A wrist rest is one of the few desk accessories that can make things worse if you get it wrong. Almost all of that comes down to two things: its height, and what part of your hand you put on it.
It is a palm rest, not a wrist rest
The name is misleading. The idea is not to plant your wrists on it and pivot your hands while typing — that holds the wrist at an angle and keeps pressure on the underside for hours. The rest is there for the heel of your palm, and mostly for the pauses between bursts of typing. While you are actively typing, your hands should float, with the rest under them as a place to land.
Match the height to your keycaps
This is the measurement that matters. The top surface of the rest should sit level with, or very slightly below, the front edge of your keyboard where your palms would naturally fall. Too low and your wrists angle up; too high and they angle down. Either way you have introduced a bend that was not there before.
- Low-profile or laptop-style keyboard → a slim rest, roughly 1.5–2 cm.
- Standard mechanical board → around 2 cm.
- High-profile mechanical with tall cases → check the case height at the front edge and match it.
Our wrist and palm rests list their thickness on every product page for exactly this reason — the Willow Walnut Ergonomic Wrist Pad comes in multiple sizes so the length matches your board as well as the height.
Hard wood versus soft foam
It is counterintuitive, but a hard surface is often the more comfortable choice over a full day. Soft foam and gel compress under the palm and let the hand sink, which slowly changes your hand angle as you press. Solid walnut does not move, so your hands stay where you put them, and the surface temperature stays pleasant against skin.
Soft rests have their place — mostly on desks where the rest doubles as something to lean on between tasks. If your hands are on the keyboard for six hours a day, try hard first.
Split keyboards and mice
An Alice-layout or split board needs a rest shaped to match the halves rather than one straight bar — that is what the Vantage Split Walnut Palm Rest exists for. On the mouse side, a small dedicated rest like the Copper Walnut Palm and Mouse Rest matters more than people expect, because the mouse hand holds one position far longer than the typing hand does.
Two-minute check
- Hands on the home row. Look at your forearm and the back of your hand from the side — they should form close to a straight line.
- Wrist bent up? The rest is too low, or your chair is.
- Wrist bent down? The rest is too tall for the keyboard.
- Pressure point under the wrist joint? Slide your hands forward so the heel of the palm takes the weight instead.
This is general setup guidance, not medical advice. Persistent pain or numbness is a reason to see a qualified professional, not to buy another accessory.