Monitor Arm Shoots Up When You Let Go: Lower the Spring Tension

Quick Answer: If your monitor is attached and the arm springs up when you let go, lower the spring tension a little at a time until it stays put.

• Monitor attached, arm rises when released: Reduce the lift in small, counted steps. Use Fix A to lower the spring tension
• Arm flew up when the monitor came off: Leave it at the top and reload it with support. Use Fix B to reattach the monitor safely
• Not sure, or the arm sinks instead: Run one quick release test first. Go to Step 1 to identify the cause

• Difficulty: Easy when only the tension screw needs turning; moderate when a large monitor must be reattached, which usually takes a second person.
• Tools: The hex key that fits your arm's tension screw, usually supplied with the arm.

Jump to:

• Step 1 - Find Out Why the Arm Rises
• Step 2 - Bring the Lift Down to Your Monitor's Weight
• Step 3 - Check That the Monitor Stays Put
• Common Mistakes
• FAQ

Why a Monitor Arm Springs Upward

A spring-balanced monitor arm uses a gas spring or a coil spring to push the arm upward. The tension screw sets how hard it pushes, so the arm floats only when that push roughly matches the monitor's weight.

When the push is stronger than the weight, the extra force lifts the arm as soon as you let go. Remove the monitor completely and all of that force is suddenly unopposed, which is why an empty arm can snap to the top hard enough to hit something.

Problem state: The spring pushes up harder than the monitor pulls down, so the arm climbs after you release it.

Corrected state: The spring's push matches the monitor's weight, so the arm stays where you leave it and moves with a light, steady hand.

Critical Safety Warning: A spring-balanced arm stores energy even when it looks still. With too much tension, or with the monitor removed, it can swing up fast enough to strike your face or hands, pull cables out of their ports, or knock items off a shelf.

This happens when the spring suddenly has nothing holding it back, such as when the VESA screws come out or a quick-release plate is unlatched.

• Keep your face and head out of the arm's upward path, and hold the arm while you change the tension or detach the monitor.
• Before removing the monitor, put the arm in the position its instructions specify for removal; many arms call for the highest position. Do not pull an empty arm down by hand.
• Do not open, drill, heat, or cut the gas spring, and do not take the arm's joints apart to "reset" the spring.

Step 1 - Find Out Why the Arm Rises

Test the arm the way you normally use it, with the monitor attached and nothing else changed. Don't take the monitor off just for this test.

1. Set your normal height: Move the monitor to the height where you usually work.
2. Release slowly: Take your hand away gently and watch the arm for about a minute.

What you see decides the next step:

• The arm climbs or springs up: The lift is set higher than your monitor's weight. Go to Fix A to reduce the lift.
• The arm is already at the top with no monitor on it: It was unloaded while under tension. Go to Fix B to reload it.
• The arm sinks instead: This is the opposite problem, and lowering the tension would make it worse. Use Why Does My Monitor Arm Keep Falling Down? instead.
• The height holds, but the screen tips back toward the ceiling: The tilt head is moving, not the arm. That is a separate tilt-tension problem, so don't apply the fixes below.

Next, look up two numbers so you know where the adjustment can end. Find the monitor's weight without its stand on its spec sheet or in its manual, and add anything mounted on it, such as a webcam or light bar.

Then find the arm's supported weight range on its label, box, or product page. If your monitor weighs less than the arm's minimum, Fix A may run out of adjustment; the Check at the end of Fix A tells you what to do then.

Step 2 - Bring the Lift Down to Your Monitor's Weight

Both fixes rely on your arm's own instructions. Find the model name on the label under the arm or on the clamp base, then get the assembly guide from the maker's support page.

Look for three things: where the tension screw is, which direction reduces lift, and how the maker wants the monitor removed and reattached. If you can't find the guide, the markings on the arm and the steps below still apply; just make every change in small amounts.

Fix A - Lower the Spring Tension in Counted Steps

Use when: The monitor is attached and the arm climbs or springs up after you release it.

Before you start: Keep one hand on the monitor the whole time you turn the screw, because the arm can start moving as the lift changes. See how a tensioned arm can swing up.

You need: The hex key that fits the tension screw. On many arms the screw sits at one end of the main arm segment, often marked with + and − or an arrow. This is a typical layout, so confirm it on your arm before turning anything.

1. Hold the monitor at mid-height: Bring it to the middle of the arm's travel and keep a hand on it.
2. Turn toward less lift: Turn the screw a few full turns in the direction marked − or "less." If there is no marking, make one full turn, test, and reverse direction if the arm rises more.
3. Test and count: Release slowly and watch for a minute. Keep a running count of your turns so you can undo them.
4. Repeat in small steps: Keep reducing until the arm stays put. Many gas spring arms need several full turns before you notice a change.
5. Fine-tune if it starts sinking: Turn back toward more lift about a half turn at a time until it holds.

If the screw becomes very hard to turn, stop and check whether your arm must be in a specific position for adjustment. Don't force it with a longer tool.

Check: The monitor stays where you leave it at mid-height. Go to Step 3 to confirm it holds at every height. If the screw reaches its end stop and the arm still rises, or the screw turns without changing anything, follow the matching failure route in Step 3.

Fix B - Reattach the Monitor to an Arm That Sprang Up

Use when: The arm shot up when the monitor or its VESA plate came off, and the arm is now empty at the top.

Before you start: Leave the empty arm at the top and do not pull it down by hand; without the monitor, it will spring back with full force. Read why an empty arm is its most forceful state.

You need: The VESA screws or quick-release plate, a screwdriver, and a second person if the monitor is large or hard to hold at arm height.

1. Inspect before reloading: Look for a bent VESA plate, cracked joint covers, loose parts, or damaged cables and ports. If any arm part is bent or cracked, don't reattach the monitor; replace that part first.
2. Attach at the top: With the arm where it is, have your helper hold the monitor while you fit the plate or every VESA screw. Don't let go until all screws are snug or the latch has clicked.
3. Lower it under control: Keep both hands on the monitor and bring it down slowly to your working height.
4. Release and watch: Let go gently and watch for about a minute.

Check: The monitor is attached, the arm moves under your hand without jumping, and it stays at working height. Go to Step 3 to confirm the result. If it climbs after release, continue with Fix A to lower the tension.

Step 3 - Check That the Monitor Stays Put

Put a small piece of painter's tape on the wall or pole, level with the top edge of the screen. Test at your normal height, then at the highest and lowest heights you actually use.

At each height, release the monitor gently and wait about a minute.

PASS: At every height you use, the top edge stays at the tape mark, the arm moves with a light, steady push, and it doesn't jump when you let go. Cables stay slack at the highest position.

FAIL: The arm still climbs, now sinks, holds only at some heights, or the screw turns without changing anything.

NEXT ACTION:

• Still climbs with the screw at its end stop: The monitor is likely below the arm's minimum load, so more turning won't help. This is the separate "monitor arm won't stay down with a light monitor" problem.
• Now sinks: Turn back toward more lift in half turns with Fix A. If it sinks even at full lift, see Why Does My Monitor Arm Keep Falling Down?
• Holds at some heights but climbs at others: Set the tension at your most-used height. If the arm also moves in jerks or sticks, that is a separate binding-joint problem rather than a tension setting.
• Screw turns with no change, or you hear hissing or see oil near the spring: Stop adjusting. The adjuster or gas spring has likely failed, so replace the spring or the arm using the replacement part listed for your model.
• Something was damaged when the arm sprang up: Stop using the bent plate, cracked part, or damaged cable, and replace it before relying on the arm again.

Later check: After a few days of normal use, check the tape mark again at your usual height. Gas spring lift can shift with room temperature and over time, so a small half-turn correction may be needed.

Common Mistakes

Mistake: Pulling the empty arm down to "reset" it.

What happens: Without the monitor, the spring's full force is waiting, and the arm can snap back up the moment your grip slips.

Instead: Leave it at the top and reattach the monitor there, as in Fix B.

Mistake: Giving up after a quarter turn of the tension screw.

What happens: On many gas spring arms, a quarter turn changes almost nothing, so the arm seems not to respond.

Instead: Turn in full turns, count them, and test after every few.

Mistake: Tightening the joint friction screws to hold the arm down.

What happens: The spring keeps pushing against the friction, so the arm feels stiff, still drifts upward, and the joints wear faster.

Instead: Correct the lift itself with the tension screw.

FAQ

Does lowering the tension reduce how much weight the arm can hold?

It reduces the lift the arm provides right now, not the arm's rated range. You can turn it back up later for a heavier monitor that still falls within that range.

Why does the arm stay put at one height but rise at another?

On many arms, the spring's lift changes slightly through the range of travel. Tune it at the height you use most; a large difference or jerky motion points to a separate arm problem.

This guide covers spring-balanced desk monitor arms with a user-adjustable tension screw. An arm with a failed spring or no adjuster needs replacement parts rather than adjustment.

Written and edited by Lio Lim

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