As consumers, we don’t like to get bogged down by the technical jargon of our purchases. However, every now and then a term pops up that is crucial for us to understand. In the world of mounts, that term is VESA.

What is VESA

What exactly does VESA mean? Why is it so important to you, the consumer? In our fast paced world of advancing technology and ever slimming, increasingly lightweight monitor screens, there has been a growing desire to mount these screens to walls, ceilings, desks and more! To meet that need mount manufacturers began working in tandem with monitor manufacturers. Monitor Manufactures agreed to follow standards created by the Video Electronic Standards Association (VESA for short) to create holes in the back of our flat panel displays. These holes  line up with holes in the mounts we purchase that are universal and easy for us, as consumers, to use. It’s important to understand that although VESA is widely recognized it is NOT law.

How does it work

Now that you know what VESA means maybe you’d like to know how it works? Our store clearly lists the VESA compatibility dimensions that our mounts adhere to. For example, you might be looking at purchasing a wall mount for your home office computer monitor. You browse our store and find just the right one, the Systema Wall Mount. In the description of the product, you notice the bullet point, VESA Compatible: 75×75 and 100×100. You now know what VESA means but what about those numbers? Those numbers represent the space between the holes, measured in millimeters, on the back of your monitor. For an accurate fit, before you hit that “buy” button, make sure you measure those holes (or VESA pattern) on the back of your flat screen. Some things to remember when measuring are:

  • Measure from the center of the holes
  • Measure from the furthest 4 corners holes (if there are more than 4 holes)
  • Be aware of any curve on the back of the monitor that would affect mounting
  • Take both horizontal and vertical measurements

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Measuring can be tricky for those of us that favor centimeters over millimeters so this “cheat-sheet” might be of some help:

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In our above example of the Systema Wall Mount, the VESA patterns measurements were 75×75 AND 100×100. This tells us that the mount has holes to fit a monitor with a VESA pattern of both 75 millimeters by 75 millimeters and 100 millimeters by 100 millimeters. It’s that simple! The measurement of the VESA pattern, along with the size and weight of your monitor, is all you need to confidently purchase the perfectly fitted mount for your needs.

For the MAC users

VESA is widely recognized but is NOT law, as mentioned before.  Apple products do not offer VESA hole patterns on their monitors and iMacs. Furthermore, the native stand that comes with Apple products cannot be removed, therefore it is not VESA compatible after purchase. You can add an after-market VESA adapter to your apple display, but this adds an additional cost to the mount you’re looking for, and in many cases limits the mounting options. If you are considering a mount for a mac you are going to purchase, be sure to purchase the mac WITH A VESA ADAPTER (yes, Apple will sell you a VESA adapter for an additional cost instead of the native stand that it usually comes with) which will make the mac compatible with almost all of the mount we sell.

Still confused

We would love to help you! Please feel free to take advantage of our mount experts available by LiveChat on our Website or give us a call and we can assist you in finding the right mount for your needs! Did you find this article helpful? Leave us some feedback.