Wall-mounted TV at seated eye level above a low media console

“How high should the TV be?” is the question we hear most. The short answer: the center of the screen should be close to your eye level when you’re sitting in your usual seat. Here’s how to work that out for your room.

Step by step

  1. Measure your seated eye level. Sit where you usually watch and measure from the floor to your eyes. On a typical sofa this is often somewhere around 40–48 inches.
  2. Find the middle of the screen. Measure the TV’s height (the screen and frame, not the diagonal) and halve it. A 55-inch TV is roughly 27 inches tall, so its center is about 13.5 inches from the bottom edge.
  3. Work out the bottom edge. Subtract half the TV height from your eye level. Example: 42” eye level − 13.5” = 28.5” from the floor to the bottom of the TV.
  4. Adjust for the room. Over a console, check that the TV clears whatever stands on it. Watching from far away, a little higher is fine. Over a fireplace, see below.
  5. Test before drilling. Tape the outline on the wall, sit down for a few minutes, and move it if you find yourself looking up.

Special cases

Small living rooms

You sit closer to the screen, so keep the center near eye level — looking up at a close screen is uncomfortable. A tilting mount helps if it has to go higher.

Bedrooms

If you watch lying down, the screen can sit higher than in a living room, angled down toward the bed with a tilting mount. Test from the pillow, not standing at the wall.

Above a fireplace

The mantel usually forces the TV higher than ideal. Mount it as low as heat and clearance allow and use a tilting or pull-down mount — more in 5 mistakes to avoid when mounting a TV over a fireplace.

Tips from installation day

  • When in doubt, go lower. A slightly low TV is far more comfortable than a slightly high one.
  • Plan for the main seat. Optimize for where you watch most, then check the view from the other seats.
  • Comfort beats symmetry. Lining the TV up with art or shelves matters less than not craning your neck.
  • The wall decides the hardware, not the height: studs, plaster, brick and concrete each need their own anchors. See how to choose a TV mount.

ArtFixPro mounts TVs in Manhattan and across NYC and agrees the height with you, with tape on the wall, before anything is drilled.