A sliding door is often the easiest exit in a house to overlook, because it looks like a window until someone pulls on it. A bar or pin that stops the slider from opening during the late hours can help, but only if it still lets the door open from inside without a key or a tool. Set that rule before you buy anything.

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Step one: set the rule for the exit

Decide who must be able to open the door from inside, and how quickly. Fire safety guidance is consistent that a home exit should never depend on a key, and that a way out has to stay usable in an emergency. Read the guidance on the Sources page before you choose a bar, and ask your local fire department or a qualified installer to look at the door if it is also a main way out of the house.

Step two: measure the track

Measure the width of the track the slider rides in, the height of the frame, and the gap between the door and the frame on the lock side. Note whether the track is in the floor, on top, or both. The shape of the track decides which kind of stop fits, so take the measurements before you shop.

Step three: choose the stop that matches the track

Pick a bar or pin that is made for your track type and can be removed from inside without tools. Look for a stop that sits inside the track rather than against the frame, since a stop that catches on the frame can damage the door over time. Confirm the fit with the seller before you buy, using the measurements from step two.

Step four: mount it into the frame

Mark the height on the frame where the stop will sit, then drill pilot holes and fasten the mount into the frame itself rather than only into trim. A mount that rests on trim will loosen. Tighten each screw by hand first, then check that the stop sits square in the track before you finish.

Step five: test it from both sides

From the inside, open the stop without tools and slide the door fully open. From the outside, pull on the door by hand to confirm the stop holds without bending the frame. Then open the door fully, close it, and check that it still latches in the normal way. Test it at the hour when the door is most likely to be used.

Step six: keep it checked

Every few weeks, look at the mounts for wobble or loose screws and tighten them. Clean the track so the stop does not catch on grit. Write down the date of the install on a card near the door, not for a reminder system but so that whoever checks next knows when it was last tightened.

Who does what

You can do the measuring and the testing yourself, or a handy neighbor or a hired installer can do the mounting. A hired installer should tell you in writing what they fastened into, what they will not change, and how to reach them if the stop needs adjusting. Keep their written note with the product paper.

For the wider set of steps that belong with an exit plan, see Start Here: Dusk to Morning, in Order.

The Slider Bar Goes In Once: Measure the Track, Mount the Stop, and Test the Pull Before Dusk