How to Reset a Tripped Circuit Breaker

September 6, 2026

Find the tripped breaker in the panel, unplug what overloaded the circuit, and switch it fully off then on again, with the safety steps that matter.

Applies to: ordinary household fixtures and materials. Last checked September 6, 2026. Suggest an edit

The lights or outlets in one part of the house went dead at once. A breaker in the electrical panel has tripped. Resetting it takes a minute; the point is to do it safely and to notice if it trips again.

Find the electrical panel

It is usually a gray metal door in a basement, garage, utility room, or closet. Open the outer door only. Never remove the inner cover held on with screws; the wiring behind it is live even when breakers are off.

Find the tripped breaker

Scan the rows of switches. A tripped breaker sits in the middle, between ON and OFF, or fully OFF, and on many panels a small orange or red flag shows in a window on the switch. The label next to it should name the room or circuit. If the labels are blank, look for the one switch that is not lined up with its neighbors.

Unplug what overloaded the circuit

Go back to the dead room and unplug or switch off whatever was running when the power went out: a space heater, hair dryer, microwave, vacuum, or a power strip full of devices. Two high-draw appliances on one circuit is the usual cause.

Switch the breaker fully off, then on

Dry your hands. Stand on a dry floor and use one hand only, keeping the other at your side. Push the breaker firmly to OFF until it clicks, then push it to ON. It should stay put and the power should return. A breaker that is only nudged from the middle position toward ON will not reset.

Leave it off if it trips again right away

If the breaker trips again within seconds with nothing plugged in on that circuit, there is a short or a wiring fault. Do not keep resetting it. Leave it OFF and call an electrician. The same goes for a breaker that is hot to the touch, buzzes, or smells of burning.

If an outlet in a kitchen, bathroom, or garage is dead but no breaker tripped. Look for a GFCI outlet nearby with Test and Reset buttons on its face. Press Reset. One GFCI often protects several outlets on the same run.

If the same breaker trips often. The circuit is overloaded. Move the space heater or other heavy appliance to an outlet on a different circuit, or have an electrician add one.