How to Open Your Garage Door Manually

Power outages and mechanical failures happen. Having to deal with one or both of these is one of the true constants of home ownership. If your power goes out or your garage door opener fails, you’ll have to manually open your garage door. We’ve outlined how to do this safely here.

What You Need to Know Before Manually Operating Your Garage Door

Even if you know that your garage door opener is without power, you should be wary of simply trying to operate it without conducting a safety check. Here are a few things to do before manually operating any garage door.

• Unplug the opener: Disconnecting your opening mechanism from power will prevent surprise operation and possible system strains while 
• Check all door opener parts: Inspect all opener components, including the mechanism housing, opener rail, belt or chain and connector rod. If there’s any damage to the opener itself, you should contact a garage professional.
• Check your springs for damage: If you haven’t lost power and your opener appears to be straining with the weight of your doors, low spring tension could be to blame. If you detect any issues or breaks, hiring a pro for spring replacement is recommended.
• Inspect door tracks: Rusted or obstructed tracks can also lead to garage opener strain. Clean these and repair any minor dents if needed. If they’re severely bent, you may want to get a quote for track replacement.

How to Manually Open Your Garage Door

Like with any garage door-related task, we recommend exercising caution during operation. If your door is fully open and you suspect that your springs may be compromised, you may want to consider contacting a garage pro. Doors made from heavier material like wood can cause serious crushing injuries in some cases. Without the resistance supplied by springs, this can be a hazard.

1. Fully close your door: Before disengaging, you should be sure that your door is fully closed. Releasing your mechanism with your door raised can result in it crashing down to the floor. Damage or injury can occur in this case.
2. Disconnect your opener’s power source: This is necessary if you’ve had a power surge. Disconnecting your opener can prevent surprise operation or further damage to your circuits.
3. Pull your emergency release cord: Your release cord should be located just above the top of your garage door, and should hang from the opener rail. Pull this until you hear or feel a click.
4. Open your door: We only recommend manual operation for lighter doors. Lift from the center of your door in a controlled motion. 
5. Lock your door at your needed height: If you aren’t fully opening your door, you’ll have to lock it in position along the tracks. Use your garage door’s locking mechanism to hold it in place.

How to Manually Close Your Garage Door Safely

Some garage door materials are heavier than others and make manual operation unsafe. Older wooden garage doors can be too heavy to raise or lower at a measured pace. If this is the case, you may consider getting professional assistance before operating.

1. Clear your entrance of debris: Safety is always a primary concern here. Remove any obstacles to proper operation before lowering your door.
2. Firmly grasp your garage door handle: Proper attention and methodical operation is key to avoiding injury. Minimize your safety risks by always having full control of your door.
3. Slowly lower your door: Maintain control of your door. If it stalls or catches in the tracks, return your door to fully open and inspect the rails and rollers for possible obstructions.

Reconnecting Your Garage Door to the Automatic Opener

If your power is back on, or if you’ve gotten the necessary repairs to your opener mechanism, you can re-engage using your release cord. 

First, make sure your door is fully closed. Most garage doors require that you pull your release cord horizontally to lock onto the opener chain. Your cord is usually attached to a switch-like component; pulling the cord horizontally will effectively flip this switch to the “on” position.

If it doesn’t reconnect or operate properly, we recommend contacting one of our top recommended garage door pros for a repair or maintenance quote.

Frequently Asked Questions About Garage Door Opening Issues