BROKEN KEY • EXTRACTION
Key snapped in the lock?
If your key has snapped in the lock, stop and leave it alone. Pulling at the broken piece with pliers, glue or a magnet almost always pushes it deeper and damages the pins, which turns a £108 extraction into a full lock replacement. A locksmith can usually remove the broken half and have the lock working again without replacing it.
Answered 24 hours · every rate published
What to do right now
- Do not touch the broken piece. Every attempt to grip it drives it further in.
- Do not use superglue. This is the most common home remedy and the most destructive one — the glue bonds the broken key to the pins and guarantees the lock is scrap.
- Do not force the other half of the key into the keyway to push the broken piece through. It does not work, and now both halves are stuck.
- Do not spray lubricant into the lock. WD-40 and similar oils attract dust, gum up the pin chambers and make extraction harder. If a lock is stiff, a dry PTFE or graphite lubricant is the right product — but after the key is out, not before.
- Leave the door as it is and call. If you are locked out as well, say so on the phone, because that changes what needs to happen first.
Why keys snap
Keys almost never break without warning. The lock was telling you something first:
- A stiff or misaligned lock. If the key had to be jiggled, lifted or forced for weeks, the mechanism was already failing and the key was taking the strain.
- A worn key. Keys cut from copies of copies lose their profile. The high points wear down, the key sits wrong in the cylinder and twists instead of turning.
- A cheap cut. Soft brass blanks and poorly cut keys snap far sooner than the original.
- A failing multipoint mechanism. On a uPVC door, if the gearbox is stiff, all that force passes through the key.
- Cold weather. Metal contracts, grease thickens and marginal locks fail in January.
This matters, because removing the broken key solves today's problem but not the cause. If the lock was already stiff, it needs attention too — otherwise the next key goes the same way.
What it costs
Snapped key extraction starts at £108. That covers removing the broken piece and testing the lock.
Beyond that it depends on what the extraction reveals. If the lock is sound, you are done — though it is worth having a new key cut from the original rather than from the damaged half. If the cylinder was already worn or the mechanism is at fault, a replacement cylinder starts at £120 and a multipoint mechanism repair at £216.
Call-out and labour are charged on top, at the rate for the time of day. Full rates are on the pricing page, including VAT.
How the broken key is removed
The right tools are extractor hooks and spiral extractors, designed to catch the cuts of the broken piece and draw it straight back out along the keyway. On a cylinder that can be removed, taking the cylinder out of the door first gives much better access and a far higher chance of saving the lock.
Done properly, the lock survives in most cases and the only cost is the extraction and a new key. Done with pliers and glue in the half hour before the locksmith arrives, it usually does not.
Related services
- Lock replacement and euro cylinders — if the lock cannot be saved
- uPVC and multipoint lock repairs — if the mechanism caused it
- Emergency locksmith — if you are locked out as well
- Door alignment — the usual root cause of a stiff door
Common questions
Can a locksmith get a snapped key out without replacing the lock?
Usually, yes. With the correct extraction tools the broken piece is drawn back out along the keyway and the lock carries on working. The main thing that prevents it is damage caused by earlier attempts to pull the key out with pliers, glue or a magnet.
My key snapped but the door is open — is it still urgent?
It is not an emergency, but do not leave it. A broken piece sitting in the cylinder means you cannot lock the door properly, and an unsecured door may affect a home insurance claim. Book it for the next working day at daytime rates rather than paying night rates for it later.
Half the key is still in my hand — can you cut a new one from it?
Sometimes, but it is not ideal. A key cut from a broken half carries all the wear that caused the break. If the original or a good spare exists, use that. Otherwise a key can be cut to the lock itself, which gives a far better result.
Why did my key snap in a lock that was working fine?
It almost certainly was not working fine. Stiffness, needing to lift or pull the door, or having to jiggle the key are all signs of a failing lock or a misaligned door, and they usually appear weeks before the key breaks.
Key snapped in the lock — help across Lancashire
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Related help
Locked out of your house · Locked out at night · uPVC door won't lock · Lost your house keys
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