Sewing Machine Manuals

Sewing machine manuals give you information on the functions and stitches performed by your machine, how to clean and oil the machine, and various troubleshooting tips. If you have lost your manual or picked up an amazing sewing machine second-hand that didn’t come with a manual, you are going to need a replacement manual.

If you are an experienced sewer, you can guess how to use some of the functions, but you will only get maximum productivity from your machine by knowing what all the bells and whistles do. Sewing machine manuals contain all the instructions and maintenance tips you need to sew professionally and productively.

Where to find Sewing Machine Manuals

The good news is that most major manufacturers offer their manuals free on their websites as a PDF download. There are also several excellent commercial sites where you can purchase old manuals for an average of $15-$25. Definitely worth the investment!

Places to check for manuals:

Manufacturers (generally free)
Sewing Machine Manual Resellers (on average under $25)

Check the Brand and Model

When looking for a new sewing machine manual, start by finding your machine’s model number. It may be on the back or underneath, so have a good look before you go to the manufacturer’s site.

If you are really stuck and can’t find a model number, try emailing a photo of the machine to the manufacturer for some help. Most reputable brands give great customer service and are happy to help.

FREE Sewing Machine Manuals to Download

These companies have free sewing machine manuals on their websites for you to download. This is a great time and money saver.

Libble has lots of free manuals for sewing machines. Otherwise, click on your manufacturer's link below and see if your sewing machine model is there.

BRAND	SEWING MACHINE MANUALS DOWNLOAD ADDRESS
Babylock	Choose your machine, and it will take you to a download page.
Bernina	Choose your machine and it will take you to a download page.
Brother	Choose the series and then find your machine.
Elna	Here you will find many of their models.
Janome	This page has links to many of their machine manuals.
Juki	Look under the legacy model that matches your machine for a manual download button.
Kenmore	Kenmore's manual page redirects to another site where they are not free. I suggest you use Kenmore's contact form to ask for a manual before paying.
Pffaf	Select your machine from the dropdown list.
Singer	This page has a comprehensive selection of manuals to download free.
Viking Husqvarna	This page also has an email and phone number for sewing machine support. Many of these machines have software downloads as well.

Online Paid Sewing Machine Manuals

Unfortunately, if you have a very old or uncommon machine, you may not be able to find a free manual. These companies below have an enormous selection of sewing machine manuals you can purchase relatively cheaply.

Most of the paid options will give you a hard copy of the sewing machine manual, which often has an advantage over PDF due to their ease of use. Relics advertises that they have more than 3700 different manuals.

Paid Sources of Sewing Machine Manuals:

Sewing Parts Online
eBay - There are many old manuals sold on eBay. Alternatively, you may find someone has a machine the same as yours for sale, and the seller may be willing to make a copy of the manual for you. It never hurts to ask!