Should the keyboard be flat or angled?

For most people, a flat or slightly negative-tilt keyboard (top edge angled away from you) keeps wrists more neutral than a positive tilt (top edge raised). Fold the built-in feet in unless your chair is unusually high relative to the desk. A dedicated negative-tilt keyboard tray — mounted below desk level — is the ergonomic ideal but requires hardware modification.

How far should the keyboard be from the edge of the desk?

Place the keyboard roughly 5–10 cm from the desk edge , leaving just enough room to rest wrists during pauses without forcing elbows to fully extend. If you rest forearms on the desk while typing, the keyboard can sit further back — the goal is that the elbow stays at 90–110° and the shoulder is neither raised nor rolled forward to reach the keys.

Does a vertical mouse actually help with ergonomics?

A vertical mouse holds the forearm in a handshake position, reducing pronation, which can relieve tension for people with existing wrist or elbow discomfort. It does not replace correct placement — a vertical mouse placed too far away still causes shoulder abduction. For users without existing symptoms, proximity to the keyboard and wrist neutrality matter more than the shape of the device.

How much does unhunch cost?

unhunch has a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. After that it is a one-time payment of $14.99 for lifetime access, with a 7-day money-back guarantee. There is no subscription.

Do I need any special hardware to use unhunch?

No extra hardware. unhunch runs in the browser using your existing webcam on Chrome or Edge. There is no app to download and no signup needed to start.

How to Position Your Keyboard and Mouse Ergonomically

Position your keyboard so your elbows rest at 90–110° and your wrists stay flat or very slightly extended. Keep the mouse on the same surface, as close to the keyboard as possible, so you reach it without shrugging.

THE SHORT ANSWER

Place the keyboard close enough that your upper arms hang relaxed at your sides, elbows bent to 90–110°. Wrists should be flat or tilted slightly downward — never bent upward. The mouse belongs on the same surface, directly beside the keyboard, so your elbow angle stays the same when you reach for it. A negative-tilt keyboard tray helps keep wrists neutral if your desk is fixed too high. Center the keyboard at the spacebar, not the full chassis, so neither arm reaches farther than the other.

Elbow angle: 90–110°, upper arms hanging relaxed at your sides
Wrists flat or slight negative-tilt — never bent upward (dorsiflexion)
Mouse on the same surface level, immediately beside the keyboard
Center at the spacebar so mousing distance is equal on both sides

Why elbow angle is the starting point

Your chair height — or desk height — determines everything else. When elbows sit at 90–110°, the forearm runs roughly parallel to the floor, letting wrist flexors and extensors work at their shortest, lowest-tension length. Raising the desk forces your shoulders to shrug; lowering it collapses the elbow angle and loads the forearm tendons. Adjust chair height first, then desk height if possible. Add a footrest if raising the chair lifts your feet off the floor.

Wrist position: neutral, not propped up

A common mistake is resting wrists on a wrist rest while actively typing. Wrist rests are for pauses — not for keystrokes. During typing, wrists should float just above the surface, flat or very slightly tilted downward. Bending wrists upward (dorsiflexion) compresses the carpal tunnel and raises sustained muscle activation in the forearm. If your keyboard has fold-out feet at the back, fold them in — a slight negative tilt is almost always better than positive.

Wrist rest: use during breaks, not while actively typing
Keyboard feet: keep folded flat or tilt board slightly away from you
Wrists hover just above the surface when striking keys
Avoid resting the heel of your hand on a hard desk edge

Where to place the mouse to avoid shoulder strain

The farther the mouse is from the keyboard, the more you must abduct your shoulder to reach it — that sustained reach drives upper-trapezius tension. Keep the mouse immediately beside the keyboard, on the same surface plane, so the elbow angle barely changes when you transition. If you use a full-size keyboard with a number pad you rarely need, switching to a tenkeyless model shrinks the gap significantly. Placement proximity matters more than mouse shape.

Keyboard centering: align to your typing zone, not the chassis

Most keyboards are wider on the right due to the number pad. Centering the whole keyboard puts the mouse far to the right. Instead, center at the B key or spacebar — the mid-point of the alphanumeric block — so the right arm does not reach farther than the left. For number-heavy work, a separate numpad placed to the left keeps the main board centered without sacrificing input.

Center at the spacebar, not the midpoint of the full keyboard
Shift keyboard slightly left if the mouse still feels too far out
For heavy numpad use, try a standalone numpad on the left

How posture and input placement reinforce each other

A correct keyboard position reduces wrist and elbow load, but it does not stop your torso from drifting forward as the day goes on. When you lean in, elbows shift off the armrests, wrists angle upward, and the chain of good positioning breaks. The one-time setup matters; so does catching the drift early. Frequent, brief resets — sitting back, re-planting elbows — keep the geometry working. An external cue makes this far more reliable than trying to self-police throughout the day.

Keep the setup honest throughout the day

Even a perfect keyboard position breaks down as you gradually slouch forward. unhunch watches your posture via webcam — all processing is on-device, nothing is uploaded — and alerts you when your form slips. 30-day free trial, then $14.99 once, with a 7-day money-back guarantee.

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FAQ

Should the keyboard be flat or angled?: For most people, a flat or slightly negative-tilt keyboard (top edge angled away from you) keeps wrists more neutral than a positive tilt (top edge raised). Fold the built-in feet in unless your chair is unusually high relative to the desk. A dedicated negative-tilt keyboard tray — mounted below desk level — is the ergonomic ideal but requires hardware modification.
How far should the keyboard be from the edge of the desk?: Place the keyboard roughly 5–10 cm from the desk edge, leaving just enough room to rest wrists during pauses without forcing elbows to fully extend. If you rest forearms on the desk while typing, the keyboard can sit further back — the goal is that the elbow stays at 90–110° and the shoulder is neither raised nor rolled forward to reach the keys.
Does a vertical mouse actually help with ergonomics?: A vertical mouse holds the forearm in a handshake position, reducing pronation, which can relieve tension for people with existing wrist or elbow discomfort. It does not replace correct placement — a vertical mouse placed too far away still causes shoulder abduction. For users without existing symptoms, proximity to the keyboard and wrist neutrality matter more than the shape of the device.
How much does unhunch cost?: unhunch has a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. After that it is a one-time payment of $14.99 for lifetime access, with a 7-day money-back guarantee. There is no subscription.
Do I need any special hardware to use unhunch?: No extra hardware. unhunch runs in the browser using your existing webcam on Chrome or Edge. There is no app to download and no signup needed to start.