How to extract a broken key from any lock: door, car and padlock

Before touching anything

Stop turning and don't reinsert the other half: you'd push the piece deeper into the cylinder. If the lock stayed in the open position, leave it that way, it's easier to extract.

Check whether part of the key sticks out. If so, you can try gripping it gently with needle-nose pliers, pulling straight without twisting. If nothing sticks out, move on or call a locksmith.

Methods to avoid

Super glue on the other half of the key is an idea that keeps circulating online. The risk: the glue runs into the cylinder, welds the pins and ruins the lock.

Paper clips, pins or improvised saw blades often push the piece further in or damage the pins. And for a car key broken in the ignition, forcing can damage the cylinder and the immobilizer antenna.

How a locksmith does it

We use extractors: thin steel blades with small hooks slid along the piece to catch its teeth and pull it out. When needed, we first turn the cylinder to neutral to relieve pressure on the pins.

On a padlock or a badly damaged house lock, we can also remove the cylinder. Once the piece is out, we cut a new key, sometimes directly from the two recovered halves.

A key broken in a car

In a car door, the piece usually comes out the same way as in a house lock, with thin extractors. The difference is that a new key often has to be cut afterwards and, if the head held the chip, the new key must be programmed for the car to start. So keep both pieces: the head can still serve as a reference for cutting and cloning.

In the ignition, caution matters even more. The cylinder is surrounded by the antenna that reads the chip, and a misused tool can damage it. Don't try to start the car with the remaining half of the key. An automotive locksmith extracts the piece, checks that the cylinder turns freely and makes the replacement key on site, so you can drive away the same day.

If the key broke in a car door and you have no spare, don't leave the vehicle unlocked while you wait: lock the doors from the inside button if you can. Also mention the vehicle's year on the phone, so the right key blank is in the truck on the first visit and you don't have to wait for a second trip to finish the job.

How long it takes and what it costs

A simple extraction from a house lock usually doesn't take long once the locksmith is on site; the price depends mostly on travel and time of day. If the cylinder was damaged by do-it-yourself attempts, it sometimes has to be replaced or rekeyed, which adds the cost of the part and a little labour to the bill.

For a car, the total usually includes the extraction and the new key, with programming if it contains a chip. Describe the situation on the phone: where the key broke, whether a piece is sticking out, whether the lock stayed in the open position. Those details let us give you a realistic price before we leave, with no surprise once we're there.

Also avoid spraying lubricant right after the break: it can carry debris deeper into the cylinder. We lubricate once the piece is out instead, so the lock works smoothly with the new key and the cylinder doesn't wear out prematurely.

Keeping it from happening again

A key rarely breaks without warning: it bends, cracks or wears thin. If your key catches, have a new one cut from the code or a copy in better shape.

Lubricate your locks with a dry graphite or PTFE product once or twice a year, and lighten your keyring: the weight on a car key wears the ignition and weakens the blade.