{"id":40,"date":"2026-10-12T16:53:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T16:53:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40"},"modified":"2026-10-12T17:08:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T17:08:31","slug":"how-to-remove-pinball-lockdown-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40","title":{"rendered":"How to Remove a Pinball Lockdown Bar (Step by Step)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Short answer:<\/strong> turn the machine off, open the coin door, operate the lockdown bar release lever inside the cabinet near the top of the coin door opening, then lift the bar up and off. Refit it by reversing the steps and make sure it locks down fully.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the lockdown bar does<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lockdown bar holds the playfield glass in its channel and gives players a place to rest their hands. You remove it to slide out the glass for cleaning, repairs or installing mods.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What you need<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your coin door key<\/li>\n\n<li>A clear, padded place to set the glass down if you remove it<\/li>\n\n<li>A second person if you are not comfortable handling the glass alone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Turn the machine off.<\/li>\n\n<li>Unlock and open the coin door.<\/li>\n\n<li>Reach inside and find the lockdown bar release lever near the top of the coin door opening.<\/li>\n\n<li>Operate the lever to release the bar. Depending on the machine you pull, push or slide it.<\/li>\n\n<li>Lift the bar straight up and off the cabinet and set it somewhere it cannot be stepped on.<\/li>\n\n<li>To refit, set the bar back on the cabinet, engage the release so it locks, and confirm it is fully seated before playing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Differences between manufacturers<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The release mechanism differs between manufacturers and eras, including older Williams and Bally machines, modern Stern machines and other boutique makers. If your lever does not look like the description above, check the operator manual for your title.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Removing the glass safely<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the bar off, the glass can slide toward you out of its channel. Tempered playfield glass is heavy and can shatter if an edge or corner is struck, so support it with both hands and never lean it on a hard edge.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Upgrading while the bar is off<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the moment to fit lockdown bar accessories. The <a href=\"\/?page_id=33\">EDGE installation guide<\/a> covers fitting an ergonomic palm rest, and the <a href=\"\/?page_id=31\">compatibility checker<\/a> shows confirmed machines.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Where is the lockdown bar release?<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On most modern machines it is a lever inside the coin door, near the top of the opening.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Do I need tools to remove a lockdown bar?<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Usually only the coin door key. Some older or modified machines may differ; check your manual.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A simple guide to removing and refitting the lockdown bar on a modern pinball machine, plus safety tips for handling the playfield glass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Remove a Pinball Lockdown Bar (Step by Step) - Edge Pinball<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Remove a Pinball Lockdown Bar (Step by Step) - Edge Pinball\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A simple guide to removing and refitting the lockdown bar on a modern pinball machine, plus safety tips for handling the playfield glass.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Edge Pinball\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-12T16:53:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-12T17:08:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/edge-lockdown-bar-full-pinball-cabinet-view.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rudy Penola\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rudy Penola\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rudy Penola\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8b879823d4d2575bba53a152b7b522b3\"},\"headline\":\"How to Remove a Pinball Lockdown Bar (Step by Step)\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-12T16:53:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-12T17:08:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40\"},\"wordCount\":385,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/edge-lockdown-bar-full-pinball-cabinet-view.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40\",\"name\":\"How to Remove a Pinball Lockdown Bar (Step by Step) - Edge Pinball\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/edge-lockdown-bar-full-pinball-cabinet-view.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-12T16:53:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-12T17:08:31+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/edge-lockdown-bar-full-pinball-cabinet-view.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/edge-lockdown-bar-full-pinball-cabinet-view.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":1600,\"caption\":\"Full pinball cabinet with a red EDGE ergonomic lockdown bar and corner palm cups\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?p=40#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Remove a Pinball Lockdown Bar (Step by Step)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Edge Pinball\",\"description\":\"Ergonomic pinball lockdown bars\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Edge Pinball\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/edge-pinball-logo-header.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/edge-pinball-logo-header.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":154,\"caption\":\"Edge Pinball\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8b879823d4d2575bba53a152b7b522b3\",\"name\":\"Rudy Penola\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/47cef02ce22e12d2ee8a820cce23af4e64a9081c8ed7e77b0520551123ec4b61?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/47cef02ce22e12d2ee8a820cce23af4e64a9081c8ed7e77b0520551123ec4b61?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/47cef02ce22e12d2ee8a820cce23af4e64a9081c8ed7e77b0520551123ec4b61?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rudy Penola\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edgepinball.com\\\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Remove a Pinball Lockdown Bar (Step by Step) - Edge Pinball","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Remove a Pinball Lockdown Bar (Step by Step) - Edge Pinball","og_description":"A simple guide to removing and refitting the lockdown bar on a modern pinball machine, plus safety tips for handling the playfield glass.","og_url":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40","og_site_name":"Edge Pinball","article_published_time":"2026-10-12T16:53:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-12T17:08:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/edge-lockdown-bar-full-pinball-cabinet-view.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rudy Penola","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rudy Penola","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40"},"author":{"name":"Rudy Penola","@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8b879823d4d2575bba53a152b7b522b3"},"headline":"How to Remove a Pinball Lockdown Bar (Step by Step)","datePublished":"2026-10-12T16:53:49+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-12T17:08:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40"},"wordCount":385,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/edge-lockdown-bar-full-pinball-cabinet-view.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40","url":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40","name":"How to Remove a Pinball Lockdown Bar (Step by Step) - Edge Pinball","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/edge-lockdown-bar-full-pinball-cabinet-view.jpg","datePublished":"2026-10-12T16:53:49+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-12T17:08:31+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/edge-lockdown-bar-full-pinball-cabinet-view.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/edge-lockdown-bar-full-pinball-cabinet-view.jpg","width":1200,"height":1600,"caption":"Full pinball cabinet with a red EDGE ergonomic lockdown bar and corner palm cups"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?p=40#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Remove a Pinball Lockdown Bar (Step by Step)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/","name":"Edge Pinball","description":"Ergonomic pinball lockdown bars","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/#organization","name":"Edge Pinball","url":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/edge-pinball-logo-header.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/edge-pinball-logo-header.jpg","width":600,"height":154,"caption":"Edge Pinball"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8b879823d4d2575bba53a152b7b522b3","name":"Rudy Penola","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/47cef02ce22e12d2ee8a820cce23af4e64a9081c8ed7e77b0520551123ec4b61?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/47cef02ce22e12d2ee8a820cce23af4e64a9081c8ed7e77b0520551123ec4b61?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/47cef02ce22e12d2ee8a820cce23af4e64a9081c8ed7e77b0520551123ec4b61?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rudy Penola"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/edgepinball.com"],"url":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82,"href":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions\/82"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edgepinball.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}