# Troubleshooting Reagent Compartment Doors Failing to Unlock on the NovaSeq X Series

**Background**

The reagent compartment doors on the NovaSeq X and NovaSeq X Plus Series are operated through the Control Software. Users may find the reagent compartment doors will fail to unlock automatically or require physical assistance to fully open. In such situations, please follow the steps below to resolve issues with reagent doors not unlocking:

1. This command may take several minutes between selecting the "Unlock Doors" command and the doors opening. The first step is to wait and see if the doors unlock after a delay.
2. If the doors remain locked, cancel the command via the Control Software and then select the Unlock Doors button again to retry.
3. If the doors remain locked, proceed to power cycle the instrument and then attempt to unlock the reagent doors after complete power cycle and initialization.
   1. Instructions for power cycling the NovaSeq X Series are available here: [How to power cycle the NovaSeq X Series Instruments](https://knowledge.illumina.com/instrumentation/novaseq-x-x-plus/instrumentation-novaseq-x-x-plus-reference_material-list/000007478)
4. If this does not allow the doors to open, contact [Illumina Technical Support.](https://www.illumina.com/company/contact-us.html#/united-states/technical-support)

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| *For any feedback or questions regarding this article (Illumina Knowledge Article #9121), contact Illumina Technical Support* [*techsupport@illumina.com*](mailto:techsupport@illumina.com?subject=Question%2FFeedback%20Regarding%20Illumina%20Knowledge%20Article%20#000009121%20-%20Instrumentation%20\&body=Dear%20Illumina%20Technical%20Support,%0D%0A%0D%0A)*.* |


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