How to Open a Sofa Bed

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: July 16, 2021 References

Opening a sofa bed is usually pretty straightforward if you can figure the first step out. If your sofa bed is older, the odds are high that it’s a traditional sofa bed. Remove the cushions and lift the handle at the front of the base to pull your bed out. If you can’t remove your box cushions and your bed is newer, look for a handle underneath the front of your sofa to unlock the frame and lower your bed. Sectionals often store an additional cushion that automatically folds out underneath the longest section of the couch.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Opening a Traditional Sofa Sleeper

1
Remove the cushions from the back and base of the sofa. To start, lift the cushions out of the back of the sofa and set them aside. Then, pull each box cushion out of its slot and set it down. Some sofas use Velcro to secure the cushions to the frame of the sofa, but most of the time these cushions come right out.^{[1]
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- The box cushions are the square-shaped cushions that you sit on.
2
Lift the bar at the front of the seat to pull the mattress out. With your box cushions removed, look at the front of the seat where the box cushions used to be. Locate a metal handle or bar. Grip it firmly with both hands and pull it up and out at the same time. The bed frame should slide right out.^{[2]
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Tip: Some newer sofa sleepers have a platform on top of the bed but underneath the box cushions to protect the bed’s box springs. This platform usually slides out, but there may be a handle to lift it up.

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3
Set the base down and unfold the bottom of the bed. Pull the folded bed out as far as you can. Once you can’t pull it out any further, set the base down. Grab the top of the mattress that’s been folded over and simply pull it away from the sofa to open the mattress completely.^{[3]
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- On some older beds, there may be a lever to unlock the middle bar. Pull this lever out while unfolding the bed to keep it unlocked.
- There may be fabric straps clipped to the folded section of the mattress. These are designed to keep the mattress from unfolding inside of the sofa. Open each clip by pressing the metal pieces together to unlock your bed.
4
Pull the center bar up if necessary and set your bed up. With your mattress unfolded, try pulling the middle bar up slightly to see if the bed locks in place. This is a feature in some older sofa beds. If you don’t need to do this, add your pillows, bed spread, and blanket to finish setting your bed up.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Unfolding Modern Sofa Beds

1
Look for a lever or handle underneath the front of the bed. Modern sofa beds typically fold in the center and use the sofa cushions as the mattress. To unlock the sofa, start by looking under the front of the box cushions in the center for a metal lever or handle.^{[4]
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- If you can’t find a lever underneath your sofa, look in the back. Some models put the lever or handle at the top of the back cushions.^{[5]
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- If you have a futon, you probably have a lever on the side of the bed where the back meets the base. Pull this lever out and push the back forwards a little to unlock it before lowering it.
Tip: Some of the newer, high-end models unfold electronically. Look for a button the side of the sofa that says, “Bed,” or “Sleep Mode” and try pressing it or holding it down.
2
Pull the handle up until it clicks to rotate the bed. Once you’ve located the handle or lever, press it inwards until you hear a click. Once the lever or handle clicks, keep it held down while pulling the bed upwards. The box cushions and the back of the bed will turn upwards as one unit.^{[6]
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- If you have a lever, try pulling it out or rotating it to unlock the bed if you can’t press it in.
3
Rotate the bed until it won’t move any further and release the handle. Continue rotating the sofa backwards until it won’t move any further. This is usually when the back of the sofa is parallel with the floor. Once you hear a click, the back of the bed is in place. Release the handle to keep the back of the bed flat.^{[7]
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4
Lower the base of the sofa to unfold the bed. Once the back of the sofa is locked in place, simply lower the box cushions back down. The back of the sofa will stay in place while the box cushions will still be unlocked. Lower the box cushions until they’re back in the original position. The bed will lock automatically and you can lay down on your flat surface.
- Add your pillows, bed spread, and blanket to get ready for sleep.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Opening Sliding Sofa Beds

1
Pull the storage unit out from under the box cushions. Sliding sofa beds are L-shaped sofas that store an additional cushion under the bed to create a mattress. If you have an L-shaped bed, reach underneath the longer length of the sofa and slide out the section underneath your box cushions.^{[8]
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- L-shaped beds are called sectionals.
Tip: If your bed is not L-shaped, you don’t have a sliding sofa bed. Try using another method to open your sofa bed.
2
Bring the storage unit out as far as you can and pull the cushion up. Continue pulling the storage unit under the box cushions out. Once you can’t pull it out any further, use the strap in the middle of the cushion to lift the additional cushion out.^{[9]
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3
Pull the cushion up and out to lock it into place and finish your bed. With your cushion lifted, pull it up and out. Don’t use too much force, since the locking mechanism is automatic. As you pull it up and out, the cushion will set into place on top of the storage unit’s frame. The cushion will stay in place and you can set your pillows, bed spread, and blanket on top of the cushions.^{[10]
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