Interactive diagram + guide

Electrical outlet wiring diagram

Choose your outlet setup to see where each wire goes. On the half-switched outlet, flip the wall switch and watch the top half turn off.

Tool
Interactive outlet wiring diagramThree steps: pick your setup, flip the switches, wire it

Step 1 of 3

Which setup do you have?

Look in the box with the breaker off: what matters is where the power cable comes in. Pick the one that matches, or keep the one already selected.

Step 2 of 3

Follow the power

Glowing wires are carrying power right now. On a small screen, scroll the diagram sideways.

Outlet Wiring at the End of a Run wiring diagramPower inOutlet box14/2 cablebare copperwhiteblackFrom breakerHOThotNEUneutralGNDgroundOutletTop ON · Bottom ONHOTtop brass screwHOTbottom brass screwNEUtop silver screwNEUbottom silver screwGNDgreen ground screw
  • Black: hot
  • White: neutral
  • Red: hot / traveler
  • White + black tape: hot
  • Bare copper: ground
  • Wire nut
  • Glow: carrying power now
Black to brass, white to silver, ground to green. The wider slot on the face is neutral.

Step 3 of 3

Wire it box by box

Safety first. Turn off the breaker and confirm the power is off with a non-contact voltage tester before touching any wire. Follow your local electrical code; some areas require a licensed electrician or a permit. If you find aluminum wiring, cloth-covered wiring, scorched insulation or more than one circuit in a box, stop and call an electrician.

Outlet box

Guide

The basic rule

Black (hot) to brass, white (neutral) to silver, bare ground to green. The brass side feeds the shorter slot and the silver side the taller slot. Swapping them (reversed polarity) still powers most devices, but it’s a shock hazard and outlet testers flag it.

Pigtails vs. daisy-chaining

An outlet in the middle of a run can pass power through its two sets of screws, but a pigtail (short wire from a wire nut to the outlet) is more reliable. Downstream outlets stay powered if this one loosens or is removed. Pigtails are required for the shared neutral of a multiwire branch circuit.

Half-switched outlets

To control one half with a wall switch, break off the small metal tab between the two brass screws. Leave the silver-side tab alone. The switched hot goes to one brass screw and the constant hot to the other.

All outlet setups

What you need

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Frequently asked questions

Which side of an outlet is hot?

The brass screws and the shorter slot are hot; the silver screws and the taller slot are neutral.

Do I need tamper-resistant outlets?

For new and replacement receptacles in homes, the NEC requires tamper-resistant (TR) outlets in most locations.

Can I replace a two-prong outlet with a three-prong outlet?

Only if a ground is present in the box, or if it is GFCI protected and labeled “No Equipment Ground”. Otherwise install another two-prong outlet or a GFCI.

Why do some outlets in a room stop working at once?

Often a loose push-in connection or a tripped GFCI upstream. Check nearby GFCIs, then the first dead outlet and the last working one.

More wiring tools