One thing that irritates me the most while using tech devices is unexpected hiccups. That arises out of nowhere, and say hi to you and tease you like an uninvited guest. Ugh! Standing desk is a blessing as it saves us from multiple health and productivity concerns.
But, this same standing desk can be a hassle if it locks. Especially if it stucks at an undesired height. Now what? You can’t work on this desk, at least.
Either you’ve to find numerous guides to unlock a standing desk (as you’re doing at this moment). Or you’ll spend your day working from a dining table, coffee table or living room’s most comfy couch. Being an Interior designer, I’ve faced this problem multiple times or received calls from my friends or circle, anxious to find the solution.
Instead of receiving a call every time and giving them complete instructions, I planned to write it here to help you all together. So, let’s Unlock a standing desk together.
Quick Fix: How to Unlock a Standing Desk?
You can fix your stuck standing desk with only a few steps if you are patient. You need to follow this quick fix manually. This quick fix is for those who’re looking for the quickest way to bring their desk back up and running.
- First of all, Inspect your standing desk as there may be any obstruction that’s causing this hindrance.
- If the path is all clear, Press the down button (or M button) of your standing desk and keep it pressed for a while. (until it says LOC)
- The desk will go to its minimum height, and some of them will even start a function reset.
- This should solve the problem and make your desk a smooth sail.
This manual fix works wonders in the case of locked desks. But, if this fix doesn’t work, you need to keep reading to find more ways of fixing your desk. I’m sure you’ll have your desk functional again after following the steps as suggested.
Why is My Standing Desk Locked?
To understand the solution to unlocking your desk, you first need to discover who the culprit behind your frustration is. Once you know the reason for locking, you’ll automatically be able to apply the fix efficiently.
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Standing Desk Power Loss:
No creature on earth can work without Energy. We, as humans, being the most super beings, can’t work if we dont have the energy to do so. Or if we haven’t eaten all day. Similarly, we all know, tech stuff and electronic items need electricity to stay alive. Once they are out of power, no one on earth can make them work again. Yeah! They win at this.
So, before fretting out, check your desk’s power. Check if the outlet power source is plugged. In most cases, the standing desk automatically resets if it’s unplugged. And in unplug mode, it only travels down.
How Do We Fix The Power Loss Issue? | Unlock a Standing Desk
You need to reset your standing desk manually if power is the issue. Refer to the table below to manually reset a standing desk.
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Locking Due to Obstruction:
If we have a traditional lock at our house, we can’t use it to keep our items safe if there’s any obstruction. Or you can’t pass water through your kitchen sink if the pipe is obstructed. Similarly, a standing desk won’t go down or up if an object is resting in its way. Or something on the top of your desk may be causing this inefficiency.
Many standing desks are wise and efficient, as they highlight a collision detection feature. This feature prevents your desk from hitting any object. If there’s any object resting on the way, the table will automatically move down and give you an opportunity to remove that object. Isn’t it a wise move? Well, this smartness is another reason I love standing desks.
How Do We Fix This Issue?
Simply remove the object that is coming in the way, and you’re good to go.
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Uneven or Wobbly Legs:
Standing desks contain electric motors to work efficiently. Motors contain a self-locking feature that helps them lock the desk when reached at your desired height.
These motors are synchronized in their function and move at precisely the same time. If this feature isn’t working efficiently, then the legs will become uneven. As one motor will complete its turn but the other may be left behind, the legs may become uneven.
Once the legs become uneven, you can expect two things;
Either the desk will recognize the damage prevent your desk from moving and cause further damage.
Or
The desk won’t be wise enough and continue to move an finally get stuck.
Wondering How to fix a Wobbly Desk? Find out here
Fixing The Mechanical Issue:
You can resolve this issue by manually resetting the standing desk. Once you do the reset, the legs will be aligned and balanced.
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Duty Cycle and Desk’s Homeostasis:
Just like our brain sets up the temperature, it activates our sympathetic response to maintain homeostasis. Similarly, when a standing desk reaches its limit, it becomes dormant for a while to prevent overheating.
This phenomenon is also called the Duty Cycle. Consider it a time when the desk can be functional and move, but if you keep moving it up or down, it stops for its own safety. So, if your desk suddenly stops working, don’t fret out and just wait for a while.
The control box of the standing desks maintains this duty cycle, just as our brains do. Most of the control boxes have a fixed 10% duty cycle, which means 2 minutes active (on) and 18 minutes dormant (off).
Should you place your desk in front of a window to maintain Homeostasis? Read Here
How to Fix the Duty Cycle Problem?
Stay calm and wait for 18-20 minutes, as required by most standing desks. Your desk will automatically turn On and come back to life. Once it comes, you can easily use it like you usually do.
If the time is up and the desk doesn’t start. You may need to perform a manual reset. The procedure is given in the table below.
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Upper Container Stop:
It is a feature that a user employs to redefine the highest position a standing desk can go to. It is a limit that user sets for the height of the desk.
As this feature is in our control. We can manage and change its settings whenever required.
A locked desk may be due to this feature that you set one day and forgot the other day. This feature avois any collision between the desk and any other object tat is near like a cabinet or shelf. So, we limit the maximum height to prevent such incidents.
How To Fix This Issue?
You need to grab your user manual first and read the instructions provided. You would need to change or delete the settings. Once deleted, the upper container stop feature will halt and your desk can move beyond the set limit.
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Lower Container Stop:
As the upper container stop is for the desk’s maximum height. Similarly, lower container control feature is in the user’s hand. You may use it to set the minimum possible height for a standing desk. It’s better to set the height between 28 inches to 30 inches instead of keeping it all the way down.
Just like the previous feature, this one also prevents collisions of the desk with surrounding elements.
Fix For This Problem:
Similarly, as you deleted the upper container, stop to reset te table. The lower container stop is also deleted.
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Poor Cable Management:
In addition to clutter and frustration, poor cable management may also cause such scenarios. If you havent designated a proper place for your desk cables and wires, you may experience the issue of the locked desk. The power cable may be loose and there may be intermittent power supply to the desk.
Before finding out other solutions, make sure to check if the cables are seccure. Otherwise, every time the power cable is loose and the supply is intermittent, the desk will reset.
How To Fix?
Inspect and secure the cables firmly into the power outlet. Also, make sure to invest in some cable management accessories to prevent such issues in the future.
(It’s better to be safe than sorry, huh?) 😌
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Overloaded Desk | Unlock a Standing Desk
Everything has a load lifting capacity and if we exceed that, overloading will occur. Ok, that load isn’t similar to the workload you have on your brain or shoulders. That’s the real tangible load. 😆 The desk may turn off due to overloading.
How to fix?
Simply put only essentials on the desk and never overload the desk with unnecessary items. When you remove the excessive weight from the desk, the desk should automatically be back and work normally. To fix this, make sure to check the manual and see how much lifting capacity your standing desk has.
The lifting capacity may be written in two forms
→ Base Only
→ Base + Worksurface
If the manual states that “ Base-only: total lifting capacity: 400 lbs,” means the total weight on the top base should not exceed 400 lbs.
Resetting a Standing Desk – Made Easy:
Simply follow the below-given steps to reset your standing desk:
| Step | Instructions |
| 1 | Make sure there’s no clutter under your desk that could get in the way. It’s annoying!! |
| 2 | Disconnect your desk from the power outlet and wait for about half a minute. |
| 3 | Take a look at all the other cords connected to your desk’s motor or control box and check if they’re firmly plugged in. |
| 4 | Plug the power cord back into the wall socket. |
| 5 | Press and hold the downward arrow button (▼) until the desk lowers to its lowest position. Once it’s there, leave the button. |
| 6 | Hold down the button again for about 10 seconds. During this time, you’ll notice the desk dipping slightly and then rising back up. This indicates that the reset process is happening. |
| 7 | Once you see the desk perform this action, release the button. |
| 8 | You’re all set! You can now resume using your desk as usual. |
Wanna know more on Resetting a Standing Desk, Check this
Conclusion | How to Unlock a Standing Desk?
A stuck desk is an irritating thing, I know, as I’ve been through this. But let me tell you one thing if you’ve patience and the right set of instructions to unlock your standing desk. You can fix this issue in a breeze. Believe me, you won’t have to spend days finding a solution and dealing with that unwanted anxiety. Just follow the instructions above and you’ll be good to fix this problem.