The Very Best Lap Desks

Dimensions: 21 inches wide, 12 inches deep | Cushioned

This has been the Strategist’s go-to lap desk for over four years, thanks to the recommendation of former Strategist tech writer Jordan Bowman. He used the LapGear for years, “and it’s especially nice to have while watching YouTube videos or working while lying around the house,” he wrote. The desk’s built-in cushion nestles on your lap and keeps everything balanced. Bowman particularly likes the cell-phone tray, which props your phone up alongside your laptop. For me, the best feature is the mouse pad. As someone who’d often just grab an old magazine to use as a mouse pad, it feels like a luxury. I have the espresso shade (to match my desk’s color scheme), but the lap desk is available in six shades, from silver carbon to a pretty pink. It’s big enough to comfortably fit a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

Dimensions: 17 inches wide, 13 inches deep | Cushioned 

Issy Sampson, deputy digital showbiz editor at News UK, always dreamed about a job for which she could work from bed. “It turns out in practice, it’s actually really hard. Issues include my overheating laptop burning my legs or sliding off my legging-clad lap as I furiously type on deadline,” she wrote. After using a makeshift lap desk (i.e., perching her laptop on a breadboard), she decided to invest in the real thing. Her pick — which like the LapGear desk also comes in a marbly option — leaves enough room for a laptop with a screen between 13 and 16 inches wide, and the entire thing is cushioned for extra comfort as you work. “When I first waved my new ‘desk’ down the camera at a team catch-up meeting the following week, everyone mocked me,” says Sampson. “But since then, 7 out of my 14-strong team have secretly contacted me to admit they’ve done the same thing.”

Dimensions: 17.75 inches wide, 13.75 inches deep | Cushioned

This is the lap desk that I’m currently using daily. I’ve relaxed by journaling for years, and I like to look through my camera roll as I’m writing to jog my memory. With this desk, I can slot my phone in the corner and glance up at my pictures as I write. It’s also handy for when I’m jotting down ingredients I need to buy while watching TikTok recipes (regrettably where all of my limited cooking ability comes from). At times when I’m working from my couch, my MacBook fits nicely on the surface, but there’s no room for a pen and paper, so if I want to scribble anything down, I do have to go back to my desk. It’s also nicely cushioned, and comes in a nice enough gingham pattern that I keep it perched on my bed with my other cushions and teddies when I’m not using it throughout the day.

Dimensions: 18.5 inches wide, 14 inches deep | Cushioned

“Even if you’ve got a plush office setup at home, I recommend getting a lap desk because there are going to be those times you feel like working in bed or on the couch,” says Sarah Brown, Violet Grey’s executive director. The desk she uses from Sofia + Sam has all the bells and whistles: an LED lamp, a memory-foam cushion, a cushioned rest for your wrist, and an extending slot that can hold a phone and a mouse. But there’s no opening to feed a phone charger through, so you’ll have to make sure your device is charged before getting comfortable. It’s big enough to fit a 13- or 15-inch laptop and has a little slot for a tablet in case you’re more of an iPad worker.

Dimensions: 21.8 inches wide, 13.9 inches deep | Cushioned 

Architectural designer and blogger Sade Akinsanya has been using a version of this classic lap tray for years. It’s a multitasker that she says she reaches for “when I want to work from bed, when I want to eat and watch Netflix, when I want to photograph something.” The desk’s 3-inch legs slot comfortably over your body when you’re lying down, and at 21 inches wide, the desk can fit larger laptops or smaller models along with a notepad. It has a stand for propping up a phone and a tablet, so you can stream on your phone as you snack in bed — but, again, there’s no slot through which to feed a phone charger.

Dimensions: 15.5 inches wide, 13.8 inches deep | Standing

Meredith Talusan, author of the memoir Fairest, uses a similar wood lap desk with legs. Her favorite of them all, which she takes with her on holiday, is from Songmics. “I like that it tilts and has that piece of wood that stops your laptop from falling down and even has a little drawer to keep your stuff in,” Talusan says. The desk has a few cutout holes to prevent your laptop from overheating. Also, the tiltable desk brings your laptop or tablet up to eye level, saving you some neck strain.

Dimension: 20 inches wide, 15 inches deep | Cushioned

Stevie Remsberg, New York Magazine’s senior art director and visuals manager, says her laptop gets so hot when she’s working that she can’t put it on her lap directly. Instead, she perches it on this laptop support desk from Ikea. “I needed something to sort of prop it up, and it just seemed crazy to bring a whole table. It made more sense to have my laptop on my lap. This thing works great. It has a beanbag cushion on the bottom, so it’s comfortable too,” she says. And if you’re wondering how to keep it clean, the cushioned cover is conveniently machine washable.