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A technician, seen from behind, carrying a dark grey garage door panel across a garage.

Garage door guides

Find the guide for what your door is doing, or tell us the job and a local door specialist gets in touch.

  • Matched to a door specialist who does your job
  • Only one door specialist gets your number

Four quick questions

What's the job?

Off its track or a broken spring? Keep clear and don't force it.

Only one local door specialist gets your number.

More on this

Broken garage door spring: what to doThe signs of a broken spring, what to do straight away and what never to try.Garage door stuck or off its track: what to doA door that won't open, won't close or has left its track: what to check and what to leave.Opening a garage door without power: what to doUsing the manual release in a power cut, and when to leave it alone.Garage remotes and button batteries: what to doA remote that has stopped, adding a new one, and button battery safety.Garage door safety sensors and auto-reverse: what to doTesting auto-reverse and safety beams, and keeping children clear of the door.
A red roller door on a gabled garage with white weatherboard trim, at the top of a wet sloping driveway beside a two storey block and weatherboard home with arched windows.
A red roller door on a garage beside a brick and weatherboard home.

When the door won't move

If the door is stuck, off its track or won't close, start with garage door stuck or off its track. It sorts the checks that are safe to make from the faults to leave alone.

A door that has suddenly become heavy may have a broken spring, which is one to keep well away from. If the power is out, opening a garage door without power shows how to use the manual release, and when not to.

Remotes and safety tests

Garage remotes and button batteries covers a remote that has stopped working, adding a new one, and keeping coin cells away from children.

Garage door safety covers auto-reverse, safety beams and the test to run every month.

The rules

For building consent, written contracts, warranties and electrical work, go to the garage door rules page, which sets out what MBIE and the Electrical Workers Registration Board say.

How these guides are written

Each guide says whose figure it is using, and lists its sources at the foot of the page. Where a job is dangerous, such as springs, cables or wiring, the guide says so and quotes the maker's own warning. Our editorial policy has the detail.

When a guide can't solve it, tell us the job and a door specialist gets in touch.

Helpful next

Garage door repairsDoors that drag, drop, grind or stop, and the faults to leave alone.Garage door openers and motorsAdding a motor to a door, swapping an old one, or getting one going again.Electric gatesSliding and swing gate motors, power at the gate, beams and repairs.How it worksWhat happens once you send a job, and who gets to see your details.