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How to replace a uPVC window handle

Updated: October 2026

The new handle is on the table. How to replace a uPVC window handle, when the new part already matches the old one, is a short job you can do with the window open. Reviewers in this set talk about ten minutes, and that assumes the gearbox still moves. The [locking window handle comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/locking-window-handle) is where the listing was chosen. Peter F. used amazon.co.uk reviews from 19 October 2026 and UK fitting guides, with no lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. If the spindle length is still a guess, use the [locking window handle buying guide](/hub/door-and-window-security/locking-window-handle/sub/locking-window-handle-buying-guide) before the screwdriver comes out.

The new handle is on the table. How to replace a uPVC window handle, when the new part already matches the old one, is a short job you can do with the window open.

Our top picks

Home Secure Home Secure universal locking uPVC window handle, white, multi-spindle

Best overall

Home Secure Home Secure universal locking uPVC window handle, white, multi-spindle
9.1/10about £7.99
View offer
Yale Yale YES-WINH-WH Essentials inline window handle, white, 40 mm

Best value

Yale Yale YES-WINH-WH Essentials inline window handle, white, 40 mm
8.7/10about £5.97
View offer
ERA ERA Maxim offset window handle, white, right hand, 40 mm

Rank 3

ERA ERA Maxim offset window handle, white, right hand, 40 mm
7.6/10about £7.59
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What you need, and the position the handle must be in
  2. 2.Take the old handle off and measure once
  3. 3.Fit and test before you close the sash
  4. 4.When it is not the handle

What you need, and the position the handle must be in

You need the matching handle, a Phillips screwdriver, and a tape only to check the rod you are about to copy. Open the sash first and leave it open until the last test. Put the old handle in the open position before you touch a screw. On a normal espag, one of the two screws stays hidden until the lever swings out. Plastic covers pop off with a fingernail. If a cover is painted in, or the screw head is seized, stop rather than drill the frame. A cockspur is a different removal. The check is cockspur vs espag window handle.

Take the old handle off and measure once

Undo the exposed screw, then the one that was under the lever. Support the handle as the second screw comes free so the spindle does not drop inside the sash. Measure how far the square rod sticks out of the back of the old handle, once, and compare it with the new one. A spindle that is too long can sometimes be shortened, from the tip only, and only when the listing says the pin can be cut. The ERA bullet in this set allows that. Do not cut a short spindle. A short rod will not reach the gearbox. A fixed stem the listing does not invite you to cut, which is how mwellewm reviews read, is a return.
Home Secure Home Secure universal locking uPVC window handle, white, multi-spindle

Testsieger

Home Secure Home Secure universal locking uPVC window handle, white, multi-spindle
9.1/10about £7.99
View offer

Fit and test before you close the sash

Turn the new lever so it matches the position the mechanism is already in, then push the spindle in. If the old handle came off open, the new one goes on open. Forcing a locked lever onto an open gearbox is how the bar and the handle disagree. Drive both screws until the body sits flat. If the new screws are too short to catch the thread, or so long that they bottom out, reuse the old screws. Home Secure and Shield reviews often found the supplied screws short. Quartus reviews mention bolts that were too long. Press the button, turn the key, and work the lever with the sash still open. The bar should move. Only then close the sash and lock it. The key stays where an adult can reach it.

When it is not the handle

Stop if the new lever turns freely and the bolts do not move. Home Secure's fitting guide calls that a mechanism fault. A second handle will not drive a dead gearbox. Stop as well if the sash has dropped, or if the screws are seized and the only way forward is to drill a frame you do not own. A rented flat is the clear case. A screw cover that falls out hides nothing important: the lock is the button and the key. A button that does not release the lever means the handle goes back. If the bar moved while the sash was open and the window only binds once it is shut, the fault is the alignment.

Common questions

Do I need a locksmith to change a uPVC handle?
Not for a matching espag swap. Two screws, a spindle that reaches, and a test with the sash open are a household job, and reviewers here talk about ten minutes. Call someone when the gearbox does not move the bar, the sash has dropped, the screws are seized, you would drill a frame you do not own, or the new handle would stop an escape window from opening and staying open.
Which screw do I undo first?
Open the sash and swing the lever so the hidden screw is exposed. Pop the covers, then undo the screw you can already see and the one that was under the lever. Support the handle as the second screw comes out so the spindle does not fall into the sash. The order exists so you are not levering a locked handle off an open mechanism.
Can I cut a spindle that is too long?
Yes, from the tip, when the listing says the spindle can be cut. That is the ERA case in this set, and it is what reviewers did with 40 mm Yale pins that stopped the handle sitting flat. Never shorten a pin that is already too short, and do not cut a fixed stem the listing does not allow. A mwellewm-style fixed stem that will not suit the window is a return.
The new handle turns but the window does not lock. What now?
If the lever spins and the bar stays still while the sash is open, the gearbox has failed. Another handle will not drive a dead mechanism. If the bar moved while the sash was open and the window only feels stiff once it is shut, the fault is the alignment of the sash, which Lockshop Direct separates from the handle. Stop. Forcing the key harder bends the spindle.
The screw covers will not stay on. Does the handle still lock?
It can. The covers hide the screw heads. They do not lock the lever. Test the push button and the key with the sash open, and confirm the bolts move. A cover that falls out is a fit complaint, which shows up in Home Secure reviews. It is a reason to reseat the cover or return a handle whose screws you cannot live with. It is not, by itself, an unlocked window.
When should I stop and call someone?
Stop when the bar does not move, the sash has dropped, the screws will not come out without damaging the frame, or you would block an escape window. Also stop if you are about to drill a window in a rented home. A matching handle on a live gearbox is two screws and a test. A cockspur, with a nose on a wedge, is a different fit.

Related pages

Espag window handle

Locking window handle

Best locking window handle: unknown spindle or 40 mm

Locking window handle buying guide: what to measure

Cockspur vs espag window handle: which family fits

Sources

Public UK and manufacturer sources from the research digest. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures checked on 19 October 2026, not a live re-check. No listing here was treated as PAS 24.

  1. NPSA: security of domestic windows (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. BSI: PAS 24:2022+A1:2024 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. GAI ironmongery and security guide (September 2023) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Approved Document B volume 1, dwellings (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. ERA: window handles (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Handle Store: how to measure uPVC window handles (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Lockshop Direct: espag and handle measurement (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. BSI: BS EN 13126-5 window restrictors (retrieved 19 October 2026)