An actuating device, for a motor vehicle door lock, having a handle part grippable by one hand and being movable by a mechanism from a rest position into a standby position, and being movable manually into an actuating position starting from the standby position, the actuating device configured to actuate the door lock if the handle part reaches the actuating position, the actuating device having a device for reducing a transverse play of the handle parts such that the transverse play in the standby position is reduced with respect to the transverse play in a position between the rest position and the standby position, the device for reducing the transverse play configured to completely or partially cancel again the reduction of the transverse play in the standby position if the handle part is moved from the standby position into the actuating position.