How high to mount a TV
The simple rule: the centre of the screen should be at eye level for the person watching from the main seat. That keeps your head straight and your neck relaxed for a two-hour film. On a typical sofa, seated eye height is around 42 inches (107 cm), which is why "42 inches to the centre" is the figure you see most often. It's a good starting point, not a law: tall people, low sofas and recliners all change it, so the calculator uses your own eye height.
Because the centre stays at eye level, a bigger TV simply reaches lower and higher. For a 42-inch eye height on a sofa:
| TV size | Bottom edge | Top edge |
|---|---|---|
| 43 in | 31.5 in (80 cm) | 52.5 in (133 cm) |
| 50 in | 29.5 in (76 cm) | 54.5 in (138 cm) |
| 55 in | 28.5 in (72 cm) | 55.5 in (141 cm) |
| 65 in | 26 in (66 cm) | 58 in (147 cm) |
| 75 in | 23.5 in (60 cm) | 60.5 in (153 cm) |
| 85 in | 21 in (54 cm) | 63 in (160 cm) |
The TV mount height from floor to the bottom edge is useful for checking that it clears a TV stand or soundbar. To choose the TV size itself, use the screen size calculator, which also suggests a size for your viewing distance.
How high to mount a TV on the wall: step by step
- Measure your eye height sitting where you usually watch: floor to eyes. Ask someone to measure while you sit normally.
- Enter the TV size and the distance from your eyes to the wall. The TV height calculator returns the centre, top and bottom heights.
- Find the mount holes: on the back of the TV, measure from the centre of the VESA mounting holes to the centre of the screen. Enter it, and you get the height for the centre of the wall bracket.
- Mark and check with a strip of painter's tape the size of the screen before you drill. Sit down and look at it: it's much easier to move tape than holes.
- Fix the bracket into studs or with anchors rated for the TV's weight, and follow the bracket's instructions.
How high to mount a TV in the bedroom
Sitting up in bed puts your eyes higher than on a sofa, typically around 50 to 55 inches (127 to 140 cm) from the floor depending on the bed and pillows, so the TV goes higher too. If you mostly watch lying back, a slight downward tilt helps. Start with the bedroom preset, then measure your own eye height in bed for an exact number.
How high to mount a TV above a fireplace
Above a mantel, the TV has to clear the shelf, and that usually lifts the centre well above eye level. Enter the mantel height and the calculator raises the TV to 4 inches (10 cm) above it, then shows the angle you'll be looking up. For example, a 65-inch TV over a 54-inch mantel, watched from 10 feet, ends up with its centre about 74 inches high: 15° above eye level, and about 22° to the top edge. Most people find around 15° the limit for comfortable long viewing, so in that situation a tilting or pull-down mount, or sitting further back, makes a real difference. Check the TV maker's guidance on heat before mounting over a working fireplace.
How high to mount a TV in the living room
In a living room with one main sofa, use the sofa's eye height. With several seats at different heights, use the seat you watch from most, or the average. If the TV sits on a stand instead of the wall, the same rule applies: the centre at eye level means the stand height plus half the screen height should come close to your eye height.
How we tested this tool
We checked the screen dimensions against the 16:9 formula for 43 to 85-inch TVs (a 55-inch screen is 47.9 × 27.0 in), that the centre equals the eye height when nothing is underneath, that a mantel raises the TV to 4 in above it, that the bracket height follows the hole offset in both directions, and that the viewing angles match trigonometry (the fireplace example above: 14.9° to the centre, 21.7° to the top). We switched between inches and centimetres and back without the values drifting, and tested in a desktop browser and at a 375 px phone width. The eye-height presets are typical values, not measurements of you.
Frequently asked questions
How high should I mount my TV?
Put the centre of the screen at the eye level of the person watching from the main seat. For most sofas that is about 42 inches (107 cm) from the floor. The bigger the TV, the lower its bottom edge sits for the same centre height.
Is 42 inches the right TV height for every room?
No. 42 inches is a typical seated eye height on a sofa. For a bed, a high chair or a kitchen where you stand, measure your eye height while sitting or standing there and enter it in the calculator.
How high should a TV be mounted above a fireplace?
It has to clear the mantel, which usually puts the screen centre well above eye level. If the angle to the centre is more than about 15 degrees, use a tilting or pull-down mount, or sit further back. Also check the manufacturer's heat guidance for mounting above a working fireplace.
Where do I drill for the TV bracket?
Measure on the back of the TV how far the centre of the mounting holes is below or above the centre of the screen, and enter it. The calculator then gives the height for the centre of the wall bracket. Fix the bracket into studs or with anchors rated for the TV's weight.
What is the best TV height for a bedroom?
When you watch sitting up in bed your eyes are higher than on a sofa, often around 50 to 55 inches from the floor, so the TV goes higher than in a living room. Measure your eye height in bed and use the bedroom preset as a start.
Does the viewing distance change the mounting height?
The centre height stays at eye level, but distance changes the angle. From further away a TV mounted too high is easier on the neck, while close up even a small height difference means tilting your head.