Key Stuck in Lock – What To Do & How Much it Will Cost

If your is key is stuck in your door lock when your door is locked or unlocked find out how a locksmith can help, how long it will take to fix and how much it will cost to repair the stuck key problem.

For a broken key in a lock read our Key snapped in lock what should I do guide here.

1. Key Stuck in Lock – Can a Locksmith Help?

Yes, a locksmith can help if your door key is stuck in a lock such as a euro cylinder or “yale” lock, they can remove your key from either a locked or unlocked door.

Why does a key get stuck in a lock?

A key can become stuck and jammed in the lock for various reasons such as:

• Lock failure
• Badly cut, worn or broken key
• Incorrect operation of the lock
• The wrong key used by mistake

2. What Should I Do When a Key is Stuck in Lock?

If your key is stuck in the lock when your door is locked or unlocked, below are some tips we recommend:

• #1 DO NOT force the key out as the key could snap in the lock
• #2 DO NOT try and take the door lock apart yourself – This is the worse thing you could do
• #3 DO leave the key alone and phone a locksmith in your area

Your local Master Locksmith will be fully trained and experienced to deal with any problem where a key has become stuck in a lock.

3. Key Stuck in Lock and Won’t turn – Why is this?

If your stuck key won’t turn in the lock, below are the reasons why this is happening.

Key Stuck & Won’t Turn At All – If the key has not turned at all then this is likely to be the wrong key or a badly cut, worn or broken key.

Key Stuck Half Turned or Turns A Little Bit – If the lock has partially turned prior to the key becoming stuck then this could be due to lock failure or incorrect operation of the lock.

4. Key Stuck in Lock When Door Unlocked – Can a locksmith help?

Yes, a trained locksmith will be able to remove a key stuck in an unlocked door, which is an easier job to fix compared to when the door is locked.

Why does this happen?

This most commonly occurs with incorrect operation of a multi-point locking system on a PVCu or composite door, the cylinder cam gets trapped behind the latch release mechanism and cannot be freed without expert intervention.

Your local Master Locksmith will certainly be able to resolve this situation.

5. Can you help with a Key Stuck in uPVC door locks?

uPVC door locks are a common type of lock when keys get stuck, this is normally because of a cylinder lock problem with a slipped cam, which happens because of poor key cutting.

A locksmith will be able to help with other locks such as “yale locks“, mortice locks, safe locks and even car locks.

6. How long will it take a locksmith to remove the stuck key?

Most jobs will take less than 20 minutes, although this depends on what is causing your key to be stuck and the type of lock you have fitted.

7. What is the price to fix a key stuck in lock?

The price a locksmith will charge to fix & remove a key stuck in the lock will cost from £85. This price should include time taken to complete the job but you may need to factor in the miles & time the locksmith will need to travel.

Please see our locksmith prices list for a breakdown of locksmith charges.