A locked door and faulty doorbell led to a major search through suburban Melbourne for the wife of a former governor-general, who was spending the night with a neighbour.

Kathleen 'Ann' Hollingworth, 81, the wife of former governor-general Peter Hollingworth, was reported missing by her son-in-law after having dinner with the family in Fitzroy North.

Mrs Hollingworth was reported missing after dining with family in Fitzroy. ( Supplied: Victoria Police )

When Mrs Hollingworth returned to her Malvern home from the dinner, she found she was locked out and her husband was not there.

She had planned to sleep in her car when a neighbour offered her a bed for the night.

The call to police sparked an overnight doorknock of the neighbourhood by police and State Emergency Service officials.

But because of a faulty doorbell at the neighbour's home, they were not aware police were searching for Mrs Hollingworth.

"We did a doorknock last night on the particular house that she was located in. The doorbell wasn't working," Detective Senior Sergeant Greg McLeod said.

"We knocked on the door. They just didn't hear it."

Ms Hollingworth and her neighbour only learned of the search when they turned on the television this morning.

She was 'found' shortly before 7:30am.

Mr Hollingworth, a former archbishop of Brisbane, served as governor-general from June 2001 and resigned in May 2003.

He married his wife in 1960 and they have three daughters and four grandchildren.