How to Actually Adjust Your Office Chair (Most People Skip These Steps)
- May 8
- 3 min read
Your chair probably has 5 or more adjustment points. Here’s what each one does and how to set them for your body.
Most office chairs have five or more adjustment points, yet most people never adjust them beyond seat height or they set them once and forget them. Properly adjusting your chair is one of the single biggest things you can do for your physical comfort at work, and it takes less than five minutes. Here’s how to get your chair dialed in.
The complete office chair adjustment guide
1. Seat height
Ok people! Start here because your chair height is the foundation for every other adjustment. Your feet should be flat on the floor with your thighs roughly parallel to it. Your knees should be relaxed at about 90 degrees or slightly open. If your desk is too high for this position, raise your chair and use a footrest.
2. Seat depth
These days most commercial-grade task chairs come with a seat slider. If your chair has one, adjust it as needed, so there is approximately a 2-3 finger width between the seat's front edge and the backside of your knees. If it’s too deep, the seat edge presses into the back of your knees, cutting off circulation. On the flip side, if it’s too shallow, your thighs aren’t getting the support they need. You’re looking for a Goldilocks situation here!
3. Lumbar support
Again, most commercial-grade task seating comes with a lumbar adjustment as standard. The lumbar support should sit right against the natural inward curve of your lower back, somewhere around belt level. Some chairs let you adjust both the height and the depth or firmness of the lumbar pad, but at the end of the day, you’re looking for chair contact with your lower back.
4. Chair back - recline and tension
Here’s the one we really wish more people knew! Your chair back should not be locked upright all day. Your body is built to move, even while you’re sitting. When the backrest is locked in place, it forces you into a rigid posture that can leave you feeling fatigued and stiff. Instead, unlock the recline and adjust the tension so the chair gives you gentle support as you lean back. You should be able to recline slightly, around 10–20 degrees, without feeling like you’re falling backward or having to fight the chair to lean back.
5. Armrest height
A true task chair, at the very least, has armrests that go up and down. Adjust your armrests so your forearms rest lightly on them, with your shoulders relaxed and your elbows at about 90 degrees. Too high, and your shoulders creep up. Too low, and the armrests aren’t doing anything for you. Some chairs also let you adjust the width, depth, and pivot angle of the armrests, so play with those if you have them.
6. Headrest (if equipped)
Adjust your headrest (if you have one) so it supports the back of your head when you lean back slightly. It should not push your head forward, as that can cause neck strain. If you can’t get it positioned comfortably, you might be better off removing it entirely.
Common mistakes
Sitting too high so your feet dangle (hello, hip flexor tightness and circulation issues).
Seat depth is set too deep (cuts off circulation behind the knees).
Lumbar support at the wrong height (gives you zero benefit or creates a pressure point).
Backrest locked upright (static posture fatigue is real).
Armrests are too high (shoulder tension and neck pain that builds throughout the day).
Want a quick-reference version you can keep at your desk?
Download our free Ergo Tips + Proper Form guide — a one-page visual checklist covering desk and chair set up so you can dial in your chair and workstation without digging back through this post.
From the Trilogie team
This is one of the areas where we bring the most value to our clients. When we specify task seating for a project, we don’t just drop chairs off. We help set them up. If you’re sitting in a quality task chair right now and something doesn’t feel right, spend five minutes with this guide before deciding the chair doesn’t fit. It probably just needs to be tuned to your body.
Trilogie is a commercial office furniture dealership specializing in ergonomic task seating and workplace design. We help businesses select and properly configure seating for every role and body type.
