If your electric garage door is malfunctioning, don't panic. Instead of immediately calling in a professional for costly repairs, you may be able to fix the problem with a simple reset. Motorised garage doors with safety sensors and other electronic features can experience minor operational glitches, just like any electronic device. Rebooting the system often fixes minor problems in a matter of minutes.

  • If your electric garage door is malfunctioning, don't panic.
  • Motorised garage doors with safety sensors and other electronic features can experience minor operational glitches, just like any electronic device.

Unplug your motorised garage door opener from the wall outlet. Unplugging the unit shuts down the on-board electronics and acts as a reset for the motorised system. This also resets peripheral devices, like garage door motion sensors, keypad entry systems and other electronic features.

Wait 30 seconds. The garage door can still hold a charge for a few seconds after it is unplugged.

  • The garage door can still hold a charge for a few seconds after it is unplugged.

Plug the garage door opener back into the wall outlet.

Unscrew the faceplate on your door opener's remote control. This unit is usually not hooked up to the same power source as the main garage door opener, and it needs to be reset independently.

Remove the faceplate and look for a button or switch labelled "Reset." This button is usually just above the battery.

Remove the battery if you do not notice a dedicated reset switch. Cutting off battery power to the remote will force the unit to reboot when power is resupplied.

Reinsert the battery and reattach the faceplate. After resetting both the door and remote, minor electronics issues should be fixed. Major problems, such as broken door chains or faulty wiring, can require additional repairs.