Garage Door Won't Open: What You See, What It Means, and When to Stop

When a garage door won't open, either the opener isn't getting the command or the power (a lock setting, a dead battery, a tripped outlet, a released trolley), or the door has become too heavy or too stuck for the opener to move. You can fix most of the first group in minutes; the second includes broken springs and cables, never a do-it-yourself repair. What you see and hear when you press the button tells you which group you're in.

If the door opens but won't close, LiftMaster's manual points to the safety sensors, and our garage door reverse page covers them. If the whole house is dark, start with what to do when the power goes out.

Start With What You See

• The wall button works, but the remote or keypad doesn't: causes 1 and 2.
• Nothing responds, and the opener's lights are dark: cause 3.
• The motor runs and the trolley moves, but the door stays put: cause 4.
• A cold morning, and the door won't leave the floor: cause 5.
• The opener hums, but nothing moves: cause 8 first, then 6.
• The door rises a few inches, then stops or reverses: causes 7 and 8.
• A loud bang, a gap in a spring, or a suddenly very heavy door: cause 8. Stop.
• A loose cable, a crooked door, or rollers out of the track: cause 9. Stop.

Most Likely Causes

1. The lock or vacation mode is on. Chamberlain, which makes LiftMaster openers, says that in Lock Mode (Vacation Mode) the opener ignores remotes: its lights flash twice when you press a remote button, and the wall control's LED flashes continuously. Press and hold the Lock button on the wall control until the indicator stops flashing or turns solid. Genie's Sure-Lock disables remotes and the keypad; slide it to unlocked. Locked out? Chamberlain says to go in through another door and turn the lock off at the wall control.
2. A dead remote or keypad battery. DASMA says many remote problems come from old or improperly installed batteries, so change them first, and Chamberlain calls a dead battery the most common reason a keypad stops working. Genie notes that cold drains both faster. If a new battery doesn't help, Chamberlain's next steps are checking range, reprogramming, and trying a second remote; holding the opener's LEARN button too long erases every programmed remote and keypad. DASMA and Genie add that some LED and fluorescent bulbs cut a remote's range.
3. No power to the opener. If nothing lights or responds, plug a lamp into the opener's outlet, as Genie and Chamberlain suggest. Chamberlain says the opener should plug directly into an outlet with no wall switch or timer, and DASMA says an extension cord isn't permitted. A dead outlet may be a tripped GFCI: the ESFI's summary of the electrical code lists garages among the places that need GFCI protection, and Leviton notes that outlets protected by one GFCI can be in different rooms, so press RESET on every GFCI you find (see our GFCI guide). Then reset a tripped breaker once, as our breaker guide shows. Never touch the panel with wet hands or while standing in water (CenterPoint Energy says to work there only when the area is completely dry), and never remove its inner cover, the dead front; the CPSC says that's an electrician's job. If the outlet works and the opener stays dark, Chamberlain points to a failed logic board; Genie says power surges can damage it.
4. The door was disconnected from the opener. After someone pulls the red emergency release, often in a power outage, the motor runs and, as Chamberlain puts it, you may see only the trolley move along the rail. With the door fully closed, reconnect it the way your manual shows. LiftMaster's ELITE Series manual says the trolley reconnects the next time the opener runs; if the release was locked out by pulling it down and back, pull it straight down first. Genie's carriage re-engages when you pull the cord toward the door until it clicks.
5. Cold weather. Clopay, a door maker, says a door can freeze to the concrete when its bottom seal sits in water or wet snow. Its fix: gently chip the ice away or melt it with warm water, then raise the door and dry the area so it doesn't refreeze. Don't force it, by hand or with the opener: Clopay warns that can rip the weatherseal, and Genie says ice under a door can damage the door and the opener. Clopay adds that cold can harden lubricant so the door sticks in the track, and Chamberlain says the opener's force settings compensate for changes in weather. Don't warm up the car in the garage while you wait; the CDC says never to run one in an attached garage, even with the door open (our garage-to-house door page explains that wall).
6. The opener hums or runs, but the door doesn't move. Chamberlain lists broken springs first among the causes of a brief hum, so check cause 8 before anything else. Its others: an engaged door lock and a trolley jammed against the stop bolt; a hum of about 30 seconds means the door may not be connected. If the springs look intact, LiftMaster's manual says to move the door by hand to check for binding or an obstruction, and to call a technician if it binds. If the motor runs but the trolley doesn't, Genie points to a broken chain, belt, or pulley, and it sends stripped internal gears to a garage door professional.
7. The door opens a few inches, then stops or reverses. LiftMaster's manual blames binding, a technician's job, or an obstruction. Chamberlain says the door must be balanced before travel and force can be set correctly; for a door in good working order, its fix is more UP force by the opener's instructions, with a safety reversal test after any travel change. Don't crank the force to drag a heavy door. DASMA says a door that takes two hands to lift is probably out of balance: "The answer is not a more powerful garage door opener." It recommends a technician make sensitivity adjustments.
8. A broken torsion or extension spring. DASMA says doors are usually balanced by torsion springs above the door or extension springs alongside the horizontal tracks. When one snaps, Clopay says, the door can become too heavy for the opener; you may hear a loud bang, which Genie compares to a firecracker or a gunshot, and see the coil split into two pieces. Springs break more often in winter, Clopay adds, because cold makes the wire brittle. If you suspect one, stop. DASMA says not to operate the door until the spring is replaced, and Chamberlain says to call a professional if the door feels unusually heavy, won't stay open, or slams shut. Don't lift it by hand: the CPSC warns that a severely unbalanced door could crash to the floor.
9. A snapped cable, or a door off its track. DASMA says the cables attach the spring system to the bottom brackets, which are under extreme tension, and that frayed or worn cables can break and should be replaced only by a trained technician. Genie, after describing broken springs, says, "An even more dangerous situation is that of broken cables." Clopay says an off-track door usually jams and looks crooked or uneven, sometimes with rollers popping out of the tracks, and that forcing it can cause damage or injury: stop operating it and call a trained technician.

What You Can Fix Yourself

• Turn off the lock or vacation mode.
• Replace remote and keypad batteries, and reprogram a remote.
• Test the outlet with a lamp, reset GFCIs, and reset a tripped breaker once.
• Reconnect the trolley with the door fully closed.
• Free a door frozen to the floor, then dry the area.
• Clear obstructions from the door's path and tracks, as Chamberlain suggests.
• On a balanced door, adjust travel and force by the manual, then run the reversal test.

Before working on the opener itself, LiftMaster's manual says to disconnect all electric and battery power.

When to Call a Pro

Call a garage door technician, and stop using the door, for a broken spring or a bang; a loose, frayed, or snapped cable; a crooked or off-track door; a door that feels very heavy, won't stay put partway open, or slams shut; a door that binds when you move it by hand; an opener that still hums with intact springs and the door connected; or a failed reversal test after an adjustment.

Call a licensed electrician when the outlet stays dead after you've checked the GFCIs and breaker; Chamberlain says to contact a qualified electrician if power can't be restored. DASMA says an electrician should add an outlet if none is within cord length. Our DIY vs. hire-a-pro guide shows where that line sits elsewhere.

Prevent It

• Monthly: LiftMaster's manual says to operate the door by hand and call a technician if it's unbalanced or binding; the CPSC says to inspect the door and opener every 30 days. Chamberlain's balance test: with the door closed, pull the release, lift the door 3 to 4 feet, and let go. It should stay put; if it slams shut or shoots upward, call a technician. Skip it if you suspect a broken spring.
• Yearly: DASMA recommends an annual technician visit. LiftMaster says to oil rollers, bearings, and hinges yearly but not to grease the tracks; Clopay says no WD-40 and no lubricant on nylon rollers. Follow your door's manual.
• Springs: Clopay says springs are usually rated for 10,000 cycles and recommends replacing them if you've lived in the house seven years or more, use the door daily, and never replaced them. DASMA says to replace both springs on a two-spring door, and that extension springs need a safety cable through them.
• Before winter: Genie says to keep snow clear where the bottom seal meets the floor and to replace remote and keypad batteries early; Clopay suggests silicone-based lubricant on the seals. See our winter guide for the rest of the house.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my garage door open from the wall button but not the remote?

Usually the lock or a battery. In Chamberlain's Lock Mode, the opener's lights flash twice when you press a remote; hold the wall control's Lock button to turn it off. Otherwise, replace the remote's battery, then reprogram it.

How do I open my garage door when the power is out?

With the door fully closed, pull the red emergency release and lift the door by its handles, never with fingers between the sections (DASMA). LiftMaster says never to pull the door by the release cord, because the knot could come untied and you could fall. If it feels unusually heavy or won't stay up, stop and call a professional (Chamberlain). Our power outage guide covers the rest.

Can I open a garage door with a broken spring?

No. Under DASMA's rule the door stays out of use until the spring is replaced: no opener, and no lifting by hand. The CPSC warns that a badly unbalanced door can fall on someone under it. Keep everyone clear and call a garage door technician.

Why does my garage door open a few inches and stop?

The opener has detected what Chamberlain calls an obstruction, binding, or a sticking door. Check for a broken spring first, then ice, the tracks, and balance. If the door moves freely by hand and stays put 3 to 4 feet up, adjust the force by the manual and run the reversal test.

The Bottom Line

Work from easy to serious: the lock, batteries, the outlet and its GFCI, the release cord, then ice. If the opener hums or the door quits after a few inches, look at the springs before you touch anything. A bang, a gap in a spring, a loose cable, or a crooked door means stop: don't run the opener, don't lift the door, keep everyone clear, and call a garage door technician.

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