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Q: I want to get my new TV off of its stand and up onto the wall. How high should I mount my TV? Do you have any advice for physically mounting the TV at the appropriate height?
A: How high to mount a TV is a question that fazes binge-watchers and cinephiles alike. Position the TV too high or low, and you’ll have to crane your neck or slump your shoulders to take in the on-screen action. A misplaced TV can also be a pain to remove and reinstall at another height, which is why it’s in your best interest to get it right the first time.
Manufacturers and home entertainment enthusiasts alike recommend mounting a TV at eye level for optimal viewing, but the best TV height for you can potentially depend on TV wall mount type, screen size, and other factors. The answer to how high should a TV be mounted sometimes varies slightly for those reasons, but you can safely stick to these rules of thumb.
The optimal TV height depends on one critical measurement.
When determining how high to mount a TV, most experts use the center of the TV screen as the main point of reference, no matter the screen size. Unless you’re mounting a TV for just one person to use, keeping the center of the TV at a comfortable viewing height for most people should be the goal. Forty-two inches from the floor to the center of the screen is the ideal TV mount height under most circumstances.
For tailored comfort, however, you can actually factor your height, and the height of fellow household members, into your TV’s height from the floor. You’ll find a more exact center point for your TV mount by measuring the distance from the floor to each household member’s eye level when sitting. Add those measurements together and divide by the total number of people for your bespoke TV wall mount height.
Note that while TV size doesn’t always affect mounting height, a TV’s dimensions are important to optimal viewing distance. If you have a large, 65-inch or 75-inch TV, it may be uncomfortable to watch if your seating is too close to the wall it’s mounted on, regardless of how high or low it’s mounted. In these and similar cases, use a TV mount height calculator to simplify the math and guesswork involved in determining the best TV viewing distance and height for your space.
Viewing height plays a part in determining how high to mount a TV on a wall.
Not all TV room chairs are guaranteed to be the same height. An open floor plan with counter-height bar stools, bar-height stools, and a sofa, for example, can complicate TV mounting height. Counter-height bar stools are higher off of the floor than sofa seats—anywhere from 24 to 29 inches to reach the counter. Bar-height stools are even taller, at 29 to 33 inches.
If seats in a room aren’t perfectly even in height, or the room in question isn’t a living room, consider the following approaches.
- Take the average viewing height across the different seating types into account when calculating the mounting height for a TV.
- Choose which type of seating will be most commonly used when watching TV and only consider that viewing height when installing the mount.
- If the TV will most often be viewed while standing, mount it at your household’s average eye level when standing. This may be the case for game rooms where other fixtures (e.g., pool tables or foosball tables) occupy the main focus of the room, as well as home gyms where you may wish to watch TV while walking on the treadmill or using other equipment.
Some common limits on TV mount height might affect installation.
There are several other spatial and functional considerations to account for when determining the position and height of a wall-mounted TV. In your home, these may include:
- When mounting a TV above an entertainment center or shelf, maintain a height gap of about 4 to 6 inches between—about the same distance you’d hang a mirror above a dresser.
- For rooms where children play, it’s usually best to mount the TV high enough so it is out of reach.
- If the ideal TV mount height would cause the screen to overlap with another appliance, structural element, or piece of furniture, simply position the TV screen’s center as close to viewing eye level as possible while leaving some clearance between the TV and the obstruction.
- When considering mounting a TV above a fireplace, leave a clearance of at least 6 to 12 inches from the top of the mantel to the bottom of the TV with a noncombustible barrier surrounding the entire fireplace to minimize the risk of damage. Mounting a TV any distance above a fireplace may void the TV’s warranty, so read the fine print before you do so.
Some types of TV mounts provide greater viewing angle and height flexibility.
When thinking about how high to hang a TV, you shouldn’t position it so high that viewers need to tilt their heads up more than 35 degrees from eye level in order to see the top of the screen, according to the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers.
Fortunately, tilting a TV’s screen downward is one way to position it higher than eye level without causing discomfort or neck strain, if necessary. This requires upgrading from a basic low-profile mount (which is stationary) to one of two other types of TV mounts: a tilting wall mount (which can move up or down) or full-motion mount (which can swivel in all directions). For a full walkthrough of how to install either type of mount, check out our guide on how to mount a TV.
Final Thoughts
Deciding where to mount a TV on the wall can be intimidating. Televisions are heavy and expensive items, so it’s important to get it right on the first try. Knowing how high to mount your TV depends on a few factors, and keeping the center of the screen at eye level is the most critical. While professional TV mount installation is always an option, careful measurements and the above tips will get your TV properly positioned for a comfortable premiere.
