The top does not screw on. It presses on. You must never pick it up by the top. If I forget to pick it up by the middle the top pops off and expensive pepper corns go dumping everywhere - floor, stove, counter - and that fun time when they all, including the mill, landed in my stew - ugh! I’m going to throw it away this time because I’ve had it too long to return it. Do yourself a giant favor and buy a pepper mill with a screw on top.