Garage Door · 2026-06-17

How to Manually Open Your Garage Door During a Power Outage

A step-by-step guide to safely disengaging and reopening an automatic garage door when the power goes out.

When the power cuts out, your motorized garage door won't budge from the wall button or remote. The fix is the red emergency release cord that hangs from the trolley along the ceiling rail. Pulling it disconnects the door from the opener so you can lift it by hand. Before you pull, make sure the door is fully closed if possible. If the door is partway open and the springs are weak or broken, it can slam down once released, which is dangerous. With the door closed, pull the red cord straight down and back toward the motor until it clicks, then lift the door using the handles on the panel, not the glass or gaps between sections.

A properly balanced door should rise smoothly and stay put around chest height. If it feels extremely heavy or drops the moment you let go, stop. That almost always means a spring problem, and forcing it can injure you or damage the door. Leave it closed and wait for power or a technician.

When electricity returns, reconnect by pulling the same red cord toward the door (or following your opener's reset arrow) and running the opener once; the trolley will re-latch automatically. Test it a couple of times before trusting it. If your release cord is stuck, frayed, or you're unsure the springs are sound, it's worth having an experienced overhead-door technician inspect the balance and hardware rather than guessing.

Relevant resource: an experienced overhead-door technician.