Key Broke Off in the Lock? What to Do (and What Not to Do)

• First, stop turning
• Check how much is sticking out
• If the piece is flush or recessed
• After it’s out
• When to call someone

A key snapping off inside a lock is one of those problems that feels worse than it usually is. The lock is rarely ruined, and with a little care you can often get the piece out yourself. Here is how to handle it without making things harder.

§First, stop turning

The most common mistake is trying to turn the lock with the stub that’s still in your hand, or jamming the broken half back in. Both push the fragment deeper and can bend the pins inside the cylinder. Leave the lock in the position it’s in. If the door is unlocked and open, prop it so it can’t close and latch while you work.

§Check how much is sticking out

If a bit of the blade is visible past the face of the lock, you’re in good shape.

• Needle-nose pliers or tweezers. Grip the exposed end firmly and pull straight out. Don’t wiggle side to side, since that can snap the fragment again.
• Make sure the cylinder is in the “key-in” position. A key only comes out when the plug is turned back to where it was inserted. If the key broke while turned, the piece may be trapped until the plug is rotated back.

§If the piece is flush or recessed

This is where people reach for super glue on a matchstick. Skip it. If the glue runs into the keyway, a simple extraction turns into a cylinder replacement.

Better options:

• A key extractor tool. These are thin, hooked strips of steel made for exactly this. Slide one in along the top of the key fragment (where the cuts are), turn it slightly so the hook catches a cut, and draw it out. It often takes a few tries.
• A thin saw blade. A broken jigsaw or coping-saw blade, teeth angled toward you, can do the same job in a pinch.
• A little dry lubricant. A puff of graphite or a dry PTFE spray in the keyway can help the fragment slide. Avoid oily sprays, which attract dust and gum up the pins over time.

§After it’s out

Don’t put the broken key back on your ring. Look at your other copies: a key that snapped was often worn thin, cracked, or bent, and its twin may be close behind.

• Cut a new key from the original if you have it, not from a worn copy. Copies of copies drift further from spec each time.
• If the lock was stiff before the key broke, the lock is part of the problem. A cylinder that needs force to turn will keep breaking keys. Cleaning and lubricating it, or replacing it, fixes the cause.
• If you don’t have another working key, the lock can be rekeyed or the key decoded and cut fresh.

§When to call someone

Call a locksmith if the fragment won’t budge after a few careful tries, if the key broke off in a car ignition (modern ignitions are easy to damage), if you’re locked out because of it, or if you can’t tell whether the plug is in the right position. A pro with proper extractors can usually remove the piece in minutes and check whether the cylinder needs attention.

If you’re in Fort Collins or nearby in Northern Colorado, Choice City Locksmith handles broken key extraction, rekeying, and replacement keys for homes, cars and businesses, 5 AM to 9 PM daily at (970) 803-1100.