If the machine blade carriage is not moving side to side and is only cutting vertical lines, this can indicate one of the following:


  • The motor is stuck, generally due to unremoved packing tape
  • The machine's original USB cord (8 ft USB cord) supplied with the Silhouette is not in use
  • There is no direct connection between the Silhouette machine and the computer tower/laptop
    (i.e. the USB cord is being run through a hub, USB extension cord, a monitor or keyboard USB port, router, etc.)

Removing Packing Tape


Lift the lid of your machine and check for the presence of any unremoved translucent blade packing tape, especially any pieces connecting the motor to the body of the machine or anywhere on the blade carrier.

Checking the Blade Holder & Carriage


To check the Blade Holder and the Blade Carriage:


  1. Power off your machine
  2. Remove the blade from the machine (if present)
  3. Push down on the blade holder to tap it up and down several times
    NOTE: The blade holder should move up and down freely
  4. Grip the entire blade carriage housing and manually push it to the right side of the machine and then back all the way to the left to confirm the blade carriage moves smoothly
    NOTE: Repeat this action if the carriage is still not moving smoothly
  5. Grip the carriage and press down
    NOTE: This makes sure that the blade carriage housing is snapped into place properly and ensures the blade carriage is on track

Checking the USB Connection


  1. Check the USB cord. Ensure that the original USB cord is in use.
  2. Check the USB connection. Make sure that the USB cord is connected directly from the cutting machine to your computer's USB port.


A connection routed through a USB hub or router may cause this concern.