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    Lighting & power points

    One downlight has stopped working. Is it the globe or the fitting?

    Updated 9 October 2026

    The short answer
    Check whether it has a removable globe. If it does, try a known good globe of the same type. If the light is an integrated LED with no globe to change, the LED or its driver has usually failed, or a plug-in connection above the ceiling has come loose. When one light in a set has died and the rest are the same age, replacing the lot often gives a better result.

    Globe or integrated fitting?

    Older downlights take a separate globe: a two-pin MR16 that ran from a transformer, or a twist-and-lock GU10. Many newer LED downlights are a sealed unit with the LEDs built in and a small driver box sitting on top of the ceiling. If you can't see a removable globe, don't prise the face off. The fitting is the globe.

    If a replacement globe doesn't work, the problem is above the ceiling. With an old halogen, the transformer may have failed. With an integrated LED, the driver usually fails before the LEDs do. A light that flickers before it dies, or goes out once it's warm and comes back after cooling, points to a driver or a loose connection.

    Why a new light can look wrong next to the old ones

    LED output fades slowly over the years, so a brand-new fitting can look noticeably brighter than its neighbours. Colour matters too. Warm white, neutral white and cool white vary between brands, and a new light that is slightly bluer or yellower stands out on a plain ceiling. Beam angle and trim colour differ as well.

    If your lights are all the same age and one has failed, others are often not far behind. Replacing every light on that switch with one fitting range keeps the ceiling even and avoids the dimmer trouble that mixed drivers can cause. If the old fittings are in good order, we can try to match the colour and output instead.

    Leave the wiring to an electrician

    Changing a globe in a fitting that takes one is normal householder work. Replacing a downlight, its driver or its transformer is electrical work, and Energy Safe Victoria says even small jobs like changing light switches aren't DIY. You get a Certificate of Electrical Safety when it's done.

    What you can safely do now

    • Switch the light off at the wall and let it cool before touching the globe.
    • Swap in a globe of the same type that you know works.
    • Check whether other lights on the same switch flicker, dim or are slow to start.
    • Note the brand and colour of the remaining lights, or keep a spare box if you have one.

    Services that can help

    LED Downlight InstallationNew downlight layouts and replacement of tired halogen fittings.LED Lighting UpgradesOld halogens and fluoros swapped for LED downlights and fittings.Flickering & Dimming LightsLights that flicker, dim or pulse after a new globe.

    Read more in our guides

    Related questions

    Sources for this answer

    2 sources, with the date each was checked
    1. 1.Energy Safe Victoria: Electrical work isn’t a DIY job, even for small jobs such as changing power points or light switches. Accessed 30 September 2026.
    2. 2.Energy Safe Victoria: Whenever a licensed electrician completes any electrical installation work, they must provide a Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES). Accessed 30 September 2026.

    General information for homes in Victoria. Every installation is different, so treat this as a starting point. Where this answer refers to Victorian safety or rental rules, the sources above have the current requirements.