Adjusting a cabinet door hinge
Difficulty: Easy · Time: approx. 15 minutes
Cabinet doors that hang crooked, won't close or knock into each other are rarely broken – usually the hinges just need adjusting. Modern cup hinges have small adjustment screws for this.
You only need a screwdriver and a few minutes. With two or three screws you can align the door in every direction.
What you'll need
- Phillips screwdriver
- Optional: a second person to hold larger doors
- A cloth to protect the door front
Step by step
- 1
Identify the problem
See what's wrong: door hangs crooked (height), sticks out at the front (depth) or is offset sideways (side). Each direction has its own screw.
- 2
Adjust sideways
The front screw on the hinge (often the largest) moves the door left/right. Small turns, then check.
- 3
Adjust depth
The rear screw pulls the door closer to the cabinet body or further away – against sticking out or rubbing.
- 4
Adjust height
Height is usually set via the screws holding the mounting plate to the body – loosen slightly, align the door, retighten.
- 5
Fine-tune
For two doors side by side, align both so the gap is even. Work in small steps.
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Upload a photo →Frequently asked questions
- Which screw does what?
- Rule of thumb for cup hinges: front/side screw = left-right, rear = back-forth (depth), mounting plate = up-down. Always turn in small steps and check.
- My door won't self-close
- On hinges with a damper the self-close mechanism can weaken. Check the adjustment first; if that doesn't help, the hinge is worn and gets replaced (standard sizes, easy).