Quick answer
What is window lacing?
Window lacing, also called box lacing, skips a crisscross directly over one pressure point on top of a shoe. Each lace runs up its own side for one or two eyelet rows, making an open window. Cross again above it to keep the rest of the shoe secure.
Five-step method
How to window lace running shoes
- Put the shoe on and find the eyelet row just below the spot where the laces press on your foot.
- Lace normally from the toe until both ends reach that row.
- Instead of crossing over the sore spot, run each end straight up its own side to the next eyelet. Extend the uncrossed section by one more row only if needed.
- Cross the ends again above the pressure point and finish lacing normally.
- With your foot still in the shoe, adjust the tension from the toe upward. Walk or jog briefly to check whether the pressure eased and your heel still feels secure.
What window lacing changes
Window lacing—sometimes called box lacing—removes the diagonal lace crossing from one section of the tongue. The vertical segments create an open window over one localized lace-pressure point.
The shoe stays normally crossed above and below the window, so you can preserve overall hold while reducing pressure in one specific area.
Where should the lace window sit?
The diagram shows a two-row window in the middle of the shoe, but the open section should line up with your pressure point. Start below that spot and resume crossing above it.
Try one uncrossed row first. Extend it to two rows only if the crossing still lands on the uncomfortable spot; a taller window can reduce hold through the midfoot.
Window lacing or parallel lacing?
Choose a window when one crossing presses on a specific spot. If the whole tongue feels too tight, parallel lacing replaces most visible diagonal crossings with straight bars instead of opening only one section.
What if your heel slips after opening the window?
Keep the open section comfortable rather than tightening it back over the pressure point. If your shoe has an extra top eyelet pair, a runner’s loop may add heel hold at the collar.
When to stop adjusting the laces
- The pressure remains when the laces are visibly loose.
- You have swelling, bruising, or pain that continues after the shoe comes off.
- Your heel or midfoot becomes unstable when the window is open.
- The shoe upper is stretched tightly around the foot before you tie it.