Quick and Easy Ways to Roll Up a Stuck Power Window

Co-authored by Duston Maynes and Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: August 2, 2024 Fact Checked

Power windows are really convenient until one suddenly won't roll up—then what do you do? Well, you've come to the right place. Read on to learn how to quickly get that stuck window up so the interior of your car is protected. To keep it from happening again, we'll help you figure out what caused it to get stuck in the first place—often it's something you can fix yourself without a pricey trip to the mechanic.

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Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Getting the Window Up

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1
Make sure your child safety locks are off. If the child safety lock was engaged by accident, this can prevent the window switch from working. Check to see that this isn't the case—it's a fairly common thing to happen!^{[1]
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- If you're not sure or you can't tell, just click them on and off a few times, checking the window after each click to see if you notice anything different. If this solves the problem, just take a deep breath for now—you'll laugh about it later.
2
Try the switch on another door. As long as the problem window is any window other than the driver's side window, there should be at least one other switch in your car that's meant to control that window.^{[2]
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- For example, if you're using the switch on the passenger side door to roll up the passenger side window, try using the master switch on the driver's door.
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3
Give the car door a good slam to get the window back on its track. You can usually tell if a window has gone off the track—you'll hear the regulator whirring but nothing happens. Sometimes, simply slamming the door is enough to jar that window back on track where it's supposed to be.^{[3]
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- If you can, try to slam the car door while pressing the switch to roll the window up.
- This can also help jolt the motor back to life if it's starting to go. It doesn't fix the motor, but it might just get that window back up.
4
Strike the center of the door if slamming it doesn't work. Using the palm or heel of your hand, give your door a good, hard whack. This is just another way to knock that window back onto the track so the motor can roll it up. Keep the switch pressed up while you do this. ^{[4]
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- You might also try striking along the top of the door panel next to the window. If something was stuck there, this can sometimes jar it loose.
- You might also try giving the door a firm whack roughly where the window motor is located (it's usually near the bottom). If the motor's sluggish, that can sometimes do the trick to get it moving.
5
Grip the window between your palms and slide it up. Stand at the end of the open door and place one palm on the outside of the window and the other palm facing it on the inside of the window. Pressing the glass firmly between your palms, slowly move your hands up to raise the window.^{[5]
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- If there's not much of the window sticking up, try to pull it up a little with your fingers so you can get your palms on it.
- Move very slowly and be careful—if the motor engages and the window starts moving on its own, you could end up with some smashed fingers!

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Repairing a Stuck Power Window

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1
Clear any debris from the window slot. If your car was parked outside with the window down, some debris might be stuck in the window slot—a little twig is all it takes. Clear that out and your window should work fine again.^{[6]
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- Take a look at the gaskets along either side of the window. If those are damaged, they don't usually take a lot of work to repair yourself.
2
Pop out dents in your door that are keeping the window from moving. A small dent in the wrong place might be putting pressure on your window. You can usually pop a small dent out yourself. The impact also could have knocked the window off its track so the motor can't move it.^{[7]
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- To get your window back on its track, try slamming the car door while holding the window switch in the "up" position. If that doesn't work, you might have to take the door panel off so you can slot it back into place.
3
Replace a blown fuse if none of your windows are working.^{[8]
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Research source} The fuse box is usually behind a little panel accessible from the driver's side of the car. Your car's manual has a diagram that tells you which fuse is for what. Open the panel door and inspect the fuse associated with your windows—if the wire element is melted or burned, it's blown. Head to your local auto parts store and you can usually replace it for a few dollars.^{[9]
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- Fuses are super easy to replace. Just pop the old one out, stick the new one back in, and you're good to go. This is not something you need to call a mechanic for.
4
Try a hard battery reset to reset your electrical system. Disconnect the negative lead first, then the positive lead. Remove the battery from your car completely and set it to the side. Then, clamp the positive and negative leads together. Keep them in constant contact for at least 30 minutes. Separate the leads and re-install your battery. This resets your electronic system and might resolve your window issue.^{[10]
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- Since the leads were originally clamped to your battery, they should clamp to each other just fine. If they're too short to reach, you can use jumper cables as a sort of extension cord.
- Always remove your battery completely from your car. If you simply disconnect it but leave it in place, the battery leads could slip and touch the battery, frying your system.
5
Replace the switch if nothing happens when you press it. If you hear a grinding or clunking sound when you press the switch, it's likely that the window motor is bad. But if nothing happens at all when you press the switch, or you just hear a faint clicking, the switch is probably the problem. Luckily, these are pretty easy to replace yourself.^{[11]
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- Try to roll the window up or down with a different switch in the car. If it's a passenger window and you can move the window with the master switch on the driver's door, it's definitely a problem with the switch in that door (or the wiring somewhere along the way).
6
Remove your door panel to replace the motor. In most cars, the door panel simply pops off if you know where to look. Search the year, make, and model of your car online for a full repair manual with a diagram of the door. You can tell your window motor is going bad if it made a whining or grinding noise when you rolled your window up and down for several weeks before your window finally got stuck.^{[12]
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- Once you have the door panel off, you can easily see the window motor and track for the window itself. If the motor is your problem, you can usually replace it yourself—it's a fairly straightforward process.
- Unfortunately, you can't replace just the motor—you have to replace the entire regulator assembly. The whole thing is sold together as one piece in auto parts stores.
- Try the quicker, easier fixes first before you replace the motor. Even though you can do this yourself, it'll take you a couple of hours.

Expert Q&A

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Question

What are the signs that a car window has fallen off its track?

Duston Maynes
Automotive Repair Specialist
Duston Maynes is an Automotive Repair Specialist at RepairSmith. Duston specializes in leading a team that handles a variety of automotive repairs including replacing spark plugs, front and rear brake pads, fuel pumps, car batteries, alternators, timing belts, and starter motors. Duston holds an Associate’s degree in Automotive/Diesel Technology from The Universal Technical Institute of Arizona and is a Certified Diagnostic Technician and Automobile Mechanics Technician through BMW STEP. RepairSmith received The 2020 Big Innovation Award by Business Intelligence Group and The Startup of the Year by the American Business Awards. RepairSmith was also included in Built in LA’s 50 Startups to Watch and The Business Intelligence Group’s 52 Names Leading the Way in Customer Service. RepairSmith offers in-home services to provide car owners convenient and complete auto repair everywhere.

Duston Maynes

Automotive Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

If the car window has fallen off its track, it won't go up or down evenly. In some cases, the window will not move at all, though you can hear the regulator going. A scratching noise on the window is another sign that the window is off the rack.

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Warnings

If you get your window rolled up, don't try to roll it down again until you figure out why it got stuck and fix the problem for good. You might want to put some tape over the switch so you don't hit it out of habit.

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