My Remote or Keypad Stopped Working

Try the wall button first. If the wall button works and the remote does not, the problem is the remote or its programming, and there is a fair chance you can fix it at home.

What to do right now

  1. Test the wall button. It splits the problem in half: wall button working means the opener is fine and the remote is the fault.

  2. Change the remote and keypad batteries before anything else. It is the answer more often than anyone likes to admit.

  3. Check whether the lock or vacation switch on the wall console is on. It disables remotes on purpose and gets bumped.

  4. Reprogram the remote to the opener using the learn button on the back of the unit. The steps are in the opener manual, and it takes two minutes.

How to tell this is the problem

  • The remote does nothing but the wall button works fine
  • Range has shrunk to a few feet from the door
  • The keypad lights up but the door does not respond
  • It works when the car is in one spot but not another
  • Every remote and the keypad stopped at the same time

Why it happens

Which control fails tells you where the fault is. One dead remote is its battery or its programming. Shrinking range is a weakening battery or interference from something new nearby, and LED bulbs in or near the opener are a famous source. A keypad that lights but does nothing has usually lost its code or its own battery. When every control dies at once, including the wall button, the opener's receiver or logic board is the fault, and that is a repair rather than a battery.

Should you attempt it yourself

Batteries, the lock switch, and reprogramming are all homeowner jobs, and together they resolve most dead remotes. The repair line is the receiver and the logic board inside the opener. If the wall button is also dead, or reprogramming will not take, the fault is in the unit.

What it costs to fix

JobPriceWhat it covers
Opener repair $200 to $400 Covers the common failures: the drive gear, the logic board, the travel limits and sensors out of alignment. What it costs depends on which of those it turns out to be.

Every job we price is listed on the garage door repair cost page, and what each involves is under repair services.

Common questions

Why is my garage door remote not working but the wall button is?

The remote itself, almost always. Its battery, its programming, or the lock switch on the wall console being on. A fresh battery and a two-minute reprogram against the opener's learn button fixes the large majority of these without a visit.

Why did my remote's range get so short?

A fading battery, most often, and interference second. LED bulbs, especially in the opener's own light sockets, are a well-known interference source, and swapping the bulb sometimes restores the range on its own.

How much does it cost if the opener's receiver or board is the problem?

$200 to $400, the standard opener repair range. A receiver or logic board sits at the upper end of it. On an opener past fifteen years we will tell you honestly when the board costs enough that a new unit is the better spend.

Can you reprogram my remotes and keypad on a visit?

Yes, and we do it as part of any opener call. Remotes, the keypad, and the buttons in the cars all get paired before we leave, which is worth mentioning on the phone so we allow for it.

Other problems we get called out for: broken garage door spring , garage door off track , garage door opener not working , garage door will not close , garage door will not open , snapped garage door cable , noisy garage door .

Need it looked at today?

Call before early afternoon and we can usually get out the same day.

Call (650) 376-6070