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Monitor Glare Desk Layout Checker

Screen washed out by the window, or squinting into daylight? Enter the room, the window and your monitor to compare positions and directions by glare risk.

Compare monitor positions

Units

This is a plan seen from above with north at the top. All positions are measured in in from the room’s northwest corner.

59.1 in to 590.6 in

59.1 in to 590.6 in

Wall with the window

From the north end of the wall to the top edge of the window

At least 11.8 in. Glass width including the frame

Which way the screen faces (= where you sit)

Blank uses 23.6 in. 11.8 in to 59.1 in

Time of day (optional)

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Example

In a 13 × 10 ft room (156 × 120 in) with a window on the north wall, a monitor in the middle with its screen facing north puts the window right behind you, so it can reflect on the screen and the risk is high. Turning the screen to face east or west, so the window is at your side, lowers it to low.

How it works

Seen from above, the tool compares two angles. If a window is behind you, close to the direction the screen reflects, it can show up on the screen. If a window is behind the monitor in your line of sight, it causes backlight glare. The closer the angle, the higher the risk; the angle limits are site estimates, not official values.

OSHA’s computer workstation guide says to place the monitor perpendicular to the window, which is what the lowest-risk layouts usually look like. Closing curtains or choosing a time when the sun is not on that window lowers the result by one level. Sun height, glass and weather are not calculated, and the midday sun direction assumes the Northern Hemisphere.

Frequently asked questions

Where should a monitor go next to a window?

Usually with the window at your side, so the screen is perpendicular to the window, as OSHA recommends.

Does it count ceiling lights?

No. It looks at one window only. Ceiling lights, lamps and white walls can also reflect.

I live in the Southern Hemisphere. What time of day should I pick?

Choose “Not selected”. The time options assume the midday sun comes from the south.

Sources and last updated

  • OSHA, Computer Workstations eTool: Monitors: place the monitor perpendicular to the window (checked 2026-10-27).
  • The angle limits and the one-level adjustments for curtains and time of day are site assumptions, the same as on the Korean version of this tool.
  • Measurements stay in your browser and are not sent anywhere.

Last updated: · 한국어로 보기