Where to Put a Mouse or Trackpad

Published on Mar 23, 2025, filed under misc. (Share this post, e.g., on Mastodon.)

This is one of 180 articles that you can also read in an ebook: On Web Development II.

A mouse or trackpad, I learned 18 years ago, belongs in front of the keyboard:

A mouse shown in front of, not to the left or right of, a keyboard. — Where a mouse or a trackpad may feel most comfortable. (Courtesy Roger Johansson.)

Placing it there reduces distance and therefore work needed to switch from keyboard to mouse or trackpad, and vice versa. It also promotes a more balanced posture: both arms angled similarly, instead of one pointing inwards, the other ahead.

Roger, who had inspired me to adopt this setup, wrote about this in the context of RSI (repetitive strain injury). I’m not a doctor, so my experience is no medical advice: For the nearly 20 years I’ve gone from mouse/trackpad to-the-side to mouse/trackpad in-front, I’ve never had any problems with my hands or wrists. ^*

Why am I sharing this? Just to point to this option. For me, arranging mouse/trackpad and keyboard this way always made sense and quickly felt natural. ^† Maybe it will be similar for you.

^* …or any other problems, though I should add that for more than 10 years, I’ve also largely been working while standing, which feels good and healthy as well.

^† Has there ever been an exception? Yes! When playing certain games like first-person shooters (as I did with Counter-Strike), where you constantly use both keyboard and mouse simultaneously, it justifies, even necessitates, using both next to each other.

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m an engineering lead, guerrilla philosopher, and indie publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead and engineering manager at various companies (e.g., Google); I’m an active web and tool developer (code optimization, digital defense), a contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and a book author (O’Reilly, Frontend Dogma).

I love trying things—in web development and engineering management, but also in politics and philosophy, where I hold to one idea in particular: that we can only be well if we take good care of everyone. Here on meiert.com I talk about some of my perspectives and experiences. (Please share feedback: Interpret charitably, keep it friendly, but do be critical.)