Abstract: A hand winch having a removable sway handle includes a main body having a winding drum and a plurality of ratchet teeth thereon for winding a cable, a subordinate hook secured to one end of the main body, a main hook suspended from the distal portion of the cable which is fastened to the other end of the main body, a sway handle a tongs shaped front portion composed of a pair of symmetrical prongs each of which has a concave respectively engaged with the main axis and rotatably fixed by a pair of movable plates in cooperation with a pair of elastic members each of which has a cap protruded to outside of the prongs and engaged with a circular through hole of the movable plates, a check pawl engaged within the ratchet teeth and rotatably operated by a lever in the tongs shaped front portion. Thereby, press inward of the caps to set the movable plate free to rotate in order to permit the sway handle readily removed from the main body.