15 Best Office Chairs of 2026— I’ve Tested 65 to Pick Them

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I have been working from home for seven years, and let me tell you one thing: Investing in the best office chair you can afford is one of the smartest things you can do if you also find yourself in a home office for eight hours a day. It's not just about finding a comfortable seat—the best desk chairs utilize the right materials to dissipate body heat. They are adjustable enough to tailor the chair to your body. There are many options at varying prices, and my job over the past few years has been to test dozens, from budget-friendly chairs from Staples to Herman Miller classics.

My favorite office chair for most people is the Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro, as it strikes a good balance between price and features, but not every recommendation will work for every person. We all have different body types, which is why we've put together a collection of our favorites. Hopefully, we have a home office chair for you here.

For more home office buying guides, check out our Best Standing Desks, Best Laptop Stands, Best Home Office Gear, Best Mechanical Keyboards, and Best Webcams guides.

Updated April 2026: We've added the Herman Miller Sayl, Haworth Zody, and Razer Iskur V2 NewGen.

How to Sit Properly at a Desk

It's not just about finding a chair you like. We've rounded up several tips on how to set up your desk properly here, and how to avoid tech neck, but here are a few highlights.

Sitting for too long in a day is not good for your health, no matter what chair you use. It increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. The best thing you can do is get up and move every half hour. If you can, a 40-minute walk per day can, according to a recent study, make a big difference in countering some effects of a sedentary lifestyle. You probably don't need to bother with an active chair. Our recommendation? Try a smartwatch. Most have movement reminders that encourage you to stretch your legs. If you're dealing with back pain, your first step is to consult your physician.

Make sure your chair's armrests are adjustable. Your palms should be elevated over your desk, which should be at elbow level, and your wrists should be straight. If the bottom of your palm is resting on the desk or wrist rest, there's a chance you're putting too much pressure on your nerves, which could lead to issues like carpal tunnel syndrome. Talk to your physician if you're feeling any kind of pain. A gaming mouse, often more ergonomic than a standard mouse, might be helpful; just make sure to find one that fits your palm size.

When you look forward, your eyes should align with the top of your monitor or laptop. That might mean finding a chair that can adjust up and down, elevating your laptop with a stand, or raising the height of your monitor. This puts less pressure on your neck and spine—you shouldn't be craning your neck up or down.

What Should I Look for in an Office Chair?

A good rule of thumb is that the more adjustable a chair is, the better. Now, that doesn't mean this chair is the absolute best, but it gives you the possibility to mold it to your body shape, which hopefully makes it a comfier and more supportive seat. Here's what you can expect to adjust on a chair.

Armrests: Most chairs let you move the armrests side to side, up and down, forward and back. It's even nicer when you're able to lock the armrest into place so that they don't slide around as your elbows rest on them. The armrest should naturally allow your palms to slightly hover over the desk. You'll often see descriptors like “4D” and “5D adjustable armrests,” which denote how many directions you can adjust the armrest.

Seat height: It's worth checking a chair's maximum and minimum height before you buy because they might not work for your current desk (unless you have a standing desk where you can adjust the height). This is usually a pneumatic lift lever under the chair—pull the lever and get off the seat to let the chair go up, then sit on it and pull the lever to bring it down to your preference. Your feet should be planted on the floor at a 90- or 100-degree angle. If your chair arrives and it doesn't get as high as you'd like, don't worry, there's a very simple fix. Some office chair brands offer “tall cylinders" for not a lot of money, and if not, you can usually find third-party options on retailers like Amazon (make sure you buy for your specific chair!). Simply swap your existing cylinder with the tall version, and you'll have a greater height range to work with. You may be able to choose this option before checking out, or reach out to the company to see if they can swap it for you.

Seat depth: Seat depth is important for taller folks. This is usually a mechanism that lets you pull the seat out so that your thighs get the proper support. There should be 1 to 2 inches between the front of the seat and the back of your knees. Taller people with longer legs may not get the best support if you can't adjust the seat depth.

Seat tilt: This isn't as common as the above adjustments, but it's designed to tilt the seat up or down. This can help posture and prevent back pain, though it can take some getting used to.

Lumbar support: Most office chairs offer lumbar support, which can look like a separate piece attached to the backrest that can slide up and down. This piece supports your lower back (the lumbar region!), specifically maintaining the curve of the spine to maintain good posture as you sit and, ideally, warding off back pain. Check your chair manufacturer's assembly instructions to learn how to adjust the lumbar support, and place the support on the curve of your lower back. What I like to do is run my hand along my spine until I reach the natural dip, then I try to make sure the lumbar support sits at that exact location. Some chairs also let you adjust the depth of the lumbar support, pushing it further inward or outward. Make sure it feels natural and that it's not digging in. Play around with this until it feels comfortable and natural. Your shoulders should align with your hips, and you shouldn't feel like you're leaning forward.

Recline: Almost every office chair lets you lock or unlock the recline, but some go a step further and let you tweak the tension of the recline. This allows you to use more or less force when you lean back, which comes down to how much resistance you want when you lean back.

How We Test Office Chairs

My home office is often filled with at least four or five chairs at any given time. It takes me a while to test them because I prefer to sit on these office chairs for more than two weeks at a bare minimum, though that often extends into a month. It's hard to gauge the supportiveness of a chair by sitting on it for less than a week. I adjust it to my 6'4" preferences, and sometimes have my 5'1" wife sit on it for her two cents. I try out all the adjustments throughout the testing period, too. It's not just about the chair; aesthetics are important, and I also research these companies, looking into their warranties, customer service, and overall reliability.

How Does WIRED Select Chairs to Be Reviewed?

I routinely look at the market to find new office chairs that have hit the scene, whether it's from a newcomer or an established brand like Herman Miller. I typically reach out to these companies to ask for the product, but I do not promise any kind of editorial coverage—that goes against WIRED's editorial policies. Yes, WIRED earns affiliate revenue if you purchase an office chair using our link, but this is not factored into the decision process.

As much as I'd like to test and review every single chair, it's just not feasible with our resources. You may find some notable missing options in this guide, like the Steelcase Leap. I'll be testing it in the future and will gradually try to evaluate all the top options in the market.

After I've finished testing a chair