Thicker mousepads help, but desk height and arm support matter more.

Yes, a thinner pad on a hard desk causes more wrist fatigue. But thickness alone isn’t the whole story.

The real issue is where your wrist rests. A 2mm pad does almost nothing to cushion the bony part of your wrist against a hard desk. After a few hours, that pressure can get uncomfortable or even painful. A 4mm or 5mm pad gives noticeably more relief because the foam compresses and distributes the load.

But here’s the thing: if your desk is too high and your forearm is angled up, or you’re not resting your arm on anything, no mousepad thickness will fix that. The pressure comes from your wrist bearing your entire arm weight. A thicker pad helps, but getting your forearm parallel to the desk (or using an armrest) is the bigger win.

Also, I think the softer pad might feel nicer initially but can make your hand feel less stable for precise movements. Some people hate that and stick with thin pads for the control. Tradeoff.

**Don’t overthink it. Get a