Know Your Door - Left, Right, In, and Out

A simple visual guide to help you identify common door swings before you order a prehung door. The four examples below show what left-hand inswing, left-hand outswing, right-hand inswing, and right-hand outswing look like.

Purpose: identify door hand + swing direction

Use case: ordering the correct prehung door

Style: simple, visual, builder-friendly

QUICK TIP: The easiest way to think about it is this: hand tells you which side the hinges are on, and inswing / outswing tells you which way the door swings.

IMPORTANT: Before ordering, stand on the side of the opening that matters for your project and confirm hinge side, handle side, and whether the door swings toward you or away from you.

Left-Hand Door

If the hinges are on the left, it is a left-hand door.

Right-Hand Door

If the hinges are on the right, it is a right-hand door.

Inswing

The door swings into the room or space.

Outswing

The door swings out toward you or out of the room or space.

Left-Hand Inswing

Hinges on left Door swings in

Reference image showing a left-hand inswing door

Simple Description

Hinges	On the left
Handle	On the right
Swing	Door swings into the space

What It Means

You would pull the door closed from the side shown.
The door leaf moves away from you into the room.
This is common for many interior room doors.

Left-Hand Outswing

Hinges on right Door swings out

Reference image showing a left-hand outswing door

Simple Description

Hinges	On the right
Handle	On the left
Swing	Door swings out toward you

What It Means

The hinge side is right.
The difference is the door swings out instead of in.
This can be useful where you want the door out of the way inside the room.

Right-Hand Inswing

Hinges on right Door swings in

Reference image showing a right-hand inswing door

Simple Description

Hinges	On the right
Handle	On the left
Swing	Door swings into the space

What It Means

You are looking at a door with the hinges on the right.
The door opens away from you into the room.
This is the mirror image of a left-hand inswing.

Right-Hand Outswing

Hinges on left Door swings out

Reference image showing a right-hand outswing door

Simple Description

Hinges	On the left
Handle	On the right
Swing	Door swings out toward you

What It Means

The hinge side is left.
The door opens out instead of into the space.
This is often chosen for clearance, safety, or layout reasons.