How to Hang Curtain Lights on a Window or Balcony (No Drilling)

October 29, 2026

Woman hanging LED curtain lights on an apartment balcony railing at sunset

Curtain lights are rows of light strands hanging from one top wire. Hung well, they fall straight and turn a window or a balcony into a glowing picture; hung badly, they bunch up, tilt and reflect in the glass. Here is how to hang them in a window or on a balcony railing, step by step, without drilling a single hole.

Step 1: Measure and pick the size

Measure the width of your window or railing. Curtain lights look best hanging straight, not bunched up, so pick the size closest to that width.

2 × 2 m (6 ft 7 in): standard windows, bay-window panels and short balcony railings
3 × 3 m (9 ft 10 in): patio doors, French doors, wide picture windows and wider balconies

Woman hanging LED curtain lights on an apartment balcony railing at sunset

Shown: Lumalyn Smart Animated Christmas Balcony Lights, 400 LEDs with 100+ animated scenes, in 2 × 2 m or 3 × 3 m.

What you need

The curtain lights with their USB controller and the hooks from the box.
Something to hang them from: your curtain rail, a tension rod or clear removable adhesive hooks for a window; small zip ties for a railing.
A USB adapter for an indoor socket (not included), or a power bank where there is no socket nearby.
A second pair of hands for the 3 × 3 m set: one person holds the top wire while the other fixes it.

What comes in the box: LED curtain lights, USB controller, remote, hanging hooks and quick start guide

How to hang curtain lights in a window

Pick the top line. Clip the top wire to your curtain rail, to a tension rod inside the window frame, or to clear adhesive hooks along the top of the frame. None of the three leaves a hole, which suits renters.
Fix both ends first. Hang the two ends of the top wire, then add hooks in between until the wire runs straight and level. A sagging top wire makes the whole picture tilt.
Let the strands drop. Unroll the strands from the top down and keep them in order, without crossing them: on an animated curtain, each strand is one column of the picture.
Keep them close to the glass. Leave a few centimeters (about an inch) between the strands and the window, so the picture is sharp from the street and reflects less in the room.
Plug in and pick a design. Plug the USB controller into the adapter, open the app and choose a scene.
Close the curtains behind. Blinds or curtains behind the lights give a dark background, and the picture stands out much more from outside.

Colorful LED curtain lights in a living room window, controlled with the remote from the sofa

How to hang curtain lights on a balcony railing

Check the house rules. Some buildings have rules about decorations on the outside, so check before you hang anything on the outer side of the railing.
Clip the top wire to the top rail. Use the hooks from the box or small zip ties, and pull the wire straight.
Hang the strands on the outside. Let them fall straight down the outer face of the railing, so the picture faces the street.
Stop the swing. On a windy balcony, tie a few strands loosely to the lower rail with zip ties so they don't swing or tangle.
Keep the controller dry. Put the USB controller under the balcony roof or just inside the door, and run the cable through the door seal to a USB adapter indoors.
Set the timer. Let the app switch the lights on at dusk and off at bedtime, so you never have to go out in the cold.

People in the street looking up at a balcony where LED curtain lights show a snowman

Rain, wind and power

Rain: the lights are IP44 splash-resistant, which suits covered balconies, porches and windows. Avoid spots where rain falls on them directly, and keep the controller dry.
Wind: a few extra zip ties at the bottom stop the strands from swinging and tangling.
Power: the lights run on low-voltage USB power (5 V), so you don't need an outdoor socket. Run the cable to a USB adapter indoors; a power bank works for a party or a spot with no socket.
Brightness at night: around 50–70% brightness is usually enough after dark and reduces reflections in the window.

Common mistakes

A curtain that is too wide. Bunched strands blur the picture. Pick the size closest to your window or railing.
Crossed strands. On an animated curtain, a crossed strand moves part of the picture to the wrong place. Untangle from the top down.
A bright room behind the window. With the room lights on and no curtain behind, the picture looks pale from outside.
A wet controller. The strands can take splashes, but the USB controller and the adapter must stay dry.