and pull it to raise it. Plenty of people live with a chair set to whatever height it arrived at, never having touched the lever at all. If your feet reach the floor once you’ve actually adjusted it, you don’t need a footrest, full stop.
Do You Need Both?
Sometimes, yes. If your desk is fixed at a height that’s too tall for you even with the chair raised to match it, you may need the chair a bit higher than ideal to reach the keyboard comfortably, and a footrest to make up the resulting gap to the floor. That combination is common on desks that were never meant to be adjustable in the first place. Getting the correct desk height for your height sorted first tells you how much of a gap, if any, you’re actually working with before you add a footrest on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do tall people need a footrest?
Rarely. Taller people usually have the opposite problem, needing the chair raised, which naturally keeps feet flat on the floor. Footrests mainly help people whose legs don’t reach the floor even at the chair’s lowest setting.
Should a footrest be angled or flat?
Angled or rocking footrests let you shift your foot position through the day, which most people find more comfortable than a flat platform for long sitting sessions.
Do I need a footrest at a standing desk?
Not while standing. Some people still keep one nearby for the seated portion of a sit-stand routine if their chair height doesn’t quite reach the floor at that desk’s lowest sitting position.
Can I use a stack of books instead of a footrest?
For a quick check, yes. A stable stack works fine to see whether foot support actually helps before you buy anything. A dedicated footrest is more stable and comfortable for daily use.
What if my chair height lever doesn’t work?
Gas cylinder chairs that won’t hold height usually need a replacement cylinder, a cheap, common repair. Until then, a footrest is a reasonable temporary fix if the chair is stuck too high.
Try adjusting your chair first. If your feet still don’t reach the floor after that, a footrest closes the gap for less than the cost of a nice lunch, not a compromise, just the second step when the first one runs out of room.
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