Cash drawer isn't popping

This article is for anyone whose cash drawer is not popping.

The most common reason for a cash drawer to not pop is problems with the receipt printer. The POS sends a signal to the receipt printer which in turn sends a signal to the cash drawer to open. If the printer is off, has stuck print jobs, is out of paper, or is not responding to Windows in general then the signal will not be passed on to the cash drawer.

To check for stuck print jobs please use the instructions in the following document : Cash Register hangs or goes unresponsive

Make sure the printer is on and checking for paper is done at the printer itself. To see if the printer is responding to Windows you will need to go to the printer settings and print a test page. If it cannot print a test page then you may need to check all cords for the printer and see if it gives any error messages. Make sure the printer has not been put into a pause state as some have a button that does that.

If the printer is fine then on some cash drawers there is a manual lock that may have been set. Do you hear the drawer try to click or make a pop sound but not open. That is a sign that the drawer may have been locked or jammed. The key to unlock it will need to be located and the drawer unlocked. If the drawer has a removable tray that large bills or other items are placed underneath then too many items can cause the drawer to rise up to the point that it gets stuck. We advise against storing thick coupons and other items under the tray due to this.

If the drawer does not make any click or similar sound and the printer does work then the drawer may have gone bad or the cord between the printer and the drawer may not be working properly. Reseat the cords and check them for damage. The settings in the printer may need to be adjusted to send the signal to the drawer to pop.