Inswing to Outswing French Doors: What It Takes to Convert

Fix it · 3 min read · Updated October 2026

You can change inswing French doors to outswing, but on an exterior pair it is rarely a simple flip. The frame, hinges, threshold and seals all have to change, and many people end up replacing the whole unit with a true outswing door.

An interior door with a square-edged slab is much easier. For an exterior pair, price both routes before you start cutting.

Checklist of what has to change when converting inswing doors to outswing: reverse or replace the frame, fit non-removable pin hinges, fit an outswing threshold, add new weatherstripping and move the strike and lockset holes — Five things change, and the exterior ones are the costly ones. Source: Engineer Fix, How to Change a Door From Inswing to Outswing.

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Why people want outswing doors

Milgard’s guide to outswing French doors says a standard 72 by 80 inch unit uses about 15 square feet of swing space inside. An outswing door moves that space outdoors. Furniture can sit closer to the doors.

The hinges sit outside and the interior frame can look slimmer. Milgard also says outswing doors use compression gaskets, and wind pushes the door into its seals rather than forcing it open.

What to check first

Heavy snow can block an outswing door, according to Milgard, and a covered patio or deck helps. Outswing doors also cost more, because they need weatherproof hinges and specialized weatherstripping.

Codes matter too. Milgard says outswing doors generally don’t violate residential codes, but many local codes want front entry doors to swing inward for emergency access. Check with your local building department, and with your homeowners association if you have one.

Key facts card for outswing French doors: a 72 by 80 inch unit moves about 15 square feet of swing space outdoors, hinges sit outside so makers use non-removable pins, heavy snow can block the doors, and some codes want front entry doors to swing in — The gain is floor space, and the costs are snow, price and codes. Source: Milgard, updated December 2025.

Why exterior doors are harder

Engineer Fix says that reversing the swing leaves the jamb and threshold facing the wrong way for weather sealing, which can let water in.

For an exterior door, its answer is to remove the whole prehung unit and reinstall it facing the other way, or replace it with a proper outswing unit. The jamb also has to be strong enough to take new hinge mortises.

What has to change

The frame, which is reversed or replaced and must hold new hinge mortises.
The hinges, which move outside and should be non-removable pin or security-pin types.
The threshold, which needs an outswing design that slopes to shed water.
The weatherstripping, which needs a new compressible seal around the whole perimeter.
The lockset and strike, which need new holes at the right height, with the old ones patched.

On the hinges, Milgard notes that makers use non-removable pin hinges to deal with tampering, since the hinge side faces the outdoors.

The simple case: a square interior slab

For a simple interior door, Engineer Fix describes pulling the hinge pins, filling the old mortises with plugs and glue and sanding them flush. You then flip a symmetrical slab, bore new lock and strike holes and cut new hinge mortises.

Leave about a 1/8 inch gap around the edge so the door closes flush against the stop. For a pair, the astragal on the meeting edge also has to move, as covered in how to change which French door is the opening leaf.

Wooden French doors with glass panes leading to a garden — Check what is outside the doors before you plan an outswing. Photo: Amar Preciado on Pexels.

Check the outside clearance

Engineer Fix also says to check that the door opens fully without hitting landscaping, steps or railings. A railing or a planter that is fine today can stop the doors tomorrow.

Convert or replace · George Anderson

If the pair is exterior, I would get a quote for a real outswing unit before I touch the old one. The threshold and the seals are the parts that cause leaks later, and a unit built to swing out comes with them done.