How to Fit Two Monitors on a Small Desk?

Desk size is a determining factor in configuring an ergonomic, productive, and aesthetic computer setup. Even more, you will have to give extra care to the desk if your plan includes dual monitors.

Normally, a dual monitor setup occupies quite a large space. But you do not have to give up on your dream setup just because you have a small desk size or a limited space to fit only a small desk. You can try different monitor orientations and accessories such as monitor arms to avail sufficient space for your monitors.

After going through this guide, you will be able to fit two monitors on your small desk and suffice your needs.

Precautions to Take Before Setting Two Monitors

Fitting two monitors in a limited space does not mean just stacking them up in any way. You must consider their proper placement for your ease, better body posture, and optimum productivity. In addition, you will have to ensure the integrity of the accessories that are necessary for the setup.

Let’s look at a few precautions before setting two monitors on a small desk.

How to Fit Two Monitors on a Small Desk?

If you already have a small desk but have not bought monitors, then you can opt for small-sized ones. You can find monitors of smaller sizes that occupy less space.

But small monitors may not provide the necessary display quality you need. Or, you already have bigger ones. So, in such cases, you can follow the ways given below to arrange them on your small desk.

Use Monitor Arms

Monitor Arms have become the norm to use while setting up the dual display. It saves a huge space on your desk and is much more flexible to accommodate your needs and posture.

You can easily use a single monitor arm to hold one monitor and keep another one on the desk normally. Similarly, you can also use dual monitor arms to hold both your displays saving more space.

This is also very useful in a workplace, not only to keep the setup clean and neat, but also to maximize the resources. Using monitor arms, you can use a single desk to place two people on opposite ends with their respective screen.

So, let’s see the way to set up the monitor arm on your desk.

1. Mark the points over the length of your desk on the back where you would like to place the arm.
2. Take the mounting stand or rod and align it over the screw hole on the desk clamp and tighten it properly. Some desk clamps may have an attached mounting rod, and some clamps with flexible arms may not have a mounting rod at all.
3. Place the desk clamp on the marked points and tighten the knob. If your desk’s surface is uneven, you can place cardboard to fit the knob firmly.
4. Slide the monitor arms to the mounting rod if you have a stand that holds the arms. Tighten the height adjustment screw to your feasibility.
5. Remove the stand and back support from the monitor and align the arms bracket on it. Screw the bracket tightly. You can do this for either a single monitor or both, depending on your arrangement.

But, configuring the monitors with arms does not always guarantee less space. For instance, if you have a wall nearby, then horizontal orientation may take a lot of space. So, you will need to look towards the monitor arrangement as well.

V-shaped Arrangement

Arranging your monitors in V-shape can save a lot of space as well as reduce distraction while working. This is because your eyes and neck do not have to wander around as both screens face you in a concave alignment.

You can simply place the monitors such that they face each other with a V-shaped gap in the middle. Let’s see the process to do it.

1. Loosen the height adjusting screw on the mounting rod and take the monitors to the height of your feasibility. If you have a flexible arm that works with spring or different joints, simply raise the heights to the required level.
2. Turn the monitors towards each other.
3. Place the keyboard and mouse in the gap, thus adjusting all the components within a small area.

Vertical Alignment of One Monitor

Most monitors have greater length and smaller width. So, you can take advantage of this and arrange one of your monitors vertically.

Almost all monitor arms provide the flexibility to rotate the monitors by 90 degrees. But you have to be careful not to hit another monitor while turning it.

This may seem quite unorthodox and uneasy to work with. But once you get the hang of it, the vertical alignment of your monitor will be no different than other arrangements. On top of that, you get to use a smaller desk.

This arrangement is normally helpful if you have to work in MS-word, use social media, or do similar works that are convenient in vertical alignment.

You could use both monitors vertically in case of an ultra-small desk. But you will get a smaller horizontal length that might not serve the purpose of having dual monitors. Nevertheless, if the setup is for multitasking, then the vertical alignment of both monitors can do the job.

Place One Monitor Above Another

If you still cannot fit the two monitors on your desk, then you can stack one above the other. You can do this by either using a single tall dual mount, flexible dual monitor arms, a single monitor stand, or two different stands for each monitor.

For the dual monitor arm, you can simply push one monitor above another. But the arm length may not be sufficient to align the monitors properly. Even if you managed to do it, it might not be ergonomic and may discomfort you.

A single tall dual mount can do the job but is less flexible. So, we are providing the way to use a monitor stand to stack one monitor above another.

1. Keep one monitor on the desk and clamp another one to the stand with a single mount. You can also use two stands for two monitors.
2. Adjust the height of the stands such that the lower end of the upper display reaches the top portion of the bottom one.
3. You can slightly tilt the bottom monitor upwards and angle the upper display downwards. This will make it easier to look at both displays.
4. Adjust the height of your chair accordingly for better posture.

Mount One Monitor to the Bottom

If you feel uneasy working with one monitor mounted on top of another, you can try bottom mounting your monitor. This arrangement is most suitable if you have a smaller monitor, typically a tablet-sized one.

Let’s see the way to bottom mount a monitor properly.

1. Remove the stand and back support of the smaller monitor.
2. Place the monitor by raising it slightly to touch the upper monitor at an angle. You can use cardboard or a book to raise the height.

But mounting one monitor to the bottom can be quite difficult and may not be aesthetically pleasing.

Use Wall Clamp

If you have space to place your desk near a wall, you can use a wall clamp to mount a monitor to it.

You should clamp the monitor such that its height matches the one placed on the desk. Furthermore, you can turn both monitors to face each other in V-shape or arrange them one above another with an adjustable wall clamp.

Manage Accessories

While setting up a computer system, several accessories are needed, such as the Speaker, Keyboard, Mouse, USB hub, etc. In addition to the accessories, the tangled wires can cause a lot of mess. So, you can free up your desk to put the monitors if you are able to manage these wires and accessories.

Let’s see a few of the ways to do it.

1. Use cable clips and ties to hold all the wires together.
2. Pass them through the wire holder in the monitor arms if available.
3. You can also make a hole in the desk to take the wires below it.
4. To prevent the mess from wires, use a wireless keyboard and mouse.
5. If available, place the input devices in the desk drawer.
6. Remove decorations from the desk as much as possible. If you want to make the setup aesthetic, you could use lights and decorations around the desk or in the room.

Use Custom Workstation Table

If you have not already bought a table and are tensed by the small space available in your room, then you can get a custom workstation table.

You can modify the design as shown in the picture so that you can arrange the monitors in a step-wise fashion. In addition, you can add drawers to hold the accessories or other items. Since the table is a customized one, it will fit right in the limited space, and you get to place both your monitors to compliment your posture and work need.