Guide
Key Broke Off in the Lock? Do Not Make It Worse
Key snapped in the lock? What to do — and what not to do — before the locksmith arrives. Upper West Side help at (646) 469-7112.
A key snapping in a lock is startling, but the situation is almost always recoverable — unless someone makes it worse first. Do not dig at the fragment with tweezers, paper clips, or superglue on a stick. Every home remedy pushes the broken piece deeper or damages the pins, turning a ten-minute extraction into a lock replacement.
What actually works: stop, leave the fragment alone, and call a locksmith. We extract broken keys with purpose-made extractors that hook the key's cuts and slide it out along the path it came in — no damage to the cylinder in the vast majority of cases. If part of the key is still sticking out, resist the urge to twist it; that is how the rest snaps off inside.
After extraction, have a fresh key cut from code — not from the two halves. Keys snap for a reason: metal fatigue, a worn-out original copied too many times, or a lock that needs servicing. We cut the new key and check the lock in the same visit, so it does not happen again next month.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get a broken key out without damaging the lock?
In the vast majority of cases, yes — professional extractors remove the fragment along its original path.
Should I try to get it out myself?
No. Home remedies push the fragment deeper or damage the pins. Leave it and call (646) 469-7112.
Why did my key snap?
Usually metal fatigue, a worn key copied too many times, or a stiff lock. We diagnose the cause in the same visit.
Can you make me a new key afterward?
Yes — cut from code, so the new key is better than the broken one ever was.