How to Raise Your Office Chair

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Although sitting for long periods of time in an office chair that is too low can cause a person all kinds of physical aches and pains, many people do not take the time to properly adjust their chairs. Perhaps these people are unaware of how quick and easy it is to raise an office chair to the appropriate height.

Decide on the optimal height for your office chair. Ideally, your feet should be able to rest comfortably on the floor, your thighs should be horizontal, and the angle between your thighs and calves should be about 90 degrees. Consider your work space. If your desk or keyboard requires you to sit higher, it might be better to raise your office chair and use a foot rest.

Determine what kind of office chair you have. Most of the newer office chairs have a pneumatic lever on one side of the chair underneath the seat that is used for adjustments. Older chairs do not have this lever and instead require you to manually rotate the seat clockwise or counter-clockwise in order to adjust the height.

Raise the seat. If your office chair has a lever, adjust the chair from a seated position by simply pulling on the lever and allowing the chair to lift. If your chair is an older model, simply stand in front of the chair and turn the seat either clockwise or counter-clockwise until the chair is at your desired level.


  • Sitting for long periods of time in an ill-fitting office chair can cause chronic aches and pains.


  • Some office chairs also allow you to adjust the backrest and armrests.