How to Fix a Crooked TV Wall Mount: Tips

TL;DR: If your TV looks crooked after mounting, don’t assume you have to remove it and start over. In most cases, the issue comes from the mount’s leveling adjustment, a slightly shifted wall plate, or the way your room’s furniture and ceiling affect how your eyes perceive the TV. A few small adjustments are usually all it takes to straighten it.

Here’s what you’ll find:

• I used a level, but the TV still looks crooked
• The TV leans when I pull it out on a full-motion mount
• My drill bit slipped, and now the wall plate isn’t level
• The built-in adjustments aren’t enough to straighten the TV
• The level says it’s straight, but it still looks crooked
• The TV was level yesterday, but today it looks crooked
• Pro installation tips
• Wrapping up
• FAQs

Hanging a TV looks simple until you step back and realize it’s just a little crooked but don’t worry, this usually doesn’t mean you have to start over. In many cases, the fix takes just a few minutes once you know what’s causing the problem.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the most common reasons a mounted TV ends up crooked and exactly how to fix each one.

1. I used a level, but the TV still looks crooked

The mount isn’t always the problem here. A lot of people rely on the small bubble level that comes packaged with the mount, and those are usually too short to give you an accurate read. TV frames don’t always line up perfectly with the internal mounting points either, so a level wall plate doesn’t guarantee a level screen.

💡 How to fix it

1. Grab a full-size level and place it across the top edge of the TV, not the wall plate. Most modern mounts include leveling screws for exactly this situation. 
2. Loosen them just enough that the TV can rotate slightly, hold it steady with both hands, make small adjustments until the bubble centers, then tighten everything back down. 

🤓 Note: If your TV is over 65 inches, have someone hold it in place while you tighten. A small shift during that last step can undo all your work.

2. The TV leans when I pull it out on a full-motion mount

This one shows up almost exclusively with full-motion mounts. As the arm extends, the TV’s weight puts more stress on every joint, and any looseness that was invisible when the mount sat flush against the wall suddenly becomes obvious.

💡 How to fix it

• Pull the arm out to the position you actually watch from and check each pivot bolt along the way, tightening any that feel loose. 
• If your mount has a roll or leveling adjustment, make that final tweak while the arm is fully extended, since that’s when the TV is carrying the most weight. 
• If the TV looks level extended but slightly off when pushed back flush against the wall, that’s normal and nothing to chase.

3. My drill bit slipped, and now the wall plate isn’t level

Even with careful measurements, a drill bit doesn’t always start exactly where you marked it. Concrete, brick, and even wood studs can make the bit wander slightly as it begins drilling. A shift of just a couple of millimeters might not matter on a small shelf, but on a large TV it’s often enough to leave the wall plate slightly out of level and make the screen look crooked.

💡 How to fix it

1. Before you reach for the drill again, loosen the lag bolts and check whether your wall plate has slotted mounting holes, which most mounts include for exactly this reason. 
2. With the bolts loose, level the plate, slide it along the slots into position, then tighten it down securely. New holes should be a last resort, only once you’ve used up all the adjustment the slots give you.

4. The built-in adjustments aren’t enough to straighten the TV

If the wall plate ends up farther out of level than the built-in adjustment slots were designed to handle. This can happen if the mounting holes were drilled slightly off, the bracket shifted while the lag bolts were being tightened, or the wall itself wasn’t perfectly even. 

At that point, the mount’s built-in leveling adjustment simply isn’t enough to bring the TV back into alignment.

💡 How to fix it

1. Before drilling again, look at how the TV attaches to the mount itself. 
2. Repositioning the mounting brackets or adding the spacers and washers included with your mount can sometimes correct a small tilt.

If the wall plate is significantly out of level, though, reinstalling it properly is usually the safer long-term fix rather than trying to compensate with hardware.

5. The level says it’s straight, but it still looks crooked

Sometimes the TV really is level, and something else in the room isn’t. Fireplace mantels, floating shelves, media consoles, ceilings, and floors are often a little off, and your eyes naturally compare the TV to those lines instead of the wall behind it.

This happens more often than people realize. Even brand-new homes can have ceilings, floors, or built-in shelves that are slightly out of level, making a perfectly straight TV look crooked.

💡 How to fix it

• Measure from both bottom corners of the TV down to the media console, or the floor if there’s nothing underneath it. 
• If both measurements match, the TV is level. 
• If the room still makes it look off, a very slight visual adjustment so the TV lines up with the furniture nearby is a reasonable trade-off. A small tweak is usually enough to make the whole wall look balanced.

6. The TV was level yesterday, but today it looks crooked

It’s normal to notice tiny shifts during the first few days after installation, especially with larger TVs on full-motion mounts. As the weight settles onto the brackets, the hardware can shift just enough to make the TV look slightly out of alignment.

💡 How to fix it

Check that every bolt is still tight and both brackets are fully seated on the wall plate before assuming the mount failed. If your mount includes post-installation leveling adjustment, use that to fine-tune the position rather than pulling the whole thing down and starting over.

Pro installation tips

• Skip the tiny bubble level that comes with the mount. A 16 to 24 inch level, the kind used for picture-hanging and shelving projects, gives a far more accurate reading.
• Apply painter’s tape before marking drill holes. It keeps your marks visible and helps prevent chipped paint or concrete.
• Always make your final adjustment with the TV installed. Its weight can shift the mount slightly compared to when it’s empty.
• Step back before calling it done. A setup that looks slightly off from two feet away often looks perfectly straight from the couch.

If you’d rather skip the trial and error altogether, that’s exactly what our professional TV mounting service is for. Our techs level, secure, and hide the cables in one visit, and they can pair it with a full home theater installation if you’re setting up sound at the same time.

Wrapping up

A crooked TV mount usually comes down to one of a handful of causes: an inaccurate level, a mount with some give in the joints, a drill bit that wandered, or a room with its own visual quirks playing tricks on your eyes.

So you have to work through the checks above one step at a time, and in most cases you’ll find the fix takes just a few minutes, not a full reinstall. If the TV still doesn’t look right after making these adjustments, it’s worth taking another look at the wall plate and mounting hardware before drilling any new holes.

FAQs