How to Install Recessed Lighting in 7 Steps

Most often, new recessed light fixtures come with a paper template to use as a guide for cutting holes in your ceiling. Use this template to mark the location and size of your recessed light fixture on your ceiling drywall. Before cutting, carefully consider the chosen light location and confirm no wires or pipes are hidden behind the area you’re cutting into.

Put on eye and respiratory protection. Using a drywall jab saw, cut along the marked circle to create a hole in your ceiling for the light. If you are installing more than just a few recessed lights, you could also use a power drill with a hole saw attachment for a faster, more accurate cut.

Make sure the circuit breaker powering the wiring to your recessed light is switched off so you can begin to rough-in the new wiring. Before proceeding, test that there is no active current to the circuit with a voltage tester.

If you are using power from an existing light fixture, open that light’s junction box, attach your new wiring and run it through the ceiling to your new fixture location. You will need to fish the wiring through the ceiling with a rod or fish tape or access the wiring from above in the attic.

If you are using new wiring run from your electrical service panel, run it from the switch to your new light fixture location. In both cases, dangle about 16 inches of excess wiring from the cut ceiling hole for the new light. If installing multiple recessed lights, continue wiring through your ceiling to each light hole.

Using wire strippers, take off around four inches of cable sheathing from the excess wire dangling from the light hole. Also, strip off the coating from each exposed wire inside the sheathing. Grab your recessed light fixture and pull the power wires into the junction box—clamp them in.

Connect each of the power wires to the coordinating wire in the light’s junction box with UL-approved wire connectors—black to black, white to white, and ground to ground. The grounding wire might be a bare copper wire or have green insulation. 

Once the wires are all connected, carefully fold the wires into the junction box and install the cover.

Most recessed light fixtures use a set of four clips around the perimeter of the can that clamp to the ceiling drywall. Place the recessed light fixture into the ceiling hole so these clips attach to the inside top of the drywall. 

You may need to push each clip up and outward with your thumb until it clicks. The fixture should fit snugly into the hole—not too tight, not too loose. 

Once the light fixture is firmly in place, install the provided trim around the perimeter. The trim will likely use either coil springs or rod springs. For coil springs, hook each spring to the coordinating hole inside the light can. 

For rod springs, squeeze and insert each spring into the coordinating hole inside the light can. Push the trim into position around the perimeter of the fixture.

If you used a new circuit to power your recessed lights, you will now need to run the wire from the switch to the service panel. 

Pull the cable into the service panel and attach it to the right-sized circuit breaker. Most often, a 15 amp breaker is the appropriate size. Place the circuit breaker into an available slot in the service panel.

Install the appropriate light bulb into the finished recessed light fixture socket. Use the manufacturer’s recommended wattage and do not exceed the wattage of the circuit.

Now that everything is wired, turn on your circuit breaker and test that the recessed lights work properly. If the lights do not work or you encounter any other issues during this project, contact a local light fixture company near you to finish the task.