Removing and replacing a screen protector

How to lift a cracked tempered glass screen protector safely and fit the replacement without damaging the device.

Tape the cracks first

A spidered sheet will shed slivers the moment it flexes. Lay clear packing tape across the whole face before you touch it. Now the sheet comes away as one piece and the loose glass stays stuck to the tape.

Lift from a corner, never the middle

Work a plastic card or a guitar pick under one corner — a fingernail is enough on most. Warm the edge with a hairdryer on low for ten seconds if the adhesive is stubborn. Pull slowly and flat across the screen rather than upward, which is what cracks a sheet that was otherwise coming away cleanly.

Clear the residue properly

Adhesive film left behind will show as a milky patch under the new glass. A little isopropyl alcohol on a microfibre cloth removes it. Let the surface dry completely — any solvent still present will fog under the sheet and stay there.

Treat the refit as a first install

Run the full dust routine again. The screen that has just had a protector peeled off is covered in airborne particles that landed during the lift. Use the dust sticker twice.

Never refit the sheet you removed

The adhesive layer has picked up dust across its entire area and nothing will get it out. Fit the spare. If the spare is already on the device, a replacement set costs a fraction of what the original screen would, and it will arrive with its own tray and wipes.

More from the bench

• How to install a tempered glass screen protector
• Tempered glass against plastic film
• Clear, matte and privacy tempered glass screen protector finishes