How to Reset a Tripped Breaker & a GFCI Outlet

A tripped breaker or GFCI is your electrical system doing its job — cutting power to protect you. Resetting one is safe and simple. Understanding why it tripped is what keeps you out of trouble.

Reset a tripped breaker

1. Find the panel and the tripped breaker. Open your breaker panel. A tripped breaker usually sits in the middle position, not fully on or off, and sometimes shows a bit of orange or red.
2. Turn it fully off first, then on. Push the breaker firmly all the way to OFF, then back to ON. Just nudging it toward ON often won't reset it — it has to go fully off first.
3. See if it holds. If power comes back and stays, you're done. It may have been a one-time overload.

The most common cause is simply too much on one circuit — a space heater plus a hair dryer, say. Unplug something and spread the load out.

Reset a GFCI outlet

GFCI outlets (the ones with TEST and RESET buttons, common in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and outdoors) shut off fast when they sense a ground fault, which protects you from shock near water. If an outlet in one of those areas is dead:

1. Find the GFCI. It may be the dead outlet itself, or another GFCI on the same circuit (one GFCI can protect several regular outlets downstream). Check nearby bathrooms, the garage, and outdoor outlets.
2. Press RESET. Push the RESET button firmly; you should feel or hear a click. That often restores several outlets at once.
3. Test it works. Plug something in to confirm. It's good practice to press TEST then RESET on your GFCIs monthly to make sure they're still protecting you.

Know when to call a pro

Resetting a breaker or GFCI is a safe homeowner task. Everything past that — opening the panel, replacing a breaker, chasing down why a circuit keeps tripping, or working on any wiring — is a licensed electrician's job, both for your safety and because Indiana licenses the trade for a reason. If a reset doesn't hold, that's your cue to call, not to keep trying.