Glossary
Monitor riser
A stand or platform placed under a monitor to raise it closer to eye level, often with storage space underneath.
A monitor riser is a stand, shelf, or platform placed under a monitor to lift the screen higher than its stock stand allows, bringing the top of the screen closer to eye level. Some risers are simple solid platforms, while others are shelves with drawers or open storage space underneath for a keyboard, notebooks, or a laptop.
Risers are the simplest fix for a monitor that sits too low, which is a very common problem since most monitor stands are designed short enough to fit under airline baggage restrictions in their packaging rather than for correct ergonomic height. Adding even a few inches with a riser can shift a screen from an uncomfortable, neck-bending height to a comfortable eye-level position.
A monitor arm generally offers finer, ongoing adjustment than a fixed riser, since a riser sets one static height while an arm can move up, down, forward, and back as needed. Risers remain a good lower-cost option when the existing stand height is only slightly off, or when desk space for a clamp-mounted arm is not available.