How to Fix a Window Blind That Won't Open & Close

Familiarize yourself with the structure of your horizontal blinds and the names of its parts. Study diagrams of the blinds that detail the standard parts of typical blinds. You may want to print these out for easy viewing.

Go to your window blinds and check what sort of repair is needed. According to Blinds.com, if your blinds are those traditional aluminum corded blinds, the non-tilting of the slats might simply mean its guardian “tilter” has accidentally been disconnected. To check if it’s so, you must turn the tilter’s “wand,” or rod, while manipulating the cords supporting the “ladder” of slats. If the slats are currently stuck in a down or downward-closed position, turn the rod counterclockwise while gently pulling the back cords downward. If the slats are stuck in the up or upward-closed position, turn the rod clockwise while gently pulling the front cords. Either method should reconnect a displaced tilter, if this is indeed the cause of the problem. If this doesn’t solve the problem, go to the next steps.

Unscrew the top portion, or “headrail,” of your blinds from its mounting brackets. Set aside the screws for later use. Slide the blinds off the brackets, and carefully lay them on the work table. This will expose the blinds' headrail’s inner parts.

Look inside this headrail to check if the cords running lengthwise within it are tangled. A portion of the cords may have become caught or stuck between the headrail and other parts. If this is so, untangle and straighten them.

Carefully replace and screw in your blinds back to their original mounting brackets. Test your blinds to see if the slats can now tilt to open or close at a twist of the tilting wand.