How to Keep Your Headphones From Tangling

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Last Updated: January 13, 2025

Did you throw your headphones in your bag again, and now they're a tangled mess? You can avoid this. Complete this process after every use, and your headphones will never be tangled.

1

Grip the earbuds in the palm of your hand.

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2

Use the opposite hand to wrap the cord.

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Leaving about two inches unwrapped.

3

Remove the headphones from hand with unwrapped hand.

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This will make the next steps easier.

4

Hold the headphones with index finger and thumb.

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5

Wrap the excess cord in the middle of the figure 8.

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6

Stick the last inch of the cord through the loop you just made.

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Now your headphones are secure enough to put in your bag without getting tangled.

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Tips

Instead of wrapping the cord around the figure 8, you can use a paper clip or bobby pin to hold the headphones in place of the circular shape.

Thanks
Helpful 6 Not Helpful 0
Don't wrap, but FOLD the cord inside your hand before wrapping it with the excess cord. Every time you wrap a cord, it adds a small twist, which causes more tangling when you unwrap it. Folding instead of wrapping fixes most of this problem.

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Helpful 4 Not Helpful 2

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Headphones get tangled when you put them in your bag or pocket without organizing them. Try putting them in a case, instead.
You can also use a Velcro strip to keep them wrapped together.

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