How do I fix a door that doesn’t latch or close properly?

Often, a door sags because the screws holding the hinges (especially the top hinge) to the door or frame have become loose. Open the door and use a screwdriver to tighten all hinge screws firmly. If screws spin freely, the wood might be stripped; use longer screws or wood filler/toothpicks in the hole for better grip. This often corrects minor sagging and realigns the latch with the strike plate.

If tightening hinges doesn't work, the strike plate might be misaligned. Close the door slowly and observe where the latch bolt hits the strike plate (too high, too low, too far in/out). Loosen the strike plate screws. Shift the plate slightly in the needed direction (you might need to file the opening slightly larger). Retighten the screws once the latch engages smoothly.

If the door is binding or needs a larger alignment adjustment, you can shim the hinges. To move the latch side of the door up, place cardboard shims behind the bottom hinge leaf. To move it down, shim the top hinge. To move the door closer to the jamb, shim behind all hinge leaves. Loosen the hinge screws, insert thin cardboard shims, and retighten.