When it comes to organizing your workplace or home office, having a clean and clutter-free desk is a must for many people. Not only does it make it easier to find relevant papers, files, and stationery items, but an organized desk also provides a sense of calm and gives off a look of professionalism in this WFH era.
Desk organizers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and we like units that can hold a variety of items, including papers, pens, folders, small stationery items, and even double as a spot to rest our phone or tablet while it’s charging. Not only do the organizers all have plastic, non-skid feet that will keep the units in place and stop them from scratching your desk or table, they can also be personalized by not attaching each buildable section, instead spacing out the sections to work side-by-side, allowing users to create the design that is most conducive to their workplace.
The organizers we’ve included on our list are specifically designed for use in an office-type setting, but we have found many more applications for them around the home. We like using a desk organizer near the front door for sorting mail and storing keys and ID badges. A desk organizer in the kitchen is great for recipes and flyers when meal planning. Using a desk organizer in a home office can make it a spot where warranties and instruction manuals are kept. Desk organizers are also a great idea in garages, where they can store important documents for your various vehicles.
To find the organizer that works best for you, check out our top picks below. You might even want to pick up a few to disperse around your home!
1. SimpleHouseware Mesh Desk Organizer with Sliding Drawer
With enough room for all your files and office supplies, the SimpleHouseware Mesh Desk Organizer with Sliding Drawer is a great space-saving option.
Pros: The Mesh Desk Organizer is ideal for people who love to be organized, with a large sliding drawer with three sections that are big enough for pens, sticky notes and more. The middle section can house additional office supplies or act as a place to store your laptop, tablet or smartphone when charging or not in use. The top of the organizer includes five 2” compartments that can organize mail, papers or folders.
Cons: Customers find that the top section with the five dividers does not fit securely and can easily fall off the organizer. Because the files are placed vertically from the side, it is challenging to distinguish the folders when looking straight on.
2. Sorbus 3-Tier Bamboo Shelf Organizer
This bamboo desk organizer is a great wooden option if you’d rather have that than the metal wire kind. It has space up top for office supplies as well as three drawers for stamps, sticky notes, business cards, notepads, etc. It’ll eliminate clutter while adding a nice wooden element to your desktop. The pull out drawers are easy to open and close and offer plenty of storage for items when not in use. Keep things close at hand without adding more design flair to your space with this simple, sophisticated wooden desk organizer.
Pros: Three tiers of storage options, space saver, easy pull-out drawers, no assembly required, compact design that doesn’t take up too much space on your desk.
Cons: Please note that the large drawer in the middle doesn’t fit standard 8×11 paper.
3. Easepres 6-Tier Mesh Desktop File Organizer
The Easepres 6-Tier Mesh Desktop File Organizer features five tilted trays for papers and one oversized tray that can be used for office supplies or large files.
Pros: Ideal for mail sorting, organizing handouts for different classes and courses, or sorting through files, the Easepres 6-Tier Mesh Desktop File Organizer includes five tilted trays and one oversized tray with a steel mesh construction. The 6 Tray is also a great organizer to keep next to a printer, with slots for different colored paper, stationary and envelopes.
Cons: Unlike the other two organizers, the 6 Trays doesn’t include a sliding tray or a dedicated space for items like pens and paperclips. Because the organizer holds files horizontally, it’s not large enough for legal pads.
4. DecoBros Desk Supplies Organizer
This desk organizer from DecoBros is great for items that aren’t documents like pens, post-it notes, paper clips and other handy, smaller tools. It includes five divided compartments total and has two additional shallower compartments for smaller tools so everything is close at hand. There’s also a small drawer that pulls out and is sized perfectly for post-it notes.
Pros: Keeps key items close at hand and organizes pens effectively. It’s great for separating regular pens from highlighters, sharpies, etc. It’s also made of sturdy materials that will last on your desk’s surface for years. Reviewers noted how perfect the size is — it’s not so big that it takes up a bunch of space on your desk but has plenty of room inside for the supplies you need.
Cons: Some users noted that the bottom of their organizer was not well leveled, but this seems like a rare occurrence compared to the majority of the reviews.
5. HUANUO Monitor Stand Desk Organizer
This desk organizer has a strong “H” construction that enables it to hold monitors and printers up to 33 lbs and still open the drawer easily. The desk organizer feeds two birds with one seed — organizing your desk supplies and raising your monitor by 4.7″ to an ergonomically comfortable height for your neck. It has two large drawers with individual compartments inside for everything from large papers on the bottom to smaller pens, pencils, staplers and paper clips on top. No assembly is needed for this handy desk accessory, it’s ready right out of the box to enhance your productivity and improve health.
Pros: Strong construction, easy organization and comes ready for action. Raises your monitor to an ergonomically comfortable height and has compartment sizes within for large papers and smaller supplies.
Cons: The thicker support wires make the drawers uneven in certain spots.
6. Blu Monaco 5-Piece Desk Organizer Set
This 5-piece set enables flexibility and fun when organizing your desk as each piece is separate and can go in a different place depending on your preference. If you don’t have space on your desk for one large organizer and need to split things up, this is a great way to do it. Each piece is made of a decorative mesh pattern and has a slightly different size and/or orientation for holding papers, folders, pens, post-its, etc. This specific set also comes in a bunch of different colors including this gold finish so you can choose whichever one best fits your design aesthetic.
Pros: Attractive organizer design, set of five separate pieces that can move around, flexible, sturdy materials, variety of storage containers.
Cons: Some corners of the organizers are sharp.