Checking a Monitor's VESA Mount Pattern Before Buying a Wall Arm

You have a monitor and you want to put it on a wall arm. Before you spend money, you need to know whether the monitor has a VESA mount pattern and what size it is. Getting this wrong means the arm won’t fit, and you’ll be back at the returns desk.

This piece is built from published specifications and reported failure patterns. It is not based on a multi-week single-unit test.

What the VESA pattern actually means

VESA mount patterns are just a set of hole spacings on the back of a monitor. The standard covers flat displays, and the pattern is expressed as two numbers: horizontal distance between holes, then vertical distance, in millimetres.

Common sizes on desk monitors are 75x75 and 100x100. Larger displays sometimes use 200x200 or 400x400. The wall arm you buy will state which patterns it supports, usually as a range or a list.

If your monitor has no holes at all, it is not VESA-compatible out of the box. Some curved or ultra-thin panels skip the holes entirely. In that case you would need an adapter bracket, which is a separate decision and not covered by the arm itself.

Where to look first

The fastest check is the manual or the manufacturer’s spec page. Look for a section called “mounting” or “VESA compatibility”. The pattern is often written as “VESA 100x100” or “Mounting hole pattern: 75 x 75 mm”.

If you no longer have the manual, the model number is usually on a sticker on the back of the monitor or in the on-screen display menu under “information”. Enter that model number into the manufacturer’s support site.

A quick table of what different sources tell you:

Source	What it confirms	What it doesn’t confirm
Manual or spec sheet	Exact hole spacing, whether VESA is supported	Physical condition of holes
Manufacturer support page	Same as manual, sometimes more detailed	Whether third-party arms will clear the rear casing
Online retailer listing	Usually lists VESA in specs	Accuracy; listings sometimes copy wrong data
Physical inspection	Real hole spacing, thread depth, obstruction	Whether the arm’s plate will sit flush

The manual is the most reliable starting point because it comes from the people who made the monitor. But it will not tell you whether the recessed area around the holes is deep enough for the arm’s mounting plate. That is a physical check.

How to check the holes yourself

You can do this without removing the monitor from its current stand in most cases. Tilt the screen forward or lay it face-down on a soft surface. Look at the centre of the rear casing.

You are looking for four threaded holes arranged in a square or rectangle. Measure between the centres of the left and right holes, then between the top and bottom holes. Use a ruler or tape measure, not a guess.

Some monitors have a raised plastic section around the holes. The arm’s plate needs to sit flat against that section. If the plastic curves away or has a lip, the plate may not reach the threads. In that case you might need standoffs or longer screws, but the arm’s included hardware may not cover that.

A recessed VESA area is common on monitors with a curved back. Even if the pattern is 100x100, a shallow recess can stop the arm’s plate from seating properly. Check the depth before you buy the arm.

Also look at the screw size. Most desk monitors use M4 screws. Some larger displays use M6 or M8. The wall arm will include screws, but only certain sizes. If your monitor needs M6 and the arm ships with only M4, you’ll be buying screws separately.

When the spec sheet and the physical check disagree

This happens more than you would expect. A monitor listed as “VESA 100x100” may have holes that are actually 100mm apart horizontally but 100mm vertically only if you ignore a plastic trim piece. Or the spec sheet says 75x75 but the holes are covered by a snap-on panel.

If the physical measurement does not match the listed pattern, trust the physical measurement. You are mounting to the holes, not to the spec sheet.

Some monitors use a non-standard pattern that happens to be close to a VESA size. A 98mm hole spacing is not 100x100. Do not force it. The arm’s plate has fixed slots, and a 2mm difference means the screws will bind or cross-thread.

Internal links and further reading

If you are still deciding between a desk stand and a wall arm, the trade-offs differ. You can read more about desk mount options in our guide to monitor arm types.

If you already have the arm and want to know whether your wall can take the load, see our piece on checking wall strength before mounting a monitor.

Limits of the evidence

The information here is drawn from published VESA standards documents, manufacturer specification sheets, and reports from users who encountered fitting problems. No physical testing was done for this piece, and no single monitor model was examined. The advice about recessed areas and screw sizes reflects common patterns across many monitors, not a universal rule. Your specific monitor may differ, and the only way to be certain is to measure the holes and check the arm’s included hardware list before you commit to a purchase.