Troubleshoot Your Cash Drawer
Whether you’re using a USB or printer-driven cash drawer, try the following troubleshooting tips to get your cash drawer back up and running.
Before you get started, please note that you can connect a cash drawer directly to your Square hardware or through your receipt printer. When you connect a cash drawer, it will automatically open when you accept a cash payment and you can take full advantage of Square’s cash drawer management features.
Learn more about our supported cash drawers and hardware compatibility.
Printer-Driven Cash Drawers
If you’re using a printer-driven cash drawer to connect to a supported receipt printer, try the following tips:
Make sure you have created and enabled a printer profile for your receipt printer. You can enable a printer profile by navigating to ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > Printers > Create Printer Profile.
If you already have an active printer profile, ensure that you have enabled Receipts under the “Use this Printer For” setting – this will ensure your cash drawer will open automatically.
Ensure that your interface cable is properly connected to both your printer and cash drawer. If it looks properly connected, try unplugging and reconnecting both sides of the cable. If that doesn’t work, try switching which device each side of the interface cable is connected to.
Restart both the Square app and the device running the Square app.
USB Cash Drawers
If you’re using a USB cash drawer to connect to Square Stand, try the following tips:
Ensure that your USB cable is properly connected to both your printer and the Square Stand USB hub. If it looks properly connected, try unplugging and reconnecting both sides of the cable.
Check that your USB hub is properly connected to both Square Stand and a wall outlet using the power adaptor and power cable.
Try updating and restarting the Square app.
If you are using a Square Stand, carefully remove your iPad from the Square Stand and fully power down and restart the device before reconnecting it to the Square Stand. For Square Register and Square Terminal, press and hold the power button and select Reboot.
If you’re still unable to automatically open your cash drawer from the Square app, you can use the cash drawer key to open it manually.
Note: When you received your cash drawer, the key should have been taped to a piece of cardboard on the front of it. If you need a replacement key, locate the key code on the lock of your cash drawer, then contact the manufacturer – APG or StarMicronics.
Cash Drawer Support
Depending on the assistance you need with your cash drawer, you may need to contact Square, APG or Star Micronics. Review the situations below to determine who you should contact.
| Situation | Contact Square | Contact APG | Contact Star Micronics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damage during shipping (arrived damaged) | Yes | No | No |
| Missing parts upon delivery, such as keys | No | Yes | Yes |
| External damage not related to shipping (e.g. dropping it, water or fire damage, improper use, etc.) | No, not covered by warranty | No, not covered by warranty | No, not covered by warranty |
| Drawer doesn’t function correctly, and troubleshooting steps above were attempted. | No | Yes, for additional troubleshooting. Note: Warranty limits* are set by the manufacturer. | Yes, for additional troubleshooting. Note: Warranty limits are set by the manufacturer. |
| Stopped functioning properly after updating | No | Yes, only after attempting the update one more time. | Yes, only after attempting the update one more time. |
| Need additional or replacement parts (replacement drawer, locking till, mounting brackets) that Square does not sell? | No | Yes | Yes |
*Note: Specific warranty periods vary based on the model of the cash drawer. Both the Vasario series and the Soma (Arlo) series are compatible with Square. However, only the Vasario series is available in the Square Shop at this time.
United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, France: Vasario includes a three-year limited warranty. SOMA (Arlo) includes a 1-year limited warranty.
Learn how to connect a cash drawer to your point of sale.