A stuck garage door often points to sensor blocks, wrong limits, a lock setting, power loss, or a jam—use the steps below to get it moving.
Garage Door Not Opening Or Closing: Fast Checks
When a garage door stops mid stroke, most fixes take minutes and a flashlight. Start with power, locks, and sensors. Then look at the door itself. If anything feels heavy, binds, or looks unsafe, pull the manual release and stop using the opener until the door moves freely by hand.
Quick Symptom Map
Use this table as a road map. It groups classic symptoms with common causes and quick actions you can try before grabbing tools.
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Try This |
|---|---|---|
| Door won’t budge | No power or vacation lock on | Check outlet, breaker, and wall console lock |
| Closes, then pops open | Photo eyes blocked or misaligned | Clean lenses, realign, check for sun glare |
| Opener hums, no move | Door jam or broken spring | Pull release, test balance; call a tech for springs |
| Moves a foot, reverses | Travel/force limits off | Reset limits per manual, clear obstructions |
| Remote dead | Battery or lockout | Swap battery; confirm lock light is off |
| Clicks, lights flash | Safety circuit open | Check sensor LEDs and wiring at terminals |
| Sticks to floor | Ice or stuck seal | Chip ice, free the bottom seal, wipe track line |
| Grinds or squeals | Dry rollers or loose track hardware | Lube rollers/hinges; snug loose bolts |
| Runs with door heavy | Poor balance | Door should stay mid travel by hand; if not, call a tech |
Power, Locks, And Simple Wins
Confirm the opener’s plug is seated and the outlet is live. Test with a lamp. Reset a tripped GFCI. If a breaker popped, restore it once and watch for repeat trips. Many wall consoles have a lock mode that stops remotes. If the lock light is on, hold the lock button for a few seconds to clear it. Some models show a code with flashing lights; match the blink pattern in the manual for clues.
Check The Manual Release
Look for the red cord on the trolley. If someone pulled it, the door is in manual. Re-engage by moving the door until the trolley clicks back into the carriage, then press the opener. If the door feels glued to the floor in cold weather, free the rubber seal first to avoid tearing it.
Photo Eyes: Small Parts, Big Stops
Every modern opener uses photoelectric sensors near the floor. Dust, misalignment, bad wiring, or bright sun can break the beam and block closing. Lenses should sit about 4–6 inches high and face each other with solid LEDs. Wipe the lenses, straighten the brackets, and make sure no bikes, bins, or webs cross the path. If one LED stays dark, trace the thin low-voltage wires back to the opener and reseat them at the terminals.
You can read the federal rule for photo eyes and reversal in the CPSC safety standard, which ties to UL 325. For a simple safety check, run the reversal test and make sure the door returns on contact, as urged by the CPSC garage door guide.
Travel And Force Limits
If the door stops short or opens back up near the floor, the opener’s up/down limits or force may need a reset. Limits tell the motor where the floor and header live. Force tells it how hard it may push before it believes something is in the way. On many units, you can reset limits with a set of adjusters or a learn button sequence. Clear the path, close the door by hand, then follow your manual to retrain limits and fine-tune the force so the door seals without bouncing. A well-set door closes firmly without quivering and opens smoothly without stalling.
The Door May Be The Culprit
An opener is only a helper. If the door binds, sags, or drifts, the motor will stall or reverse to protect itself. Pull the release and move the door by hand. It should lift smoothly and rest at mid height without creeping. If it slams or floats, the counterbalance is off. Broken springs, frayed cables, bent tracks, or loose brackets call for a trained technician. Springs carry high tension. Leave those parts alone.
Rollers, Tracks, And Hinges
Rollers should spin, not skid. Steel rollers like a light coat of garage-door rated lube on the bearings. Nylon rollers do not need much. Wipe the tracks; they do not need grease. Snug loose hinge screws and track bolts. Watch for a track that leans in or out; the door may rub and stick. Small tweaks go a long way, but major bends or torn fasteners need pro repair.
Remotes, Keypads, And Interference
Swap coin cells in remotes and keypads. Make sure the antenna on the opener hangs straight. Wi-Fi openers may ignore commands during a router reboot. Some LED bulbs create radio noise; try a garage-door rated bulb or swap to a different brand if range is poor. If you changed the battery and the remote still fails, reprogram it per your model’s steps.
Model-Specific Clues
Many brands flash lights or blink the learn button to point at the bad circuit. Match the blink count to the chart in the opener cover or the maker’s online guide. Common codes flag photo eyes, travel limits, or motor overload. If the light blinks steadily every time you hit close, the sensors likely aren’t talking to each other.
When The Opener Runs But The Door Doesn’t
If the motor runs and the chain or belt moves yet the door stays put, the trolley might be disengaged, the drive gear stripped, or the door jammed. Re-engage the trolley as noted earlier. For stripped gears or a bad start capacitor on older chain drives, you’ll hear a hum and see little movement. Those parts take know-how and often cost less to replace with a new unit, especially if your opener predates photo eyes.
Weather, Weight, And Balance
Cold thickens grease and bonds the bottom seal to the floor. Heat can make a wood door swell. Both change how much push the opener needs. Keep moving parts clean, use the right lube, and check balance twice a year. An easy test: with the opener disconnected, lift the door to mid height. It should stay without help. If not, the springs need service.
Reset Steps You Can Try Safely
Here’s a short routine that clears many glitches without guesswork. Work with the door down when possible, keep tools away from springs and cables, and never bypass safety devices.
- Unplug the opener for 60 seconds, then power it back up. Many boards clear faults on a fresh boot.
- Check the wall console for a lock light. Toggle it off. Try a remote again.
- Inspect photo eyes. Clean, align, and make sure both LEDs are solid. Reseat low-voltage wires at the opener.
- Pull the red cord and test door balance and travel by hand. The door should roll smoothly and rest at mid height.
- Re-engage the trolley. Close the door fully. Run the travel and force setup exactly as your manual shows.
- Replace remote and keypad batteries. Reprogram if needed.
- Run the reversal test with a two-by-four laid flat under the door. The door must reverse on contact.
When To Call A Technician
Stop and pick up the phone if you see a broken torsion spring, loose or frayed lift cable, a bent or pulled-out top bracket, a cracked track, or rollers that have fallen out. These parts carry weight and tension. A trained tech has the gear to set them right and to match parts to door size. If your opener was made before the mid-90s and lacks photo eyes or fails the reversal test, replacement is the safest path.
Care That Prevents Sticking
A few minutes each season keeps the system smooth and quiet. Wipe tracks, lube rollers and hinges, look over cables, and test sensors. Tighten a few fasteners and check the opener mount. Keep a small log of what you did and when you did it so tweaks don’t get missed next time.
Seasonal Care Planner
| Task | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clean and align photo eyes | Every season | LEDs should be steady, not flickering |
| Lube rollers and hinges | Twice a year | Use garage-door rated spray on metal bearings |
| Tighten hinge and track bolts | Twice a year | Snug, don’t strip; watch for wall plugs that spin |
| Test balance by hand | Spring and fall | Door should stay at mid height without drifting |
| Run reversal test | Every season | Door must return on contact with a two-by-four |
| Replace remote batteries | Yearly | Mark the date inside the cover |
| Check bottom seal and weatherstrip | Yearly | Replace if brittle, torn, or flattened |
FAQ-Style Tips Without The Fluff
Why does my door stop and go back up?
The sensors likely can’t see each other, or the close limit is set too low. Clean and align the eyes. Then retrain limits so the door knows the floor position.
The opener runs but moves only a few inches. What now?
Clear ice, check for a jam, and look for flashing codes. If limits are off, reset them. If the door feels heavy by hand, call a tech for spring service.
Can I run the door with the sensors bypassed?
No. The safety circuit is part of federal rules and UL 325. Bypassing puts people and pets at risk and can expose you to liability.
A Smart Finish: Save Your Settings
Once you get smooth travel, write down the steps you used, tape them inside the cover, and note the battery sizes for remotes and keypads. Keep a spare coin cell in a drawer near the entry door. A little prep turns the next hiccup into a quick fix.