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ClearTech Garage Doors

How to Open Your Garage Door in a Power Outage, and Reconnect It After

With the door closed, pull the red cord hanging from the opener rail to disconnect the door, then lift it by hand. When the power is back, pull the cord toward the motor (or straight down on some models) and run one cycle so the opener picks the door up again.

Works for:
Any opener with a red emergency release cord: LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Craftsman, Genie, SkyLink, and most others. Wall-mount (jackshaft) openers have a release handle on the unit instead.

Written by the ClearTech Garage Doors team in Winnipeg and checked against manufacturer documentation. Updated .

Emergency release cord on a garage door opener rail being pulled by hand

Before you start

  • A flashlight. The release is above head height and the garage is dark.
  • Nothing else. If you need a ladder to reach the cord, the cord is too short, and that's worth fixing later.

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Make sure the door is fully closed. If the power went out mid-travel and the door is partly open, have a second adult hold the door's weight before you pull the release, because a door with a weak spring can drop once the opener lets go.

  2. Step 2: Find the red cord with a handle hanging from the trolley on the opener rail. Pull it straight down and firmly. You'll feel the latch release, and the door is now free of the opener. On a wall-mount opener, pull the release handle down until it clicks. If your door has a manual lock, open it first.

  3. Step 3: Lift the door by hand using the handle or the bottom edge, all the way up until it stops. Don't leave it half open.

    If the door is hard to lift, or drops back when you let go, stop. That's a spring problem, not a power problem. Leave it closed and see the broken spring guide.

  4. Step 4: When you're done, lower the door by hand all the way to the floor. If you're leaving, slide the manual lock across if the door has one. A disconnected door can be lifted from outside.

  5. Step 5: Locked out with no other way in? Some doors have an exterior emergency release: a small keyed lock near the top of the door. Turning the key and pulling the lock out disconnects the opener so you can lift the door. Without one, there's no safe way in from outside, and prying at the door damages it.

  6. Step 6: Reconnect when the power is back. On most LiftMaster, Chamberlain, and Craftsman rail openers, pull the cord back toward the motor so the lever locks flat, then press the wall button. The trolley travels along the rail and picks up the door with a click. On T-rail LiftMaster units and wall-mount openers, pull the cord or handle straight down once more and press the button; the door reconnects on the next cycle. On Genie openers, pull the cord up toward the motor until it clicks, or push the lever on the carriage up with a broom handle, then press the button.

    If the opener runs but doesn't pick up the door, let it finish and run one more full open-and-close cycle.

  7. Step 7: Watch the first cycle. The door should move at its normal speed. If the opener hums or the trolley moves without the door, it didn't reconnect. Stop and repeat the previous step.

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Still stuck? Here is what it usually is.

  • The power is back but the opener does nothing. Unplug it for 30 seconds and plug it back in, and check the breaker and any outlet with a reset button. If it's still dead, the logic board may have taken a surge. See opener repair.
  • The opener runs but the trolley won't pick up the door. The trolley or the carriage is usually stripped from the opener running against a stuck or frozen door.
  • The release cord is missing, frayed, or you need a ladder to reach it. We replace and set cords during an annual tune-up.
  • Outages are common where you live, or you want the door to work regardless. Ask about a battery backup opener. Our opener repair page covers whether it's worth it.
  • You're locked out with no exterior release and no other door. Call before anyone pries at the door, and we'll talk about adding a keyed release so it doesn't happen twice.

We look at the whole door, not just the part that failed, and tell you plainly what it needs.

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Common Questions

Will the opener forget my remotes after an outage?

No. Remotes, keypads, and travel limits are stored in the opener's memory and survive a power cut. A Wi-Fi opener may need a minute to reconnect to your network, and some models lose the clock.

The door was open when the power went out. Can I close it?

If you can wait for the power, wait. If you must close it, have a second adult hold the door with both hands while you pull the release, then lower it together, slowly, all the way to the floor. Never pull the release on an open door with nobody holding it.

Can I keep using the door manually for a few days?

Yes. Pull the release once, leave it disconnected, and lift the door by hand. On some LiftMaster rails you can pull the cord down and then back toward the motor to lock the trolley out, so it doesn't catch the door while you're using it manually. Reconnect it when the power is back.

Sources

This guide was checked against the following manufacturer and industry documents.

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