My door won't latch. What can I do to fix it?

When a household door refuses to latch shut or click securely into the strike plate, the failure is typically caused by structural settling, a loose hinge, or misaligned latch hardware. To fix this, first inspect the strike plate on the door frame to see if the latch bolt hits too high, too low, or misses the opening entirely. Second, tighten any loose screws on both the door hinges and the strike plate. Third, if settling has shifted the door, adjust the strike plate position slightly or file down the inner lip. You can troubleshoot door alignment easily by checking the latch bolt. You can verify that your corrective action is successful when swinging the door closed results in the latch bolt sliding smoothly into the strike plate hole and clicking firmly shut without requiring you to push or pull.