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How do you reset a GFCI outlet?

Updated August 2026

5 minutes · Easy DIY

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Press the RESET button firmly until it clicks and stays flush, and a tripped GFCI is back in service in under 5 minutes with no tools at all. The hard part is usually finding the right device: one GFCI receptacle can protect four or five ordinary outlets downstream of it, so a dead plug in the bathroom is often controlled by a GFCI in the garage, the basement, or an outdoor box behind a weatherproof cover. Work the steps in order. A GFCI that refuses to hold is not being temperamental, it has detected current leaving the circuit somewhere.

What you need

Before you start: Resetting is a hands-off job, so keep it that way: do not pull the cover plate, and never poke a screwdriver or a key into the slots. If you have any reason to go behind the plate, switch the circuit off at the panel and confirm both slots are dead with a non-contact voltage tester ($15–25) before your fingers get near a terminal. Stop entirely if you see scorch marks, melted plastic, or smell hot insulation: leave the breaker off and call an electrician. And never "solve" a GFCI that keeps tripping by replacing it with a standard outlet, which removes the protection that stops a shock from becoming an electrocution. See why a GFCI keeps tripping for what the device is reacting to.

Steps

  1. Look at the dead outlet itself. If it has TEST and RESET buttons, press RESET hard until you feel a click and the button sits level with the face.
  2. Plug in a lamp to confirm power came back. A button that pops straight out again means the fault is still live on the circuit.
  3. If the dead outlet has no buttons, hunt for the GFCI that feeds it: check every receptacle in the same room first, then the garage, the unfinished basement wall, the laundry area, and outdoor boxes under bubble covers.
  4. Unplug everything on that circuit before the next attempt. A space heater, a beer fridge, or a rain-soaked light string will hold a GFCI open no matter how hard you press.
  5. Give a wet outdoor or garage device time to dry. Open the cover, leave it an hour on a dry day, then reset.
  6. Check the panel if nothing resets. Kitchens and baths are sometimes protected by a GFCI or dual-function breaker instead of a receptacle, and a tripped handle sits between ON and OFF.
  7. Finish by proving the device still works: press TEST (power should cut with a snap), then RESET (power should return). A GFCI that will not trip on TEST is dead even though the outlet works.
  8. Put every GFCI in the house on the same monthly rhythm, the first weekend of the month, and note the ones that need two tries.

Or hire it out

There is nothing to hire out on a reset. If the device will not hold, an electrician charges $120–250 to trace the circuit and install a new GFCI, and $75–150 of that is the minimum trip charge before anyone touches a screwdriver.

Done. Now the part everyone skips: doing it again on schedule. Log it in OnOtto and the next reminder for GFCI tests sets itself.

Log this task, get the next reminder

Frequently asked questions

Why does one GFCI control outlets in three different rooms?

Because it is wired to protect downstream. Power lands on the GFCI's LINE terminals, and the next outlets in the circuit are fed from its LOAD terminals, so everything past it shuts off when the device trips. Builders use this deliberately: one $20 GFCI in the garage can protect the whole run of bathroom, basement, and exterior outlets instead of six separate devices. That is why the dead outlet and the tripped button are frequently on opposite ends of the house.

It resets fine, then trips again an hour later. What is causing that?

Intermittent trips usually trace to moisture, a failing appliance motor, or a shared neutral. Water in an outdoor box, a well pump, a freezer compressor, and old heat tape are the repeat offenders. Track it by unplugging one device at a time and waiting a full day between changes. If the circuit trips with nothing plugged in, the fault is in the wiring or the device itself. The full diagnosis list walks through it in order.

How often should GFCIs actually be tested?

Monthly, per every manufacturer that prints instructions on the box. It takes about 30 seconds per device: press TEST, confirm power dies, press RESET. Skipping it matters because the internal sensing circuit can fail silently, leaving an outlet that delivers power but no longer protects anyone. Here is the replacement and test schedule, and what never testing them costs when a device quietly stops working.

The RESET button will not stay in at all. Is the outlet finished?

Two possibilities. Either the circuit still has a fault on it, or the device is worn out, which happens at 10 to 15 years as the solenoid and the sensing electronics degrade. Rule out the simple cause first: confirm the breaker feeding it is on, since a reset button cannot latch without power behind it. Reset the breaker, try once more, and if it still will not hold, plan on a $15–25 replacement device.

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