When space is at a premium, sometimes the best option is to just invest in a small lap desk that you can store underneath your bed. These lap desks are great alternatives and provide you with enough support to get the job done. While the die-hard work from home community may not have this as their primary desk, they do make a great secondary option if you’d like to mix it up with a different setup from time to time.

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    • Excellent air ventilation
    • Cushion conforms to lap
    • 17.75" x 13.75" dimensions

    The LapGear Designer Lap Desk has a wide surface that can support laptops up to 15.6”. It also comes in a larger size for even bigger laptops. The cushion below the wooden surface provides plenty of padding for your lap. That, combined with the smooth wood surface to ventilate your laptop will keep your lap cool. The different styles of cushion fabric give it extra customizability – there’s a design for everyone. It also comes with a phone holder and strap to keep materials from sliding off your desk. 

    2 Magnetic Dry Erase Lap Desk

    Premium Choice
    • Doubles as a Dry Erase Board
    • Media slot for cell phone or tablet
    • 19.68” x 14.17” surface dimensions

    This  Lap Desk has a lot of built-in features which makes it one of our favorite picks. The surface is magnetic and functions as a dry erase board with a built-in graph rule overlay – perfect for any students out there! The flat surface makes for great airflow and ventilation, and the tapered padding below conforms to your lap and gives the stand a tilt for better ergonomic design. It also has a built-in tablet or e-reader holder. This Desk has it all!

    • Lightweight and sturdy
    • Highly versatile
    • Supports sitting and standing

    This lapdesk has a little something for everyone. It is highly versatile and allows you to adjust the settings to suit whatever needs you have. It also comes with a mouse tray. This desk is great for anyone who wants to turn their current desk into a standing desk, while also using it for other rooms in the house like a stand to watch a video on while in bed. 

    • Comfortable and Secure Design
    • Lightweight and portable
    • Built-in mouse pad

    This lapdesk has a beautiful design and provides really great comfort with it’s built-in cushions for your wrists and legs. It has compartments for your laptop/tablet, pens, mouse, and phone. It’s also highly portable and can easily be stored under your bed. 

    • Storage pockets
    • Ambidextrous
    • 22. 4" x 15. 7" dimension

    We like the lapdesk original because of its built-in storage pockets, overall comfort, and ambidextrous design. It is large enough to fit any laptop on the market, and should keep your legs and wrists comfortable. It’s also very light, portable, and easy to store under the bed or wherever you’d like. 

    • Versatile: aA
    • Lightweight
    • 20.5” x 11.8” dimensions

    This lap desk is highly adjustable. It can be raised between 9.4 and 12.6 inches off the ground and can also tilt up to 35 degrees. The raised legs fold down for easy storage, and while upright, it means your lap won’t get any heat transfer from your laptop. This desk is very versatile and can also be used for other things like breakfast in bed or to prop up your laptop to watch a movie on it. 

    • Tapered cushion for comfort
    • Media slot for cell phone
    • 17.69” x 12.5” dimensions

    LapGear’s eDesk has a smooth and flat surface for good airflow and ventilation. Its surface is also tilted just a little to provide just a bit more elevation for you and a slightly better ergonomic setup. We like the media slot for your tablet. It’s also very portable and has a built-in handle to easily carry it around if you are on the go. 

    • Built-in straps and handles
    • Can rest on arm chairs over lap
    • 30.5'' x 12.5'' surface dimensions

    The Hebb Wood Curved Laptop Tray is made from natural wood and provides a ton of space to work on. This is the idea desk if you want a larger space to hold multiple nic nacs. The all natural wood design makes for one of the more aesthetically pleasing lap desks on the market. The long design can also rest on any chair arms – this helps keeps things steady and avoids any heat transfer from your laptop. 

    • Ample padding for good comfort
    • USB powered reading light
    • 20” x 16” surface dimensions

    This lap desk’s main feature is a built-in USB powered light. It also has a nice wood surface made from bamboo and ample padding to keep your lap comfortable. The smooth wood surface provides plenty of airflow and good ventilation for your laptop. 

    • Bamboo wood surface
    • Hidden storage compartment
    • 17” x 11” surface dimensions

    This lap desk has a beautiful bamboo wood surface and ample padding below to fit nicely on your lap. The flat surface is the standard for good airflow and ventilation. This desk also has built-in storage below the wooden surface, which can accommodate up to 15” laptop and/or other accessories like tablets, chargers, notebooks, etc. The desktop is securely fastened by magnets but can be lifted up to access the storage compartment. 

    What Makes The Best Lap Desk

    What Is A Lap Desk?

    For those thinking about a lap desk for the first time, a lap desk is a simple and flat surface that rests comfortably on your lap, or sometimes comes with legs to avoid touching you altogether.

    They are ideal if you are very short on space, or want to mix things up throughout your workday. In fact, we want to point out that having a lapdesk as your permanent desk solution is not our recommendation. Ergonomically speaking, you want to limit yourself to using a lap desk for an hour or two per day.

    A desk is far better for your overall comfort and health. But that being said, sometimes everyone just wants to lean back on the couch or lay in bed for a bit and work with more comfort, and that’s where the lap desk comes in!

    Who Uses Lap Desks And What Do They Use Them For?

    Lap Desks date back hundreds of years ago and are used by all types of people. Thomas Jefferson even drafted part of the Declaration Of Independence on a lap desk he designed. Today, they are used by working professionals, students, gamers, and more. Most lap desks today are designed large enough to support a laptop or tablet. Or, they can give you a flat surface for a notebook to go on. So whether you are using a computer, writing a note, or doing a crossword puzzle, lap desks can help.

    Lap Desks are also highly portable and can store easily. This makes it easy for you to move from the bed to the couch. And, they keep your workstation (your lap desk setup) organized and the same. We also recommend ones that stay relatively flat or can fold up for easy storage. Most can fit underneath an average bed frame.

    What Qualities Should You Look For In A Lap Desk?

    Heat Distribution

    One major selling point of a lap desk is to better handle the heat that transmits from your laptop to your lap. Some come with built-in fans, others have padding or good ventilation. This is an important feature to avoid laptop burn on your skin.

    Width

    For most working professionals with laptops, you will want a lap desk with a minimum width of 15 inches to support your laptop. A 15 inch Macbook Pro’s width is roughly 14.8 inches (this is because laptops screens sizes are measured diagonally). So if you want a little extra room for your phone, pens, post-it notes, and other nic-nacs, you should plan accordingly and get a larger design.

    Weight

    You’re going to have your computer and an assortment of other things on your lap, so it’s best to have a lightweight lap desk that won’t add much weight and pressure to your lap. Anything over five pounds is probably overkill, unless it comes with built in legs so that your lap doesn’t feel any weight at all. Lap desks with legs also will help combat the heat transfer!

    Stability

    You want something that isn’t going to wobble off your lap and send your stuff flying. Generally speaking, most lap desks without legs are very stable. Some legged lap desks can be flimsy – we recommend reading the review and doing your homework here.

    Ambidextrous Design

    Some lap desks are designed with a mouse tray that only comes on the right hand side. For all our work from home left handed people out there – avoid these!

    Additional Features

    There aren’t any mind blowing features that lap desks come with, but the ones we like most come with additional padding for your lap and wrists. We also like ones that have built-in storage mechanisms for phones, notebooks, folders, pens, post-its, etc.

    Conclusion

    In short, lap desks can be great surfaces to work from while on the couch or laying in bed. But, they should be limited to only a small amount of time per day. They are highly portable, and we recommend getting one that you can easily store. Be sure to get one wide enough for your needs, and especially pay attention to ones that offer good ventilation so that your lap doesn’t start burning up from your laptop heat. Good luck! We’d love to know your favorites in the comments.

    FAQ

    How does a Lap Desk Help Me?

    A lap desk is a desk that maximizes your flexibility. If you want to work from the bed, couch, or bath a lapdesk enables you to work and support your computer or other devices. A laptop desk not only enhances your flexibility but it is portable so you can work from different environments or rooms easily.

    Are Lap Desks Portable?

    Yes. Lap desks are easily movable, light, and easy to store and move around throughout your home. A portable lap desk gives you the ultimate flexibility to choose where you work from without placing a hot, overheating laptop or device directly on your lap.

    Are Lap Desks professional?

    Yes. Lap desks are used for casual or professional work. Lap desks tend not to be used for fulltime work all of the time because they value more space and storage that larger desks provide. However, if space is limited and you want to use a lap desk you certainly can!

    Kevin
    Kevin

    Kevin is a WFH veteran. He has spent the better half of the past decade traveling the world while working remotely. Kevin has recently settled down and stopped traveling frequently, but continues to work from home and has created a spectacular home office. He loves reviewing new products for his office and sharing his insights so that people can improve their home office experience.

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