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Sliding glass doors vs. bi-folding doors: How to decide between them

Wondering whether a sliding glass or bi-folding door is better for your home? We’ll walk you through some questions that will help you think through how each door might match up with your style and needs.

A dog lays on the deck outside an open bi-folding door built into the back of a ranch home.

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Exterior doors for homes come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and types. A few of the most familiar patio door types are sliding, bi-folding, pivot, and French doors. Each of these offers unique benefits for the style, function, and efficiency of a home, but for our purposes, we’re going to walk you through everything you need to know when choosing between two of the most popular exterior door styles: sliding glass and bi-folding.

Both sliding glass doors and bi-folding doors can act as shortcuts to an indoor/outdoor lifestyle, and all that implies — natural light, fresh air, and dreamy hangout spaces. But which one is right for your patio or deck? To help you answer this question, we’re giving you a decision-making checklist, but first let’s define these two types of doors.

Sliding vs. bi-folding doors: Your decision-making checklist

Door type	Pros	Cons	What else to know	Products
Sliding glass doors, which we call gliding patio doors, are doors with two or more panels that slide parallel with a wall to open and close.	Gliding patio doors open flush with the wall, saving you space and increasing convenience. They can suit any home style due to the selections available. However, they’re often chosen when a more modern look is desired.	With a standard two-panel sliding door, one of the door panels will be stationary, which means less room to move back and forth through the doorway.	If you want more glass, we have three- and four-panel gliding patio doors too.	We offer gliding patio doors through all our product lines.
Our bi-folding door, which we call a Folding Outswing door, is made of hinged panels that accordion to the side to a create large unobstructed opening.	Folding Outswing Doors are larger than sliding glass doors and are the perfect choice for creating an opening up to 10’ tall by 48’ wide. The bi-folding door can suit any home style. We offer both traditional and contemporary style panels with our Folding Outswing Doors.	These doors require a lot of planning and attention and may have higher installation costs. In addition, the door itself is a premium product with a price to match.	You can order a Folding Outswing Door in different configurations, including corners and window-sized. You can add a single panel that operates independently, so you don’t have to open all panels every time you use the door.	Our Folding Outswing Door is part of our Big Door Series of oversize patio doors. Note, if you’re looking for an option that will work in a remodel, this door is a good one because it runs along a single track and doesn’t require extra thick walls.

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1. How big of an opening are you looking for?

Although both bi-folding doors and sliding doors are designed for flexible sizing, a bi-folding door, like our Folding Outswing Door can stretch up to 48' wide by 10' tall and works well in large spaces. It can also be ordered with a “day door,” which is a single panel that opens separately in case you don’t always want to operate the full accordion.

But don’t discount the sliding glass door either. Our four-panel E-Series Gliding Patio Door can be up to 15’ wide by 8’ tall. Depending on the door chosen, there are all sorts of ways to customize its size — add a third panel, fourth panel, or a sidelight (a floor-to-ceiling window next to the door). These options for increasing size are great if you want more glass, but a Folding Outswing Door isn’t in your budget.

In short, sliding glass doors are ideal for smaller, standard openings, while bi-folding doors are perfect for wide-span openings and panoramic views. Either door may meet your needs, which is why you’ll want to keep working through this checklist.

Tip: Even if you go for an expansive size, a sliding glass door will still save space, because it opens flush with the wall. This will leave you with more room to use for furnishings, decor, and more.

Animation of testing sliding vs bi-folding doors

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2. Do you want an unobstructed opening?

Bi-folding doors provide an unobstructed opening, which is one of the most direct routes to creating an indoor/outdoor lifestyle — the ability to move seamlessly between spaces, enjoy sunlight, fresh breezes, and clear views. If you’re hosting a dinner party and want an easy path from kitchen to patio, bi-folding doors provide a complete opening. (Don’t let concerns about bugs sway you, insect screens are available with our Folding Outswing Doors!) A bi-folding door can also be a functional choice if you want to unite your indoor and outdoor living areas to create one space that maximizes your square footage — no addition necessary!

An open Folding Outswing Door leading to an outdoor living area.

A bi-folding door, like our Folding Outswing Door, might be best if you have a lot of space and love to entertain because it creates a large, completely unobstructed opening in your home, providing a truly seamless indoor/outdoor experience.

An open gliding patio door leading to a balcony with views of the water.

Sliding doors are the ideal option for rooms with less space, like this bedroom, which features an E-Series Gliding Patio Door. They open flush with the wall while still providing expansive glass for optimal views.

Tip: Remember that you need to have enough room to stack doors to one side of your opening if you choose a bi-folding door.

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3. What type of home project are you taking on?

The type of project you're tackling plays a big role in choosing the best patio door for your space. You might be a little more limited in a replacement project, whereas a new construction home (and many major remodels) will accommodate nearly any type of door. Here’s some top considerations for each type of project:

Replacement: If you’re looking for something to fit your existing opening or match your windows, there’s an array of options. Gliding patio doors are easier and more cost effective to fit into an existing opening, and they’re offered through all our product lines, so you can find your preferred style, material, and anything else you need. Door sizes can be specified to 1/8” so you’re almost guaranteed to find an option to fit your home. If you’re after a bi-folding door, even if you’re just replacing, your contractor could enlarge the opening in your wall to accommodate our Folding Outswing Door.
Remodel: With a major remodel or addition, you have more room to dream. Here, there’s an opportunity for a Folding Outswing Door or a gliding patio door with three or four panels or sidelights.
New Construction: If you’re building a new home, there’s almost no limit to what you can do. For the best patio door for new construction, dream big – literally! Explore all our Big Doors, which is what we call our oversize patio doors. If you’ve ever wanted a better connection to your outdoor living space, this is the time to make your dream reality. New construction can accommodate specific installation needs, such as creating a flush opening between indoors and outdoors or pocketing a door into the wall.

Tip: Our Folding Outswing Door is ideal in a remodel because it runs along a single track and doesn’t require the extra-thick walls that some Big Doors do.

A before photo shows a dark living room with a standard door and sliding window and an after photo shows a bright and airy room with open bi-folding doors and window replacing the door.

It’s almost hard to believe this is the same space, but that’s the magic of our Folding Outswing Door! It turned this formerly dark room into a bright and airy one that’s completely open to the outdoors. So yes, you can take a window and a whole lot of blank wall and replace it all with a beautiful view!

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4. What style is your home?

Either door will work with any style of home, as both our gliding patio doors and our Folding Outswing Doors can be ordered with either contemporary- or traditional-style panels.

Here’s how you might match panel style to your home style:

Modern homes: Pick contemporary panels, which have thin frames of the same width all the way around the glass. A Folding Outswing Door could certainly work, but a gliding patio door can have panels that are very wide and framing that’s very thin for expansive glass that’s truly modern. For example, a 200 Series Narroline® Gliding Doors would be a great choice for a Mid-Century Modern home.
Traditional homes: Pick traditional panels, which have wider frames and a high bottom rail (the part of the frame that’s below the glass). This panel style is available with both our gliding patio doors and Folding Outswing Doors. You could play up traditional style by adding grilles too. Farmhouses are an example of a popular home style where a traditional panel style might really shine, like our 400 Series Frenchwood® Gliding Patio Door.
Transitional homes: Homes that mix contemporary and traditional architecture could be complemented by either panel style, but we see these homes as ideal for a premium Folding Outswing Door. The customization available with a Folding Outswing Door will allow it to be styled just right while also leaning into the opportunity for indoor/outdoor living. With this lifestyle on the rise, large glass doors are becoming a standard feature in luxury and custom homes.

A home with white walls and hardwood floors, plants for decoration, and a gliding patio door. A porch with a four-panel A-Series Gliding Patio Door featuring French door styling. A living room with a lot of plants and a wall made of a black Folding Outswing Door with a horizontal grille pattern.

Left: This modern home incorporates a four-panel E-Series Gliding Patio Door that matches the bright, minimalist interior design. Middle: A four-panel A-Series Gliding Patio Door with French door styling (high bottom rail) and short fractional grilles matches the traditional style of the house. Right: Choosing black frames and adding grilles to this large Folding Outswing Door was an effective way to merge traditional and contemporary styles in a transitional home.

Tip: Sliding glass doors are often considered more contemporary or modern in style, but you can make hardware and other selections that'll give your door a more traditional feel or modern-classic look. For pointers, check out Patio doors: French vs. sliding doors.

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What else do you need from your door?

No matter your needs for security, energy efficiency, and other factors, you’ll find both sliding glass doors and bi-folding doors come with the flexibility to help meet your priorities. Here’s what we mean:

Folding Outswing Doors and gliding patio doors can open from either direction. Both types of doors can be configured to open from either the left or the right. Our Folding Outswing Door (bi-folding door) and our four-panel gliding patio doors can also open from the center.

Tip: Just remember, you need to decide how your door will open before ordering.

Folding Outswing Doors and gliding patio doors offer enhanced security. Both types of doors come standard with tempered glass and muti-point locking systems that keep them tightly closed for enhanced security and a weathertight seal. In addition, Folding Outswing Doors have built-in bolts that lock it from the top and the bottom.

Tip: If you want extra peace of mind, upgrades like auxiliary foot locks are available on all our gliding patio doors. Impact-resistant glass can help protect against forced entry and is available with A-Series Gliding Patio Doors and Folding Outswing Doors.

Folding Outswing Doors and gliding patio doors are energy efficient. Both doors come standard with dual-pane glass, which includes an air space filled with an argon-gas blend to improve insulation. They also come with Low-E4® glass coatings standard and the option to upgrade to various climate-specific low-emissivity (Low-E) glass types that help improve performance.

Tip: If energy efficiency is your top priority, consider upgrading to triple-pane glass with a low-emissivity coating combination that’s appropriate to your climate. These glass options are available with Folding Outswing Doors and gliding patio doors.

Folding Outswing Doors and gliding patio doors are made of durable materials that will last. Like all our products, Folding Outswing doors and gliding patio doors are made of high-quality materials that make them weather resistant and virtually maintenance free over the long term.

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Justina Blakeney poses near her four-panel E-Series Gliding Patio Door with olive exterior, pine interior and a bi-parting opening that makes for a seamless connection between her lanai and courtyard.

This four-panel E-Series Gliding Patio Door opens from the center (biparting), which allows for seamless connection between the lanai and courtyard outside.

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Sliding glass door and bi-folding door FAQs

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Hopefully, you’ve got a better idea about what type of door suits your home. Ready to continue exploring ways to create your ideal indoor/outdoor lifestyle?

A living room with one wall that completely opens up to the pool area outside.

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