Once I locked myself out of my house, believe me, nothing is as frustrating as locking yourself out of the home, especially when you come back after a long hectic day.
At the time, I had myself locked out of the home, I did not know any of the ways that I know now, that’s why I had to break the lock of my front door.
This is where I decided to explore the ways of opening a door without a key.
I am sure some must have happened with you, and like me, you too, would not know how to open a door without a key.
It could be a closet where you lost its key, or you misplaced the keys and have to break the closet.
It can be you stuck in a locked room without being known how to get out of it unless you call a service to break the lock, or call some relative to get that door opened.
So, if you have ever experienced any of the situations, I am sure you too are interested in learning about unlocking a door without a key. Let’s not drag you further, and learn the ways.
Remember
I am sure you would be using the methods explained here to open your locked room, not breaking into another person’s home.
Breaking into someone’s home might be a minor crime, but it is still a crime and you may end up in jail.
Or you can use any of the methods mentioned to help someone. Maybe your neighbor forgets his keys and places himself out of the home, you can help him to get the door opened without a key.
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9 Ways To unlock a door without a Key
Whatever method or way you follow to unlock your door without a key, it must not damage the door.
We kept that in mind, and tried only those methods which are safe, and would not damage the door as well as you.
1. Lock Picking
Let me clear one thing once and for all, all locks can be picked.
But that does not mean picking a lock would be easy, it can be easy with an easy and simple mechanism following a lock and complex with a complex mechanism.
To pick a lock the first thing you should do is to know the lock, know its mechanism, and how it works.
In simplest meaning, picking a lock means, you should be well familiar with the parts of the lock, its parts, and how different parts work together.
So, to open the door with a key, the first thing you should know is the type of lock you are using.
In most residential and commercial settings, pin tumbler locks are used. But, maybe you have some other locks installed, it can be mortise locks.
It is a pin tumbler lock and you confirm it, take a deep sign of relief, because they are the easiest locks to open compared to commercial mortise locks.
There is a total of five components taking part in the tumbler pin lock, key pin, driver pin, spring, plug, and housing. If you make an appropriate key, the plug part can rotate the housing.
These elements work together in making a lock efficient and take part in locking and unlocking.
In other words, if you want to unlock a door, you will have to play with these elements.
When someone inserts a key in the lock, the grooves on the keys match the lock and make the lock gets opened.
To lock a door without a key you will have to use picking tools. Maybe some tools work for you and some don’t, and sometime you might have to improvise your picking tools.
The most common picking tools are bobby pins and paper clips. The top reason for them being the most improvised and used picking tools is their easier bent and shape to fit just any lock.
Some other picking tools include tension wrenches, hooks, and rakes.
For opening a tumbler lock, you will have to imitate a real key. The tumbler lock takes just one key unless you have a master key system.
So, to open a tumbler lock, you will have to take the work of the original key with an activation key. For that, you can make use of raking or single-pin picking.
The only object of following the above-mentioned methods is to manipulate the pins housed within the lock.
If your lock is made of high quality, it will surely take time and be harder to pick. But, if you pick better, it would not take much of your time.
2. Bump Keys
First thing first, if you have locked yourself out of your car, and you want to make a bump key to unlock your vehicle’s door, bump keys can’t be used for unlocking a car’s doors.
One more thing, in most of the house front gate locks, there an anti-pump features in place, if that’s your case too, you too can’t use the bump keys to unlock your door.
In the same way, we mentioned the tools or gears to use for unlocking a door without a key, here in bump keys too, you can make use of those tools. Here, you require a bump key to bump your door’s lock.
Well, the guide is about to unlock a door without a key, and the bump key is not a genuine key you use to open your door.
It is the key that you design after carefully looking at monitoring your door, well if you don’t want to call it a key, that’s ok, it looks like a key but not a traditional key.
It is a designed key, which is manufactured or carved to exploit the pins, driver pins, and housing of the tumbler pin lock.
Here, in a bump key, the groves and cuts are carved at a maximum height so that, it could fix any lock and its grooves or cuts.
Keep in mind, for a bump key making, you should have an idea of the key for a specific door, if you don’t have an idea what the key looks like, you can’t make a bump key.
So, if you make a pump key, you insert it in your lock and put pressure, you try to build pressure with your hand, if it does not work, you can take the use of hammer and screwdriver too.
You extend the pressure which causes the key pins to push the drive pins and make the door open for you.
Most of you might think that a bump key is a skeleton key, no it is not. Skeleton keys are the first cousin of master keys, and they open the doors by just turning the keyway.
Bump keys require extended pressure build-up on them to cause the key pins to push drive pins above the shear line.
Well, now the question is how can you make a bump key?
Its answer is easy if you love to do things like that you can design it by yourself.
If you don’t you can buy it from any local store, or even online. Yes, bump keys are also sold online, you can buy them from Amazon or any other online store.
3. Credit Cards
Well, if none of the above-mentioned methods work for you, and you are still standing outside of your home, or your closet, I am sure the credit card method will surely work for you.
Of all the methods we would be explaining in this guide, the credit card method is the easiest and most easy to follow.
By credit cards, I don’t say you can only use credit cards, it means you can use any plastic resin solid materials that can easily be pushed inside the crack of the door by force to open it.
This method can only be used with the doors with a slanted latch bold lock mechanism, only when the lock is not paired with a strike plate.
If you have deadbolts or highly sensitive powerful locks installed at your front door or closet, you should refrain yourself even trying this method.
By inserting the credit card in the crack of the door by force you try to target the slanted bolt to retract its latch which is taking part in making the door lock.
This method follows by angling the card against the latch bolt. You push the card or anything made of solid material against the latch to open it without any big trouble.
Keep in mind, that by inserting the card against the latch bolt, you may damage the card.
So keep in mind the card you are using is a canceled one or a gif card, or you can use anything hard that could easily be pushed like a credit card.
4. Drilling
If your door is premium or the closet, you should refrain from drilling the lock.
Although, drilling the lock should not hurt your door, it just drills through the lock, still, there are chances that your door may get damaged.
It is a destructive entry, but if you are in hurry to open the door or closet, and an expert is away, and can take time, drilling the lock can be a way to get your door opened.
Again, I don’t usually suggest this method, but if you have tried all and are now exhausted, you can follow different drilling lock methods.
Drilling the lock can be a difficult process especially if you are a novice and never used a drill before.
In that case, you may drill at the incorrect place because you could not pace up with the speed of the drill at just one location
So, if possible, hand over the drill to someone who is well-off using drilling.
If you don’t properly align the drill at the top of the keyway, it can take longer than expected time.
Drilling a lock does not mean drilling the gate or door. It is a destructive and forceful way to overpower the core locking mechanism.
It forcefully separates the driver pins and keys pins within the housing which keeps the locking mechanism in place.
You drill on the shear line, once the drilling is done, you can turn the knob and opens the door without a key.
Keep in mind, in some locks there can be an anti-drilling mechanism installed, well this is installed for making the system more powerful but in your case, you have locked yourself out of the home, or lost the key to the closet, it can be a big hindrance.
If that’s your case, you might have to call for a professional locksmith, they are trained for forceful entry and can use the force against the anti-drill technology too.
5. Screw and Rod Technique
Well, this specific technique is for opening the car’s door without a key.
And this procedure must not be followed if you don’t like to potentially damage your car’s door.
Because, in most cases, it damages the car’s door, and the procedure should not only be followed if deemed necessary.
This procedure requires a screwdriver, and a metal rode.
The tip of the metal should be wedged between the door and B pillar.
Once the tip is slipped through the door crack, once the door is cracked, you can press the unlock button on the door panel.
This technique damages the car’s door, and should only be applied if your car has a physical lock latch, you should not follow this procedure.
6. Shoelace Technique
The shoelace technique too is good for opening the car’s door, not for the house front door or closet.
I am sure you wear shoes with laces, if yes, then get them out and follow the procedure I am sharing with you to get the job done.
One more thing, this technique is only good for cars with vertical locks on the windowsill.
If it is a physical lock, you should not follow this method, for that too, I shall be explaining another method.
Slipknot bot the laces, thread the knotted end between the door and frame.
Shim the knot downward from both the sides and loop the knob over the lock, as it is a vertical lock you can pull on one side to tighten the knot on the lock.
7. Knife
Yes, the use of the knife may sound like a destructive idea but if a butter knife is used correctly, it can help you open the door easily, especially the bathroom doors which have only a simple flat keyhole.
Just place the tip of the knife and turn over it, if it is a simple flat keyhole lock, it will be opened without any big trouble or issue.
With a complex keyhole, you can still open it, by bypassing the keyhole entirely.
Slid the knife between the door and door jam, and slide the blade up and down to find the bolt.
Try to get around the bolt, and with continuous trying can finally push the bolt out of the unlocked position.
8. Door Exploits
If nothing is working out for you, the last method remains jamming the door or removing the hinges.
Yes, I am not saying these are recommended methods but when nothing is working out, and you don’t want to pay for the professional services, as you don’t think it is a good idea, you can remove the hinges and get a safe entry.
Well, if it is about door exploits, there is more than one method you can follow.
The most common one is to kick the door or ram it so hard that the door gets dislodged.
You can remove the hinges on a door, and let the lock in its place, get the key from the inside, and roll things correctly.
This method is only applicable on the doors with outswing doors, where the door hinges are open and exposed.
Since the doors’ hinges are exposed, you can use a screwdriver and remove the hinges pin and get the door opened.
There are still some chances that your door’s lock will get damaged, but in most cases, you still can make it undamaged.
Ramming the door or pushing it hard or kicking it hard can still damage the door, but at the same time, it requires lots of power.
You know your door, if it is very sturdy constructed, maybe you can get yourself damaged too.
9. Calling a professional
If you are not in hurry, and you don’t want to damage your door or closet or car, it is always a better idea to call a professional, even when you want to smash your door by force or remove its hinges.
Because it is the professional who knows better where to hit and how to hit.
In some cases, the locksmith too might not be able to open the door without a key.
In some cases, they use force just like the way we mentioned above, and in some cases, they make the key.
If it is a highly professional locksmith, I am sure he/she will have a master key to open the door, or a master solution to help you get into your home, closet, or car.
If bumping the key, picking the lock, and using some other procedure we mentioned do not work, the last solution eve for a locksmith is to drill the lock.
The good thing is, that you will be able to get the new lock installed right away.
Again, overall if you have a powerful and efficient locking mechanism installed in your home, don’t waste your time much, and don’t damage your door, just call the locksmith, and get him to handle the situation.
How difficult it is to pick a lock?
Not all locks are the same, they are different. How difficult is to pick your lock depends on the quality of your lock.
If it is a good quality lock, surely it will be hard to get things rolled on.
It also depends on how good you are at picking locks, the better you are, the easier it would be to pick.
Well, a cheap lock is always a good pick, but if it is a good pic, thieves too can easily pick it and go away easily with your stolen stuff.
Do you need special tools for lock picking?
If you have access to professional tools, you can use them, they are always better than improvised or handy-made tools.
All you want is to pick the lock, and all you have to do is to increase the pressure on the internals and manipulate the locking mechanism.
Well, if you are using some things like paper clips, and bobby pins, besides the experience you need more luck.
How to make a bump key for opening the door without a key?
If you can make a bump key by watching a YouTube video, good, go and get it done.
But, why to invent the wheel, when you already have access to the bump keys, why would you like to make it from scratch.
You can buy it from local stores or buy it from online stores.
How to Know if my Door can be opened with a credit card?
It depends on your lock and its locking mechanism. If it is a premium lock with advanced mechanism chances are very less.
If you have a lock that gets opened by turning the handle, it can be opened with a credit card, or at least you should try for that.
The only thing you have to do with your credit card is to press the latch and it should bounce back.
If I drill my lock, do I have to replace it after drilled?
Drilling is a forceful entry, your lock gets compromised, and its internals many a time break down into pieces.
In some cases, you might see it working fine, but it would not be reliable, it can be opened with any keys, sometimes, and in some cases, you would not be able to have it opened with a key even.
So, the better it would be to get it replaced with a new one.
Conclusion
Getting yourself locked out of the home, and the car is really frustrating.
So, I tried to mention some of the top methods that could easily be followed to open the lock without a key.
Some of the procedures can’t be followed if you are not accustomed to the power tools.
But, some of the methods could easily be followed, and anyone can follow to open your door.
Opening a car’s door is easier than opening a home’s door.
You know that home’s locking mechanisms are much more advanced, that’s why in some time the only solution you are left with is, to call for a locksmith and get the lock drilled.
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