How to Open a Garage Door without Power

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Your guide to forcing a garage door open manually, both with a key and without a key

Co-authored by Ryaan Tuttle and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: December 19, 2024 Fact Checked

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From the Outside

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From the Inside

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Resetting the Garage Door Opener

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Video

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Expert Interview

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Tips

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Warnings

You’re on your way home from a long day at work, but when you pull into your driveway, something looks a little off. You hit your garage door remote, but nothing happens. Wait—did the power go out? With modern technology and a flashlight in every phone, a little power outage is nothing to be worried about—except for the fact that you can’t get into your garage. Luckily for you, garage door manufacturers planned for this, and there are a few ways you can open your garage door when the power is out. In this article, we’ll give you 2 ways you can access your garage, both from the outside and the inside, to park your car safe and sound.

Things You Should Know

To open a garage door from the outside, use the emergency release key to open the emergency release lock. Then, pull the cord down to unlock the door.
Use the same key to unlock the manual lock (near the center of the garage door), then turn the handle vertical. Finally, lift the door up from the bottom to open it up.
To open a garage door from the inside, unplug the automatic door opener and pull the emergency release cord.
Lift the door up from the bottom, then close it manually.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

From the Outside

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1
Find the emergency release lock and key. The emergency release lock is up near the top of your garage door. Locate this lock, then find the corresponding key that came with it. You’ll need your key to open your garage door from the outside.^{[1]
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- The emergency release lock typically sits flush with your garage door, as it’s meant to blend in. It will almost always be dead-center and near the top of your garage door.
- If you don’t have your key, you can still open your garage door from the inside. However, you do need your emergency release key to open your garage door from the outside.
The emergency release cord will unlock your garage door. Insert your key into the emergency release up near the top of the garage door, then twist it counter-clockwise. When the cord pops out, pull it toward you.^{[2]
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3
Unlock the manual lock and turn the handle so it’s vertical. You’re almost there! Just one more lock to deal with. Grab the same key you just used and find the lock in the center of your garage door above the handle. Turn the key in the lock and twist the handle counter-clockwise at the same time so that it’s vertical.^{[3]
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- You can either pull the key out now and store it for safe-keeping, or you can leave it in the manual lock to use once you’re safely inside the garage.
4
Lift the garage door manually. Bend down and pull up on the handle at the bottom of the door. The garage door will slide smoothly as you open it up. Keep pushing the door up until it stops moving.^{[4]
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- Make sure you push the garage door all the way open. If you only open it halfway, it could fall back down again.
Once you’re inside, get out of the car and pull the door back down by hand. Use the same key to lock both locks so you can open your garage door once the power comes back on.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

From the Inside

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1
Unplug your automatic door opener. Look up at the base of the trolley track where the garage door normally slides open. Your automatic door opener is the only thing up there with a power cable attached to it. Reach up and unplug the garage door opener before you start to open the garage door without power.^{[6]
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- Even though the power is out now, it could come back on later. Unplugging the door opener saves you from damaging the assembly and having to do a tough re-installation later on.
2
Pull the emergency release cord. Look for a red cord with a plastic handle on the trolley track. Reach up and pull the emergency cord until you hear a click. This click means that the door is now in manual mode.^{[7]
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- If you’re pulling super hard and don’t hear a click sound, the garage door might not be closed all the way. Pull the door down manually until it touches the floor, then try pulling the cord again.
3
Lift the garage door from the bottom to open it. Now that your door is in manual mode, you can easily open it yourself. Bend down and lift the door from the bottom, and keep lifting until the door is completely open.^{[8]
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- Make sure you open the door all the way. Opening it halfway could make the door fall back down, which can be dangerous.
4
Close the garage door behind your car. Once your car is out of the garage, you can get back out and pull the garage door down. Never leave the garage door open and unattended while the power is out, since a strong gust of wind could cause it to fall.^{[9]
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- If you plan on leaving, use your emergency release key to lock the manual lock on your garage door.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Resetting the Garage Door Opener

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Reconnect the garage door opener when the power comes back on. Once your power outage is fixed, you can safely reconnect your garage door opener. You’ll need to do this whether you opened your door from the inside or from the outside, since your garage door will be in manual mode.^{[10]
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Push up on the release lever with a broomstick. Look up at the track of the garage door on the ceiling and find the emergency release cord. Use a broomstick or stand on a ladder, and push the base of the cord upwards until you hear a click. This will disengage the manual mode.^{[11]
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- You can also pull the cord vertically to disengage it, although this is slightly harder to do.
3
Plug the garage door opener back in if it’s unplugged. If you opened your garage door from the inside, your automatic door opener will still be unplugged. Simply plug it back in and hit the garage door opener button on your remote to reset things.^{[12]
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- It can take about 30 seconds for the garage door opener to reboot itself.
- Try opening and closing your garage door a few times to double check that the door opener is powered on.

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Tips

If your garage door shakes or opens unevenly after the power comes back on, something may have gone wrong. Contact a professional to come and take a look.

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Warnings

Keeping your door open while in manual mode can be dangerous. Always close your garage door if you plan on leaving it unattended for a long period of time.

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