5 Ways to Fix a Cracked Window, Ranked From the Worst to the Best Idea

Discovering a cracked pane of glass in one of your home’s windows might get you contemplating an expensive replacement. But you can often repair a cracked window yourself, and prevent the crack from getting worse and eventually breaking. If nothing else, this can buy you time to budget for a future replacement instead of getting hit with an immediate bill.

There are a lot of ways to temporarily or even permanently repair a cracked window, but they’re not all equally effective. Here’s a rundown of your options, from the worst idea to the best.

Seal cracked glass with tape

The easiest, dumbest way to repair a cracked window is to grab some packing tape (or any strong clear adhesive tape) and slap a piece of it over the damaged pane. This will accomplish two crucial things: stabilizing the crack and reducing stress on the glass. It will slow or prevent the crack from getting worse, and seal up the area so air won’t come in from outside (or vice versa).

It’s important to note that if you have double-pane windows, a bad crack will probably compromise the gas layer between the panes, which means your window won’t be as effective an insulator anymore. But if the crack is just starting and has yet to completely fracture the glass, clear tape will do an ugly, temporary job of holding the line until you can come up with a better solution.

Fix a crack with glass repair film

A step up from plain old tape is glass repair film, which is essentially tape on steroids. It is designed to be easily and quickly applied to the pane to seal and stabilize the crack so that it’s weatherproof and the window is secured from additional breakage. This option will offer a bit more robust protection than just taping up the crack, and the material can be cut to size so you can cover even an extensive crack. The downside is that the ugly-ass crack will still be visible, but at least you won’t have to worry about the hazards of broken glass or drafts or water getting into your house.

Use clear nail polish to fix a cracked window

Clear nail polish will work as a temporary repair for a cracked window: Just clean the area thoroughly, tape off the crack with painter’s tape, then apply the nail polish liberally, working it into the crack as you go. You might need to put on a second coat after the first application has dried in order to really fill it in.

This will be a stronger repair than tape or film because you’ll have filled in the crack with a clear and relatively durable material, but nail polish isn’t designed to withstand moisture and temperature shocks, so it won’t last forever. Combining a nail polish application with tape or film will increase its durability, but it will still eventually fail.

Fix a crack with super glue

Applied similarly to nail polish, a clear super glue like Loctite Glass Glue or Gorilla Glue will fill in and strengthen the crack in your window. This will be a slightly stronger repair because super glue—especially the kind formulated specifically for glass repairs—is designed to withstand more wear and tear. This might even be a more or less permanent fix as long as you can tolerate a defect in your window, because the repair will probably still be noticeable. Take your time and apply the glue carefully to minimize the visibility of the crack.

Epoxy

Finally, short of replacing the window entirely, your best bet is an epoxy-based repair. Any clear two-part epoxy product will work here, but you can also use most car windshield repair kits, which typically also use an epoxy material. The kits will come with the basic application tools you need, as well as instructions, but you can repair the window yourself with a putty knife and some careful preparation of the area. An epoxy repair will be highly durable, and if you take your time and work carefully, the crack could be almost invisible when you’re done.