On a small desk the keyboard decides how much room your mouse gets. Dropping the number pad is the easiest way to win that space back, and there are two common ways to do it.
TKL (tenkeyless)
A TKL keeps the full main block, the arrow keys and the navigation cluster, and drops only the number pad. The 8BitDo Retro 87 is an 87-key TKL board.
75%
A 75% board squeezes the arrows and a short column of navigation keys against the main block. The NuPhy Air75 V2 and the Lofree Flow84 both use this layout with 84 keys.
Real sizes
- NuPhy Air75 V2: 316.4 x 132.5 mm, 13.5 mm tall (brand figure).
- Lofree Flow84: 316 x 126 mm, 24.5 mm tall (brand figure).
Measure the space between your monitor stand and the desk edge before you buy, and leave room on the right for the mouse to move. If you use the number pad for spreadsheets, a separate keypad you can move aside is often a better trade than a full-size board.