How Long Does Window Replacement Take? Lead Times

Replacing windows usually takes a few weeks from order to finished job, but most of that is waiting for the windows to be built. The installation itself is often a day or two for a whole house. Modernize says a typical home can have all or almost all of its windows replaced in a day (updated September 22, 2026) ³, while one San Diego distributor's list of factory production times, dated October 13, 2026, runs from 2 to 3 weeks for some window lines to 17 to 18 weeks for some wood windows ¹.

So the answer depends on the window you order and where you live. The sections below go through each step and what stretches it.

Step 1: The measure visit

Replacement windows are built to the opening, so someone measures every window before anything is ordered. Andersen says the contractor also decides before ordering whether the windows will be installed from inside or outside ².

How long the visit takes depends on the number of openings; none of the sources we read gives a time. What it involves is in how installers measure for replacement windows. If your area needs a permit, ask who pulls it and when; see do you need a permit to replace windows.

Step 2: Order lead time

Lead time is the wait from order to delivery, and it is set line by line. Few companies publish theirs. One that does is Designer Window Supply, a distributor in San Diego, which posts factory production lead times by brand and line; it says they exclude shop drawing approval and shipping to the job site ¹. The table shows a selection from its list as last updated on October 13, 2026.

These are one regional distributor's figures on one date. They change, and a dealer in another state may quote different numbers. Use them for the pattern (wood and custom products take longer), not as a promise for your order.

Stock vs. custom

A stock window is one a store keeps on hand, in a short list of sizes; it skips the factory wait. Replacement windows are often not stock: Thumbtack describes new windows being custom made to order after a pro measures the house ⁵, and an older house's openings are often not catalog sizes. Our standard window sizes article explains why "standard" does not always mean "on a shelf."

Custom options add time even within a line. On the same list, JELD-WEN custom products run 5 weeks, or 9 weeks with a custom color, and Marvin Ultimate custom wood 14 to 15 weeks ¹.

Step 3: Installation day

Per window, the range is wide. Modernize says a simple double-hung replacement on the ground floor should take an hour or less, a bow window with several pieces can take a full day, and complex installations needing exterior repairs can take up to two days ³. Andersen says a full-frame replacement on the ground floor typically takes 4 to 6 hours per window, and that upper-story windows take longer ².

The difference is mostly method. An insert leaves the old frame and trim in place; a full-frame job removes the old frame down to the rough opening, so the flashing and trim around the new window have to be rebuilt. See full-frame vs. insert window replacement and the step-by-step in how replacement windows are installed.

For a whole house, the per-window time times the window count, divided among the crew, gives a rough idea. A crew of inserts may finish a house in a day, as Modernize describes ³; a house of full-frame windows at Andersen's 4 to 6 hours each may run several days.

What stretches each step

• Product line and options. Wood, custom colors and custom products run longer in the distributor list above ¹.
• Busy season. Fixr says window replacement companies are busiest in spring and summer ⁴, so the wait for an install date may be longer then. More on timing in the time of year to replace windows.
• Hidden damage. Rot or water damage behind the old window is often found only on the day. Modernize's longest times are for jobs needing exterior repairs ³. See rotted window frame: repair or replace.
• Upper floors and large units. Andersen says upper-story windows take longer ², and Modernize gives a bow window up to a full day ³.
• Remeasure or reorder. A wrong size means a new order and a new lead time, which is why the measure visit is worth doing carefully.
• Weather. A full-frame opening is open to the outside while the crew works, and sealants and foams have temperature limits; see the time of year to replace windows.

How to keep the schedule clear

Ask each company, in writing, for the lead time of the exact product line quoted, the expected install date, how many days the crew will be on site, and what happens if the delivery is late or a window arrives damaged. How to compare window quotes has a line for dates, and how to choose a window installer covers the rest, starting with: Is the installer licensed in your state? Costs are in the window replacement cost guide. When you are ready, you can compare quotes from window installers.

We are not affiliated with the manufacturers named.

About these figures

• ¹ Reported: Designer Window Supply, one San Diego distributor, factory production lead times by brand and line, excluding shop drawings and shipping, last updated October 13, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.
• ² Reported: Andersen installation day checklist, inside or outside installation decided before ordering, 4 to 6 hours per ground-floor full-frame window and longer for upper stories, checked October 26, 2026.
• ³ Reported: Modernize installation times (an hour or less for a simple ground-floor double-hung, up to a full day for a bow window, up to two days with exterior repairs, most homes in a day), updated September 22, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.
• ⁴ Reported: Fixr note that window replacement companies are busiest in spring and summer, updated January 21, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.
• ⁵ Reported: Thumbtack description of windows custom made to order after an in-home measurement, updated October 19, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.