GRBL 1.1 Alarm 2

GRBL 1.1AlarmPosition is kept

A move in the file would take the machine past the travel it knows it has, so the controller refused to start it.

Position is kept. The firmware's own message says so. (firmware says)
What to do
  1. Unlock ($X). Position is still good.
  2. Check where you set work zero (X0 Y0): the whole job has to fit between that point and the machine's limits.
  3. Make sure the file uses absolute moves (G90) and the job's origin in your software matches where you zeroed.
  4. Leave soft limits on. Move the job or the work zero instead; turning them off only moves the crash to the end stops.
What users reported CLAIMED · forum and issue reports, not official
  • The toolpath sat in negative workspace (outside the machine's travel). The fix was a work offset or moving the job into the machine's space, not turning soft limits off. r/hobbycnc thread, Mar 2026
  • A sender's tool-change routine moved Z past its travel and threw Alarm 2, even on files that didn't need a tool change. Later versions changed the routine. gSender GitHub issue #673
  • LightBurn users: The Job Origin was set wrong, so the machine expected to hit its frame and stopped on soft limits. Staff's fix: use Absolute Coordinates. (stated by LightBurn staff) LightBurn forum, Mar 2021
  • LightBurn users: The job was set to start Center-Center from Current Position with the laser at X0 Y0, which would drive about 100 mm into negative X and Y. The advice: start in Absolute Coordinates. (stated by an Ortur support rep) LightBurn forum, Sep 2022
Official GRBL 1.1 message: “Soft limit alarm. G-code motion target exceeds machine travel. Machine position retained. Alarm may be safely unlocked.” source

Got a different message?

Paste it into the decoder. Hamrun's editor checks your G-code before you run it, so a toolpath that leaves the machine's travel or a missing feed rate is caught before the machine stops.

Related codes

  • grblHAL Alarm 2: A move in the file would take the machine past the travel it knows it has, so the controller refused to start it.
  • FluidNC Alarm 2: A move in the file would take the machine past the travel it knows it has, so the controller refused to start it.

Official text copied from the GRBL 1.1 source on 2026-11-01. Steps and the position answer are Hamrun's reading unless marked “firmware says”. User reports are labelled CLAIMED.