My garage door opens but closes only partway, then reverses — what's causing this?

Almost always a photo-eye sensor issue — an obstruction, dirty lens, or misalignment. Both sensors near the bottom of the tracks should have solid indicator lights; a blinking light means they've lost alignment. Clear the sensor path and check for dirt on the lenses. If sensors look fine, the close-force or close-limit adjustment on your opener may need tweaking — consult your manual or call a technician.

The opener motor runs but the door doesn't move — what happened?

The most likely cause is that the manual release cord has been pulled, disconnecting the door from the trolley. Look for the red rope hanging from the opener rail — pulling it back toward the motor typically reconnects the carriage. If the trolley is connected and the opener still strains without moving the door, a broken spring may be putting too much resistance on the motor. Don't keep running it in that case.

My garage door won't open in cold weather — is this normal?

Cold weather can freeze the bottom seal to the driveway after a wet night followed by a hard freeze. You'll hear the motor straining. Gently break the seal by hand before trying the opener — don't force it. Cold also thickens lubricant and increases spring tension. A door that struggles only in cold weather with a spring that's 7+ years old is worth having inspected before spring replacement becomes urgent.

How soon can I get a technician out for a door that won't open?

Same-day service is available in most covered areas. 24-hour emergency response is available if the door is stuck open, presents a security risk, or your vehicle is trapped. Call now to check current availability.

Guide June 2026

Garage Door Won't Open or Close: Causes & What to Do

When a garage door stops working, you're either locked out or locked in — both are urgent. The cause is almost always one of a handful of things, many of which have clear signals. This guide walks through them systematically.

Start Here: Quick Checks Before Assuming a Major Problem

A surprising number of "my garage door stopped working" calls come down to something simple. Run through these before diagnosing anything mechanical:

Power to the opener: Is the opener plugged in? Did a circuit breaker trip? Plug a phone charger into the outlet to confirm power. Garage circuits can trip from motor load surges, especially after a power flicker.
Remote battery: The single most common cause of a remote-only failure. Replace with fresh batteries — AA or 9V depending on your remote model — and hold the remote close to the opener to test. Battery-low remotes often still work, just only at very close range.
Vacation/lock mode: Many openers have a "lock" or "vacation" switch that disables the remote while allowing the wall button to work. Check the wall button panel for a small lock toggle.
Manual disconnect: The red rope hanging from the opener rail is the manual disconnect. If it's been pulled — intentionally or accidentally — the door is no longer connected to the opener. Re-engage it by pulling the rope back toward the motor until the carriage clicks back into the drive mechanism.

If the opener lights don't turn on at all, the problem is power. If lights work but nothing responds, keep reading.

Why Your Garage Door Won't Open

A door that won't open — and where the quick checks above didn't solve it — usually has one of these causes:

Broken Torsion or Extension Spring

This is the most common cause of sudden, complete door failure. The spring counterbalances the door's weight. Without it, the door becomes impossibly heavy — the opener motor will strain or hum without moving it, and a manual lift attempt will feel like lifting dead weight.

If you heard a loud bang — often described as a gunshot — coming from the garage before the door stopped working, this is almost certainly the cause. You may also see a visible gap in the torsion spring (the horizontal coil above the door) where it snapped.

What to do: Don't force it. Disconnect the opener and don't attempt a manual lift. This is a same-day professional repair. See our broken spring guide for safety details and cost context.

Snapped Cable

Cables run vertically on either side of the door and connect the door to the spring system. A snapped cable means the door may hang unevenly, drop on one side, or simply not lift at all. Don't attempt to operate a door with a broken cable — it can fall suddenly or put dangerous stress on the remaining cable.

Opener Motor or Logic Board Failure

If power is confirmed, the remote is working, the manual disconnect is engaged, and the wall button doesn't respond either, the problem may be inside the opener — a motor failure, a burned-out capacitor, or a failed logic board. The opener lights usually still work in these cases. A technician can diagnose whether repair or replacement makes more sense on the specific model.

Door Off-Track or Track Obstruction

A track that's bent, has an obstruction, or has shifted enough to jam the rollers can stop the door mid-travel. If the door started moving and then stopped with a grinding or scraping sound, inspect the tracks visually. Don't try to force the door through an obstruction.

Why Your Garage Door Won't Close

A door that refuses to close — or closes partway and reverses — is usually a different problem than a door that won't open.

Photo-Eye Sensors Obstructed or Misaligned

This is by far the most common reason a door won't close. The two sensors at the bottom of the door tracks create an invisible beam; if anything breaks it — or if the sensors lose alignment with each other — the door won't close as a safety measure.

Check for:

Anything sitting in the door's path (box, garden hose, leaf)
Spiderwebs or dirt on the sensor lenses — wipe with a dry cloth
A sensor that's been nudged out of alignment — both indicator lights should be solid, not blinking
Direct sunlight hitting one sensor — morning or afternoon sun at certain angles can fool the sensor into thinking something's obstructing it

Realigning sensors is usually a two-minute fix: loosen the sensor bracket, point the sensor directly at its partner until both lights go solid, then retighten.

Close-Limit Switch Set Incorrectly

The opener uses a limit switch to know when the door is fully closed. If it's set too high, the opener thinks the door is already down when it isn't and reverses. This is an adjustment on the opener itself — usually a screw labeled "DOWN" or "CLOSE" on the motor unit. Consult your opener's manual.

Damaged or Misaligned Track

A track section that's bent, warped, or pulled away from the wall slightly will cause the door to bind on the way down, triggering the opener's safety reversal. If the door consistently stops at the same point when closing, look at the track at that height.

Broken Spring (Again)

A broken spring doesn't just prevent opening — it can also prevent closing. The imbalance it creates can cause the opener to detect excessive resistance and reverse as a safety response. If both opening and closing are erratic, spring inspection is usually the first call.

When to Call a Pro vs. Handle It Yourself

Reasonable to handle yourself:

Replacing remote or keypad batteries
Cleaning and realigning photo-eye sensors
Reconnecting the manual release trolley
Checking and resetting a tripped circuit breaker
Light lubrication of rollers and hinges if the door was grinding

Call a professional:

Any suspected broken spring — genuinely dangerous to DIY
Snapped or fraying cable
Door visibly off-track or rollers outside the track
Opener motor running but door won't move despite trolley being connected
Any situation where you're not confident in what you're seeing

If you've worked through the checks above and the door still isn't working — or if you suspected a broken spring or cable — the fastest path forward is a call. Same-day service is available in covered areas.

📞 (800) 555-0100

Service pages: Garage Door Repair · Emergency Repair