Why your screw keeps stripping

Last updated: July 12, 2026

“Stripping” actually covers two completely different problems: the screw head rounds out so the driver won't grip, or the hole in the wood chews out so the screw just spins and won't tighten. The fixes are different, so the first job is telling them apart. Here's how to do both.

Which one is it? If the driver slips and rounds the screw head, that's a stripped head (cam-out) — a bit-and-technique problem. If the screw spins freely and won't pull tight or back out, that's a stripped hole — the wood threads are gone. Different problems, different fixes.

Two different problems people call “stripping”

Before you fix anything, work out which one you have. A stripped head is up top: the recess in the screw head is rounded or chewed, and the driver bit spins inside it or slips out. A stripped hole is down below: the head is fine, but the screw turns and turns without tightening — the wood around the threads has been reamed out, so there's nothing left for the threads to bite. They look similar (the screw won't move the way you want) but the causes and fixes have nothing in common.

Problem 1: a stripped screw head (cam-out)

This is when the driver bit slips out of the head under load and rounds off the recess — the classic “cam-out.” Once the corners of a Phillips or the lobes of a Torx are rounded, the bit has nothing to grab and just spins. It happens most on Phillips screws, which are actually designed to cam out, and it gets worse with a worn bit or the wrong size.

What causes it:

• The wrong or a worn bit. A #1 bit in a #2 screw, or a rounded old bit, never seats fully and slips.
• The wrong type entirely. A Phillips bit in a square-drive (Robertson) or Torx head only touches at the edges. Match the bit to the recess.
• Not enough downward pressure. The single biggest cause — the bit needs firm forward force to stay seated.
• Too much speed. High rpm turns a tiny slip into a rounded head almost instantly.
• A crooked angle. Off-axis, only part of the bit engages. Keep the driver in line with the screw.

Prevent it with four habits: use a fresh, correctly sized bit; match the bit type to the screw (Phillips, square, Torx, Pozidriv); push hard — roughly 70% forward pressure to 30% turning; and slow down, especially as the head seats. Square-drive and Torx screws resist cam-out far better than Phillips if you get to choose the fastener.

How to remove an already-stripped screw head

If the head is already rounded, work up this list from easiest:

• The rubber band trick. Lay a wide rubber band (or a bit of steel wool) flat over the head, press the bit in through it, and turn slowly. The rubber fills the gaps and grips — genuinely works for lightly rounded heads.
• A screw extractor. An extractor bit bites into a rounded or broken head as you run the drill in reverse. A cheap extractor set is the reliable fix for a badly stripped head.
• Cut a new slot. With a rotary tool or a hacksaw blade, cut a fresh straight slot across the head and back it out with a flat-blade driver.
• Grip the head. If the head sits proud, locking pliers (Vise-Grips) clamped on the head will often turn it right out.

Problem 2: a stripped hole (the screw just spins)

Here the screw turns freely but never tightens — or won't back out — because the wood threads it cut are chewed away. The screw is spinning in a smooth, oversized cavity with nothing to grab. This is the “screw won't tighten, just spins” problem, and it's about the hole, not the head.

What causes it:

• The hole is too big — an oversized pilot, or a screw that's too thin for the hole.
• Over-tightening — the last bit of torque after the screw is home strips its own threads out.
• Soft, wet, or worn wood — there wasn't much for the threads to hold in the first place.
• Driving in and out repeatedly — removing and re-driving in the same spot reams the hole wider each time.

How to fix a stripped screw hole in wood

The idea is to give the threads fresh wood to bite. From quickest to sturdiest:

• Matchsticks or toothpicks + wood glue. The classic fix: dab glue in the hole, pack it tight with glue-coated toothpicks or matchsticks, snap them off flush, let it cure, then redrive the screw into the new material. Solid for light and medium loads.
• A wooden dowel or golf tee. For a bigger or load-bearing hole, drill it out clean, glue in a dowel (or a glue-coated golf tee) to fill it, let it set, then drill a fresh pilot and drive. This is the strongest repair.
• Go up a size. A slightly longer or thicker screw can reach past the stripped wood into fresh material — the fastest fix if a bigger screw suits the job.
• Wood filler or epoxy. For non-structural spots (a cabinet hinge, a light bracket), a two-part wood filler or epoxy putty packs the hole and holds a screw once cured. Not for heavy loads.
• Relocate. When strength matters most, move the screw a short distance into solid, undrilled wood.

Be honest about load: the toothpick-and-glue fix is genuinely standard and holds fine for hinges, brackets and trim, but for anything that carries real weight, use a glued dowel or move the screw to fresh wood.

Preventing both, next time

The two problems have two clean preventions. To stop the head stripping, use a fresh, correctly sized bit of the right type and push firmly at a lower speed. To stop the hole stripping, drill a correctly sized pilot — one that matches the screw's core — and don't over-tighten. A pilot that's too big is the number-one cause of a hole that strips, so getting the size right is the whole game.

If your pilot came out oversized, that's its own quick topic — see pilot hole too big or too small? for what to do. And using the right, well-fitting driver bit is the cheapest way to stop cam-out for good — the screwdriver bit size chart shows which Phillips bit (PH0–PH4) each screw gauge takes.

The bottom line

Diagnose first: a rounded head up top is a bit-and-technique problem — fresh right-size bit, firm pressure, lower speed, and a rubber band or extractor to remove one that's already stripped. A screw that just spins is a stripped hole — pack it with glue and toothpicks or a dowel, or move to fresh wood. Prevent both with the right bit and a correctly sized pilot.