Your heavy mechanical keyboard will dent your desk pad.

Yes, it will leave permanent indentations over time.

Here’s why: Most desk-sized mousepads are made from soft foam or thick rubber with a cloth surface. A mechanical keyboard is heavy — especially with a metal plate and PBT keycaps — and it sits in one spot for hours. The rubber feet dig into the foam, and over weeks or months, the foam doesn’t bounce back. You end up with two shallow trenches where the keyboard was.

It’s worse with soft pads like the popular large ones from brands that prioritize comfort over durability. Hard pads (like a thin desk pad on top of a hard surface) or a separate mouse pad and a regular desk mat can avoid this entirely. Or just accept the dents and rotate your keyboard position every few months.

This is one of those things nobody warns you about until you flip your pad over and see permanent grooves.