Key Stuck in the Lock and Won't Turn or Come Out? What to Do

A key that won't turn, or won't pull back out, is the exact moment most people stop thinking and start forcing — and forcing is what turns a two-minute fix into a snapped key buried in the cylinder and a night locked out. Our locksmiths are called to this constantly, and the jobs that cost the most are always the ones where the key was wrestled before anyone stopped to look. Here is what to do, in order, and what to avoid.

First, take the pressure off

If the key feels jammed, stop turning and stop pulling hard. A key under strain at the wrong angle is a key about to snap, and a snapped key is a different, harder job. Give it a moment, line the door up square (a door under tension drags on the bolt), and approach it gently.

If the key won't come out

A key will only withdraw when the lock is back at its rest position, with the internal pins lined up exactly as they were when you slid it in. Turn the key slowly back to that upright, neutral position. Then, with one fingertip, hold the face of the cylinder steady — this stops the barrel shifting — and with the other hand wiggle the key gently up and down while drawing it straight out, never at an angle. Nine times out of ten, that is all it takes.

If the key won't turn

A key that goes in but won't turn usually means one of a few things:

• It's the wrong key, or a poor copy — freshly cut duplicates are notorious for catching the pins. Try your original or a different spare.
• The key is bent — keys used as screwdrivers or bottle openers warp, and a warped key fights the lock. Sight down it against a straight edge.
• Grit or wear — dirt in the keyway or a worn cylinder stops the pins setting. A dry lubricant often frees it.

Reach for dry lubricant, not oil

Puff a little powdered graphite, or a PTFE or silicone spray, into the keyway above the key, then repeat the gentle wiggle-and-pull. Avoid oil-based sprays such as the familiar WD-40: they free things briefly, then attract grime that gums the lock up for good. Never pour anything sticky into a lock.

A frozen lock in winter

In a hard frost the lock itself can freeze. Warm the key in your hands or with a hairdryer on a low setting and ease it in slowly — gentle heat, never a naked flame. Resist pouring hot water over the lock or door: on a uPVC frame the sudden temperature change can do more harm than the ice did.

If the key snaps off

If a key breaks with part of it left in the cylinder, stop — do not push the broken piece in further trying to fish it out, as that drives it deeper. That is now an extraction job, and our guide on a snapped key in the lock explains what happens next.

When to call a locksmith

If the key turns freely but the lock no longer moves with it, the cam or mechanism inside has likely failed and the cylinder will need replacing — something a locksmith can do quickly, often keeping your existing key working on a new matched cylinder. If the stuck key has left you shut out, our locked-out service gets you back in without damage, and our lock changes and repairs page covers the cylinder swap. Either way, find your local LocksmithLocal before you force it.