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It's really cold here nowadays so I usually have a quilt over me. My problem is that I can't get my laptop under the quilt because I won't be able to see what I'm doing. Because of this, I have to keep the laptop on my lap outside of the quilt, which means my hands are outside of the quilt and thus cold.

I can't use gloves as it will be difficult to type with them. Neither can I use an electric or gas heater.

So, what can I do to keep my hands warm while working on my laptop?

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  • 8
    T-t-t-t-type more quicklyyyyyyy!!! :D And, by the way, doesn't you laptop heat at all?
    – nicael
    Dec 12, 2014 at 18:24
  • Can't only type :P also yes it heats but side ways
    – SSC
    Dec 12, 2014 at 18:27
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    Do you have hair dryers? If you do, install them in at the both sides of your laptop so to heat your hands :D
    – nicael
    Dec 12, 2014 at 18:29
  • Indeed that's a great idea. But unfortunately, I don't have one :P
    – SSC
    Dec 12, 2014 at 18:30
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    @nicael "doesn't you laptop heat at all" There's a solution: install an older high-end desktop processor in your laptop. It may melt, but your hands will stay warm! :)
    – Mooseman
    Dec 12, 2014 at 18:33

10 Answers 10

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You could try:

Maybe you can use something like an USB powered hand warmer.

Although, I would try to solve the underlying problem. Cold fingers usually mean bad circulation there. Do you smoke? Perhaps you should move your chair or change your keyboard so that your blood flow is not restricted?

Things I try:

  • Finger less gloves
  • Gloves with touch pad sensitivity
  • A hot mug of whatever you like to drink. Only do this if you are careful, if you aren't you may ruin your keyboard. The hot mug will keep your hands warm and the liquid will keep you warm.
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    Wow, thanks for writing about USB powered hand warmers! I never knew they existed, and your answer made me go look up one to grab on my next shopping expedition. Thanks again!
    – Unihedron
    Dec 13, 2014 at 12:53
  • There are even heated fingerless gloves
    – pseyfert
    Mar 30, 2016 at 13:43
  • @Pobrecita I regret to say the outrageous link is broken. :(
    – Neinstein
    Oct 15, 2017 at 12:29
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  • Use gloves that don't cover your fingers. (Something like these; they're also used by some when playing the piano.)
  • Intermittently move one hand to under the blanket to warm it up.

Increasing circulation can also help keep your fingers warm. To do this, take a walk every now and then.

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    "take a walk every now and then" - type one letter and take a walk, then repeat it :D
    – nicael
    Dec 12, 2014 at 18:31
  • @nicael lol good point. But other than that yeah, I can use such gloves but what about finger tips?
    – SSC
    Dec 12, 2014 at 18:32
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    @Mr.777 Since the rest of your hands will stay warmer, so will your fingers.
    – Mooseman
    Dec 12, 2014 at 18:33
  • Okay, I will try that. That's not a bad solution at all.
    – SSC
    Dec 12, 2014 at 18:34
  • Arthritis gloves are good for this, too, as they're specifically designed to increase circulation.
    – Engineer Toast
    Feb 16, 2015 at 21:17
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Install voice dictation software, some of it is really rather good once trained, and get a headset with a microphone and headphones, (not in ear ones), this will help keep your ears warm as well - you can then keep your hands under the quilt most of the time.

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  • Not bad at all...
    – SSC
    Dec 12, 2014 at 23:53
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I'm well known among friends and family for always having cold hands. It's rare that I meet someone with hands colder than mine, other than my mom. I used to move one hand, then the other beneath a blanket, but I've recently found that that doesn't work so well. At least compared to this other method I've found.

The problem seems to be that my shoulders leak a ton of heat when I have a blanket over me. Try using two blankets, one on top of you like a regular blanket, and (this is the important one) one over your shoulders and arms like some kind of cape. If you only have one blanket, make sure it covers your shoulders and try to cover your legs with some of it as well (assuming you want to use it as a blanket). It works like a charm. Something like this (please forgive my amateurish paint skills):

enter image description here

Strangely, I don't even need the red blanket to cover my arms; with it just covering my shoulders, I get really warm and toasty. In case you can't decipher my amateurish paint drawing, the red blanket wraps around behind my neck and covers my arms from the top. The green blanket goes under the laptop and over my legs.

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    I use a Snuggie. It's a blanket with sleeves. I love it even though it makes me look like a dork.
    – Cheezey
    Feb 23, 2015 at 23:18
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According to a recent discussion on body heat loss in the British Medical Journal,

As the main channel of convective and radiant heat loss when the body is well insulated, exposure of the head and face can account for a large proportion of body heat loss… The claim that there is nothing special about the head in heat balance ignores the important influence of facial cooling in air on systemic cardiovascular reflex responses and that body temperature can be selectively influenced by cooling of the head and face.

You say you are already wrapping yourself in a quilt, so it looks like your body is "well insulated". Wearing a hat (or better yet, a balaclava) will help warm the exposed parts of your body, including your hands.

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  • I've found a warm hat keeps me much warmer, even when my head isn't feeling particularly cold. I've also found that warm socks help too.
    – Dave
    Apr 30, 2015 at 10:09
  • Wearing a balaclava while working on a laptop is a surefire way to look like a stereotypical Hollywood Hacker :)
    – zovits
    May 27, 2015 at 12:44
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If you have a spare bedsheet, drape that over yourself and the laptop. It won't insulate as well as the quilt, but it will keep the heat of the laptop from dispersing as much, and that should help keep your hands from getting too cold.

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  • You mean cover myself & laptop with the sheet? :O
    – SSC
    Dec 12, 2014 at 19:15
  • It's better than nothing!
    – Adam Miller
    Dec 12, 2014 at 19:15
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External Mouse/Keyboard is what I use when it's cold :D

If you have an USB Keyboard (Or an old keyboard with an adapter), you can just find a surface where to leave your laptop, and use the external keyboard (and/or mouse) instead. That way you can actually keep your hands under the quilt together with the keyboard. :D

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  • Good point: and it is good for learning to touch-type without looking!
    – JDługosz
    Mar 31, 2016 at 13:04
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Fingerless gloves are OK, but they still leave skin exposed. There are gloves out there that are thin yet warm and cover the entire hand, like this:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/280775136/the-writers-glove-type-wcold-hands-not

Looks like you can still type just fine even though it covers the entire hand.

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I use a microwave beanie or fingerless gloves, my office is a barn conversion with no central heating on the UK coast so I know all about being cold! xD

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Use Buff headwear!

Simply wrap the Buff twice around your wrist to keep it warm and beside enjoy the soft wrist rest. Doing that myself since years.

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  • This reads like spam
    – James Jenkins
    Jul 1, 2019 at 16:18
  • @JamesJenkins Seems some think so, but it isn't. Sad.
    – EssenceBlue
    Jul 2, 2019 at 10:45

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