A laptop on its edge
A vertical laptop stand holds a closed laptop upright, like a book on a shelf, so it takes up a strip of desk a few centimetres wide instead of the space of an open laptop. You do not look at the laptop's own screen at all. A monitor, keyboard and mouse do the work, and the laptop does the computing from the side of the desk. It suits anyone who uses a laptop as a desktop computer during the day and takes it away in the evening.
What is in this range
- Aluminium stands with a slot that widens and narrows. The ranges stated here run from about 14mm up to 42mm on some and 69mm on others, so check your laptop's thickness against it.
- A gravity-lock stand whose grip closes on its own as the laptop is set into it, for laptops up to 35mm thick.
- Dual-slot stands that hold two laptops, or a laptop and a tablet, side by side.
- Plastic and wooden holders, and one stand made for a Mac mini.
Most have silicone pads inside the slot and on the base, so the laptop's finish is not scratched and the stand does not slide.
Running a laptop with the lid shut
This needs a little setting up. Apple says that to use a Mac laptop with the lid closed you need an external display, a keyboard and a mouse or trackpad connected, and the Mac connected to power. On a Windows laptop, the power settings include what closing the lid does; set it to do nothing while plugged in.
Because everything plugs into the laptop, a vertical stand is usually paired with a docking station or a USB-C hub, so one cable connects the monitor, keyboard, mouse and charger. The guide to choosing a USB-C hub or docking station explains which to pick.
How to choose a vertical stand
Thickness. Measure the closed laptop at its thickest point, in its case if it stays in one.
Vents. Look where your laptop's vents are before you stand it up, so the edge that sits in the slot does not cover one.
Ports. Check the cables can reach the ports on the side that faces up.
Questions people ask about vertical laptop stands
Is it bad for a laptop to stand upright?
No. Standing on its edge leaves both sides of the base open to the air, as long as no vent is down in the slot.
Can I fit a laptop in a hard-shell case?
Yes, if the closed laptop and case together are inside the slot range the stand states.
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