Choose an adjustable single arm if calendar and email can share one monitor, or a dual arm if they need to stay visible on separate displays. Consider a heavy-duty single arm only when the monitor’s weight and depth call for one. In every case, check the mounting fit and available movement; repositioning a screen can help with reflections, but it cannot control daylight from the window.
If both applications fit on one display, a single arm lets you adjust that screen’s position near the window. The Health and Safety Executive advises placing the top of a screen at eye level and the screen about an arm’s length away, while arranging screens and lighting to avoid glare.
If the calendar must remain on one physical display while email occupies another, look at dual arms. Check each monitor’s weight and mounting pattern, as well as the desk fixing, before choosing an arrangement.
A heavy, deep or curved monitor calls for a closer look at the arm’s stated load range and any display-depth conditions. Check those conditions for the exact monitor and arm rather than relying on screen size alone.
Decide whether calendar and email need one screen or two, then check that the chosen arm fits the monitor and desk. Near a bright window, allow enough adjustment to position the display away from reflections without assuming the arm will solve every lighting problem.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Window glare and screen position | Check the arm’s height, tilt and turning range, plus clearance from the wall or window ledge. Assess the final screen position alongside the lighting, as the Health and Safety Executive advises. | If daylight catches my screen as it changes through the day, I need to move the display without losing a comfortable viewing position. Around 45% of consumers put glare and positioning first. |
| Monitor and desk fit | Match the monitor’s VESA pattern and weight without its stand to the arm’s supported range; measure the intended clamp or grommet fixing point. | Before I choose how far an arm moves, I need to know it will fit my existing monitor and desk. For around 33% of consumers, compatibility is the primary concern. |
| Separate-screen workflow | Decide whether two physical displays are necessary. For a dual arm, check the published limit for each monitor and the space available to position both screens. | If I need my calendar continuously visible while working in email, separate displays may matter more than rearranging windows on one screen. That is the first priority for around 22% of consumers. |
A matching screen diagonal does not establish mounting compatibility. Ergotron identifies the VESA hole pattern and monitor weight as primary checks, and some arms have additional conditions for deep displays.
Find the monitor’s weight without its stand and exact mounting pattern, then compare them with the full load range and conditions for the arm you want.
A clamp or grommet mount needs the right desk thickness and enough space around its fixing point. Kensington, for example, specifies different desk-thickness limits for the two mounting methods on its Space-Saving Single Monitor Arm.
Measure the intended fixing point, including clearance underneath and behind the desk, against the selected model’s installation requirements.
A dual arm serves a different workflow from placing calendar and email windows side by side on one monitor. Each display must also meet the arm’s per-monitor requirements.
Decide whether the calendar needs its own physical screen before checking dual-arm capacity and adjustment layout.
A second display also needs space for its cable and power connection.
Moving a monitor changes its angle to the light but does not control the light itself. The Health and Safety Executive advises considering screen placement and lighting together to avoid reflections.
Check for reflections at the times you normally work, then adjust the screen and address the window or room lighting where needed.
Ergotron offers single, dual and heavy-duty desk-mounted monitor arms. Check the capacity of the particular model rather than treating these as interchangeable options.
Humanscale offers adjustable arms for desk and sit/stand setups, including the M2 Pro for lighter monitors.
Kensington offers compact single-screen and dual-screen monitor-arm options relevant to this desk setup.
An arm can help you reposition and tilt the screen, but it cannot control daylight. The Health and Safety Executive advises arranging screens and lighting together to avoid reflections and glare.
Check the monitor’s VESA hole pattern and weight without its stand, then measure desk thickness and clearance at the intended fixing point. Compare those details with the exact arm’s load range, clamp or grommet requirements and any conditions for deep or curved displays.
Not if both applications can stay visible on one display; an adjustable single arm can serve that arrangement. If each application needs a separate physical screen, check a dual arm’s published capacity for each monitor and whether both screens can be positioned as needed.
A workstation assessment does not, by itself, prescribe a monitor arm. For workers who use display screen equipment daily as part of normal work for continuous periods of an hour or more, the UK Health and Safety Executive says employers must assess the workstation; any adjustment should address the workstation and the worker’s needs.