Your door rubbing only at the top usually means the upper hinge or frame has shifted and is taking the brunt of the load.

Most commonly the top hinge carries the majority of shear and rotational forces when a door is opened and closed, so slight loosening, sinking, or deformation there will tilt the door and cause contact at the upper edge. Start by checking for loose screws in the top hinge and tighten them with a properly sized screwdriver; if screws spin in place, replace them with longer screws that reach the structural jamb stud, typically three inches in length. If tightening does not fix the tilt, remove the top hinge and insert a thin shim behind it made from cardboard, wood, or a manufactured hinge shim to move the hinge surface outward and realign the plane of the door; test the door between small adjustments to avoid overcorrection. For a door that has dropped, you can use a pump wedge or similar door prop to lift the door slightly while adjusting the hinge fasteners so gravity is not working against you during the repair. Inspect the hinge leaf and pin for bending or wear; a bent pin can be straightened or replaced cheaply and a worn hinge should be swapped out for a heavier duty hinge to reduce future movement. Finally check the frame itself for twisting or seasonal movement; measure gap distances along the latch side and bottom with a straight edge or by eye to confirm whether the frame is out of square and consider planing the top edge or reinforcing the frame if the jamb is warped.

Three frequent mistakes are only planing the door without addressing hinge alignment, over-tightening screws into damaged jamb material, and ignoring hinge hardware condition. Planing only removes material and often forces the door lower toward a problematic hinge, so always confirm hinge position before removing wood from the door. Driving short replacement screws into stripped jamb holes will work briefly but the screws will pull out again, so use longer screws that anchor into the wall stud or repair the hole with a wood filler or dowel for a secure bite. Swapping out a single worn hinge while leaving bent pins or loose mortises in place leaves instability, so replace the full hinge set or repair the mortises so the new hardware sits flat and true.

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