How to Repair and Adjust Kitchen Cabinet Hinges and Doors

Kitchen cabinet doors drift out of alignment quietly and slowly. One day you notice a gap at the top, then the door swings open on its own, then it's hitting the frame. The problem almost never starts with the door itself—it starts with the hinges. European-style cup hinges, the standard in modern cabinetry, are engineered with three separate adjustment screws for a reason: vertical, horizontal, and depth correction. Learning to use them means you'll never call a contractor for a problem that takes 20 minutes to fix. The key is understanding which screw does what, then accepting that the adjustment is iterative—you'll likely tweak it twice to get it right. This guide covers standard European hinges, the quick fixes that work, and the less common situation where the hinge itself has failed and needs replacement.

1. Find Your Three Adjustment Screws. Open the cabinet door fully and look at the hinges. European cup hinges have a round or cup-shaped mounting plate on the back of the door, with a metal arm extending into the cabinet frame. You'll see three screws on each hinge: one vertical screw (usually top or bottom of the cup), one horizontal screw (on the side, angled forward), and one depth screw (usually inside the cup, parallel to the frame). Some hinges have a fourth screw for the mounting plate itself—ignore that one. If your hinges look completely different (older barrel hinges, surface-mounted hinges), the principles are similar but the screw locations vary. Photograph your hinge setup on your phone so you can reference it while working.
2. Diagnose the Misalignment Type. Close the door gently and observe where it's misaligned. Stand at eye level with the door edges. Check for: a gap at the top or bottom (vertical misalignment), a gap wider on one side of the frame than the other (horizontal misalignment), or the door sticking out from the cabinet face (depth misalignment). If the door sags or the gaps increase over time, the hinge is likely loose or the mounting screws are backed out. If the door has always been slightly off and nothing is loose, it's an adjustment problem. If the hinge feels spongy or moves when you push the door, the mounting is failing.
3. Secure the Hinge to Frame. Before making any adjustments, verify the hinge itself is firmly bolted to the cabinet frame. Locate the two or three mounting screws that hold the metal hinge arm to the frame (not the adjustment screws on the cup—the larger bolts at the base of the hinge). Using your screwdriver, gently tighten each one clockwise. You're not applying force here; you're just taking up slack. If a screw turns easily and doesn't stop, it may be stripped—back out and fill the hole with a wooden toothpick dipped in wood glue, let it dry, then re-drill and screw in a new hole an eighth inch to the side. Don't over-tighten or you'll crack the hinge casting.
4. Raise or Lower the Door. The vertical adjustment screw is usually at the top or bottom of the hinge cup, running perpendicular to the door hinge arm. Turning this screw clockwise raises the door, counterclockwise lowers it. Start with a quarter turn and test the door by closing it gently. If the door needs to go up, turn clockwise; if it needs to go down, turn counterclockwise. Make one adjustment at a time. The adjustment range is typically half an inch, so if the door is sagging more than that, the hinge mounting itself is failing and you'll need to replace the hinge or shim the frame.
5. Close Gaps Left and Right. The horizontal adjustment screw is typically on the side of the hinge, angled slightly forward, and it moves the door closer to or farther from the cabinet frame side-to-side. Turning this screw clockwise usually moves the door toward the frame (closing a gap on that side), counterclockwise moves it away. Make a quarter turn and test. If the gap between the door and the left side of the frame is too wide, adjust the left hinge screw clockwise; if the right side gap is too wide, adjust the right hinge screw clockwise. Most cabinet doors will need two full hinges adjusted equally to sit square.
6. Flush the Door to Cabinet Face. The depth screw is inside the hinge cup, running parallel to the door hinge arm, and it controls whether the door face is flush with the cabinet frame or protruding. This screw is usually accessed by looking directly into the cup from the back. Turning it clockwise pulls the door closer to the cabinet face (flushes it), counterclockwise pushes it out. If your door is sticking out and hitting adjacent doors or drawers, or if it's sunk back into the opening, this is your problem. Make a quarter turn and test. The adjustment is small—usually just enough to hide a one-sixteenth-inch gap.
7. Verify Gaps and Swing. Close the door gently without slamming it. Check the gaps on all three sides: top, bottom, and sides. They should be even—typically an eighth inch or slightly less. Open the door fully—it should swing freely without hitting the frame or adjacent doors. Check that the door doesn't swing open on its own (which indicates the frame is tilted or the hinges are worn). If you're getting close but not perfect, make another small adjustment. Most doors need two to three rounds of tweaking to dial in perfectly. Write down which screws you turned and by how much, in case you need to make another adjustment later.
8. Assess Hinge for Damage. If you've made three full adjustment rotations on any screw and the door still won't align, the hinge is likely stripped or worn. Look at the hinge arm itself for cracks, bent spots, or permanent deformation. Check the cup for cracks. If the hinge looks intact but the screw just spins, the threaded hole inside the cup is stripped—this is the most common failure. Push on the door while it's closed; if it flexes or the hinge moves independently, the hinge is failing. A hinge that's stripped or cracked cannot be repaired and must be replaced.
9. Detach the Old Hinge. If the hinge is damaged and can't be adjusted, you'll need to replace it. First, support the door from below using a block of wood or a temporary shim—this prevents the door from sagging onto the remaining hinge while you work. Locate all the mounting bolts that attach the hinge to the cabinet frame (usually two to four bolts, roughly inch-long). Using your screwdriver or wrench, remove these bolts completely. The hinge arm will now be loose. Carefully tilt the door toward the frame and slide the hinge off its cup. Set the door down flat on a work surface so it doesn't get damaged. Do this for both hinges if both are damaged, or just the one if only one needs replacement.
10. Mount the Replacement Hinge. European cup hinges come in different depths—the cup size must match your cabinet frame thickness. Standard sizes are 26mm, 35mm, or 40mm. Measure your cabinet frame thickness (usually around an inch and a half, or 35mm). Buy replacement hinges in the same depth and style as the originals. Position the new hinge arm where the old one was, align the cup with the old mounting holes (or new ones if the old ones are damaged), and bolt it down using the original bolts or new bolts of the same length and gauge. Tighten firmly but don't over-torque. Repeat for the other hinge if necessary. Now gently lift the door and rest it back on the hinges, making sure the door cup slots over the hinge pin correctly.
11. Perfect New Hinge Alignment. Once the new hinges are installed, the door will likely be misaligned. Before you adjust, check that all mounting bolts are fully tightened. Then follow the same adjustment process: vertical first, then horizontal, then depth. You may find the new hinge needs slightly different adjustments than the old one, depending on the exact mounting position. The goal is the same—even gaps, parallel edges, and a door that swings freely. Make small adjustments, test between each one, and don't force any screw if it feels stuck.
12. Test Door Movement Ten Times. Open and close the door 10 times, testing the swing each time. It should move smoothly without hitting the frame, swing open without drifting, and close with even gaps on all sides. If you've replaced hinges on a multi-door cabinet, check that the new door doesn't hit the adjacent one and that the gaps between all doors are consistent. If everything is aligned and stable, you're done. If the door still won't sit right after all these steps, the cabinet frame itself may be warped or tilted—this is a different problem that usually requires shimming the frame, not adjusting hinges.