Garage door opener or remote not working: find which one it is

What you’re seeing and hearing

• The remote does nothing, or only works from close to the garage: a dying battery shrinks the range before it stops entirely. Source: Your garage door remote stopped working
• The remote works, the door starts down, then reverses and the opener light blinks: that is the photo-eye sensors, not the remote. Source: Your garage door remote stopped working
• Neither the wall button nor the remote does anything, though the opener’s light is on: the logic board may have lost power to its output circuit. Source: Why won’t my garage door close?

Is it safe to use the door right now?

Yes. A door that won’t respond is stuck, not dangerous.

• In a power outage, the red emergency-release cord disconnects the door from the opener so you can lift it by hand. A double door weighs 150 to 250 pounds, and you can only lift it because the springs carry that weight. Source: Your garage door won’t open in a power outage
• If a spring is broken the door is dead weight: don’t pull the release on it. Source: Your garage door won’t open in a power outage

DIY or a pro, and why

The checks are yours, in this order. A dead receiver or motor is not.

• Press the wall button first. If the door moves, the opener, motor, springs and sensors are fine, and the problem is the remote in your hand. Source: Your garage door remote stopped working
• Most remotes run on a CR2032 or similar 3V coin cell that lasts about two years. The outside keypad takes one too and dies on roughly the same schedule. Source: Your garage door remote stopped working
• Reprogram it. On LiftMaster and Chamberlain, press the Learn button on the motor unit, then the remote button within 30 seconds. On a Genie with Intellicode, press the remote button twice. Source: Your garage door remote stopped working
• Hold the wall button down through the whole close: a held button overrides the photo-eye reverse, and the remote cannot. If that closes the door, the sensors are the problem. Source: Your garage door remote stopped working
• Nothing responds but the opener’s light is on: unplug the opener for thirty seconds and plug it back in. After a surge or a brief outage it sometimes needs that hard reset. Source: Why won’t my garage door close?

What the fix involves and costs

• A replacement logic board runs $60 to $120 if you source the part yourself, and more with installation. Source: Your garage door remote stopped working
• Openers typically last 10 to 15 years; direct-drive units 15 to 20 or more. The logic board and the motor set the ceiling. Source: How long should a garage door opener last
• A new opener runs $300 to $900 installed; most standard replacements on an attached two-car garage land between $450 and $700. Source: Garage door opener cost, line by line
• A battery backup keeps the door working through an outage. The battery lasts one to three years, and not every opener can take one. Source: Your garage door won’t open in a power outage