As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read full affiliate disclaimer.

How To Keep Gaming Headphones From Tangling (10 Tips)

Most players will agree that gaming is a lot better with a good pair of headphones. Compared to speakers, headphones help you zone in more on the game by providing more directional sound and blocking unwanted noise. You can also play with the volume turned up without bothering anyone else, but dealing with tangled wires is always a drawback.

Here are 10 tips on how to keep your gaming headphones from tangling:

  1. Store your headphones in a carry case. 
  2. Use a headphone stand.
  3. Use a velcro strap.
  4. Use a binder clip.
  5. Make a holder out of an old credit card.
  6. Wrap your headphone cord using the 8 coil method.
  7. Wrap your headphone cord using the over-under coiling method.
  8. Wrap your headphone cord using the double-fold and knot method.
  9. Reinforce the cord with a thread.
  10. Reinforce the cable with a paracord.

This article will explain how to keep your headphone cords tangle-free in detail. Read on so you never have to put up with the inconvenience of dealing with a tangled headphone cord again.

Wired gaming headset

1. Store Your Headphones in a Carry Case

The key to keeping your headphones from tangling is proper storage. Headphones that are not stored properly are prone to twisting and tangling.

Aside from being inconvenient, constant flexing can damage the wires inside the headphone cord.

Many headphones come with a case that has slots for the headphones and the cord. If your headphones don’t come with a case, there are universal cases that can fit a variety of brands

Some cases have separate pockets for the cords. But if your headphone cord isn’t detachable, there is usually enough space between the earpads to neatly coil the wires.

The ProCase Headphone Case (available on Amazon.com) is compatible with different brands and has a hardcover to give your headphones extra protection.

It also has a separate mesh pocket that you can use to store cables.

A case like this is also perfect when you’re on the go and want to bring your headphones while protecting them.

2. Use a Headphone Stand

Another option for proper headphone storage is a headphone stand. There are various headphone stands available. Some are stand-alone, while others come with a clamp that you can connect to the side of your desk.

Headphone stand for desk

A headphone stand is an excellent choice if you’re not concerned about portability. Using one of these keeps your headphones easily accessible and ensures you’ll always know where to look when you want to use them.

However, you’ll need to get one with some kind of cable holder to prevent tangling your cord. 

The Apphome Headphone Stand (available on Amazon.com) comes with a screw clamp that is easy to install and remove.

It has soft rubber padding on both clamps to prevent damaging your desk, and the cable loop will keep your cord from getting tangled.

The foldable hook saves space when not in use and comes with a slot for your headphone jack to keep the cable secure.

3. Use a Velcro Strap

If portability is a priority, you can also use a velcro strap. Some velcro straps can hold heavier items like photo frames, so they will do an excellent job organizing and keeping your headphone cable in place.  

You will need to peel off the cover on the side of the strap with adhesive and then stick that to the flat side (without velcro) of the other strap.  

To store your headphones using this method, follow the instructions below: 

  1. Wrap the cable around your three middle fingers until the entire cable is neatly looped.  
  2. Next, wrap the velcro strap tightly around the middle part of the loop to keep it in place.  

Velcro straps will retain their ability to stick even after reusing them multiple times.  

The Velcro One-Wrap Thin Ties (available on Amazon.com) are perfect for organizing wires and other things. Use them for your headphones cables as well as many other things and become more organized.

4. Use a Binder Clip

There are also many everyday household items you can use to organize your headphone cable if you don’t want to spend any more money. A medium-sized binder clip is an incredible hack for neatly storing your headphone cables.

You can use a binder clip to store your headphones by following the instructions below: 

  1. Open the clip and insert the wires so that the earpads are close to the clip.  
  2. Loop the rest of the cable around the arms of the clip 
  3. Insert the jack through the holes of the arms to keep everything in place. 

Make sure not to stretch or wrap the cable around too tightly to prevent unnecessary strain. It should be just tight enough not to move around.

The bonus of using this method is attaching it to your shirt or desk. You can watch the video below to see a quick demonstration of how to do this.

5. Make a Holder Out of an Old Credit Card

Another great hack is to make a cable holder out of an old credit card or a sturdy piece of cardboard. Creating a holder using this method does not require any special equipment and only takes a few minutes.

You only need the following:

  • A piece of sturdy cardboard or an expired credit card
  • Hole puncher
  • Scissors
Old credit cards

Here are the instructions:

  1. Cut the sides of the cardboard (or credit card) and make the middle part a bit narrower.
  2. Use the hole puncher to punch two holes on one end and one hole on the other end. The hole should be about an inch from the edge of the card.  
  3. Next, cut a line from the edge of the credit card leading to each hole.
  4. Store your headphones by placing the cable for each driver on the side with two holes.
  5. Wrap the rest of the cable around the middle section of the cardboard.
  6. Insert the headphone jack through the hole at the button to keep everything in place.

6. Wrap Your Headphone’s Cord Using the 8 Coiling Method

You can also keep your headphones from tangling without purchasing or using other items.  There are several ways to tie the cables to ensure they don’t twist and get caught in a knot.  

One way to store your headphones is to use the easy and convenient 8 coil method. It takes a few seconds to do and only requires a single tug when you want to use your headphones again.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Get the end of the cable near the sound drivers and hold it with your thumb and three middle fingers.
  2. Loosely wrap the rest of the cable around your three middle fingers and leave about 5 to 8 inches of the cable out.
  3. Remove two fingers and leave your index finger inside the loop.
  4. Next, wrap the remaining cable around the existing loop next to your index finger.
  5. Pull your index finger out and insert the jack through that hole.

This is one of the most common ways to store headphone cables since it keeps the cable safe and organized and requires minimal effort to tie and even less effort to untie.  

For additional guidance, you can watch this video:

7. Wrap Your Headphone’s Cord Using the Over-Under Coiling Method

Another way to coil your cable is using the over-under method. This method requires more practice than the 8 coiling method but is still relatively easy.

Here’s how to use the over-under coiling method to store your headphones:

  1. Get the end of the cable near the drivers and hold it with your left hand
  2. Use your other hand to create the first loop and catch hold of that loop with the thumb of your left hand
  3. Place your right hand close to your chest with your thumb facing down, and then grab the cable and make a loop. This will cause the cable to twist, which means you should now have regular and twisted loops.
  4. Repeat this process, making sure each loop is alternately a regular and twisted one.
  5. Once you reach the end of the cable, wrap the jack around the loop to hold everything in place.

You might think that using this method is unnecessarily complicated. You can simply store your cables by looping them around, but alternately twisting the cable is crucial to keep it from tangling.   

There are two different techniques for the over-under method, and the video below demonstrates how each one is done.  

8. Wrap Your Headphone’s Cord Using the Double-Fold and Knot Method

The double fold and knot method is another simple way to store your headphones while keeping the cable from getting tangled.

Headhpone cable tangling

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Straighten out the entire length of the headphone cable.
  2. Fold the cable in the middle so that it becomes half the length. 
  3. Repeat the last step so that the cable becomes one-fourth its original length.
  4. Place your index finger through the loop farthest from the sound drivers.
  5. Create a knot by pulling it over and under the other end to keep the loop in place.

Make sure not to tie the knot too tightly to make it easy to remove when you use your headphones.

9. Reinforce the Cord With a Thread

Aside from coiling the cable, you can also strengthen it to keep it from tangling. Reinforcing the cable will keep it from flexing and tangling.

You can strengthen your headphone cable by wrapping two pieces of thread around the entire length and tying a knot on both ends to keep it in place.

The downside of strengthening your headphone cable with thread is that it takes away the original look of your headphones.

Another disadvantage is the cable becomes less flexible and may take up more space.

10. Reinforce the Cable With a Paracord

A paracord (short for parachute cord) can also be used to give your headphone cable additional strength to keep it from tangling.

Using this method requires more time and effort but is still an extremely effective solution to keep your headphone cable from getting tangled.

Textile cables

This process will involve splicing your headphones wires and reconnecting them.

Here are the instructions:

  1. Cut the headphone cable an inch below where the cable forks out to the drivers.
  2. Next, cut the paracord to match the length of the headphone cable that leads to the jack.
  3. Remove the inner strands of the paracord.
  4. After the paracord shell is empty, string the headphone cable all the way through it, starting with the opposite end of the jack. This will require compressing the paracord and extending it to get the headphone cable all the way through.
  5. Once you have the headphone cable all the way through, use the shrinking tube to wrap the end of the cable with the jack and heat it with a lighter so it shrinks firmly into place.
  6. Repeat the steps above to cover the headphone cables leading to the drivers with a paracord.
  7. Insert a shrinking tube on one end of the headphone cable.
  8. Splice both sides of the headphone cables using a wire cutter or a pair of scissors to expose the tiny wires inside the cable.
  9. Reconnect the tiny wires according to their colors.
  10. If the wires have a coating, burn the coating off using a lighter.
  11. Cover the wires individually with electrical tape.
  12. Move the shrinking tube over the wires and heat it, shrinking into place.

Your headphone cables should now be fully wrapped with a paracord to prevent them from tangling.

This process may seem complex, but the video below will help you follow the steps easier.

Key Takeaways

Evidently, there are many ways to keep your headphones from tangling, and most of them are simple hacks that you can do without spending much time or money.

Here are the tips in a nutshell:

  • Store the headphones in a case or use a headphone stand. 
  • Use household items like a binder clip or velcro strap to keep the cable organized.
  • Tie the headphone cable using one of the following: 8 coiling, over-under, or double-fold method.
  • Make a holder out of cardboard or an old credit card.
  • Reinforce the cable using thread or a paracord.