The IKEA ALEX Desk Hack You Are Going To Want To Know Before Installing

We all know the importance of a finding the best desk for your home office. It should give you lots of legroom, fit for sprawling paperwork all over. If it's a perfect fit, sitting there for hours will make your life a lot easier — and your back a lot less achy. So, it's no surprise that so many people are opting for IKEA's ALEX desk (especially if you're in the market for the best desk alternative for your small home office). 

Available in black-brown, gray-turquoise, and white, it fits the clean look with a finished back for easy movement for your home office. With seemingly endless drawer space, it may seem to be perfect — until the track gets stuck. Often, buyers complain that attempting to pull their drawer open results in the track getting stuck in the larger body of the dresser, therefore making it impossible to properly store their belongings. But there may be a hack for you to get this job done with ease. 

Although IKEA is known for its easy assembly, sometimes extra tools can make building your furniture a lot easier. TikTok user @shearpearl posted a step-by-step video to help make sure your tracks slide out with your drawer with ease, and all you need is an interchangeable screwdriver (which, trust us, is definitely one of the tools every homeowner should have). 

Because the tool is small and flat, it fits quite nicely in the holes of the track, making it the perfect tool for aligning an overly sticky drawer. First things first, pull your drawer all the way out of the dresser. Even if it feels like it won't budge, the track will surely reveal itself once you pull it out far enough. Add pressure against the specific side that you'd like to realign the track on if you find it difficult to move. Once it's partially pulled out, align your interchangeable screwdriver head with the first opening on the track. Be sure to hold it firm. Then, slowly push the drawer back into the dresser. During this process, the only pressure that should be applied is on the drawer, as attempting to pull the track out with the screwdriver can result in the tool flying back at you. This solution makes the process a lot quicker than having to deconstruct your dresser or, worse, completely ditching this affordable desk.

If you don't have an interchangeable screwdriver, you can probably find another tool or object that can help you align your drawer track. All you really need is something small enough to fit inside of the track's holes, something you can get a firm grip on, and ideally something with a flat tip that can press flush against the side of the drawer so you don't have to worry about it slipping around.

If the issue becomes deeper and can't be fixed with this method, one Reddit user has a few recommendations on what might work. Maybe during construction, the screws in the back of the drawers weren't tightened enough. If you have the bandwidth, take the dresser apart and tighten each side for better alignment. Another great option is putting cardboard between the dresser and the track to stop any screws from spinning.