How to Open a Locked Door with a Bobby Pin: 11 Steps

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Getting locked out of your room or home can be stressful if you don’t have a spare key on hand. Luckily, you can avoid high fees from a locksmith by learning how to pick a lock yourself. To pick a lock on a door, you’ll need 2 bobby pins and some patience. One pin will serve as the pick and the other bobby pin will serve as a lever that you’ll use to turn the lock.

Steps

Creating the Pick and Tension Lever

1. 1Open up a bobby pin and bend it at a 90-degree angle. Spread the wavy and straight ends of the bobby pin apart so that it bends at the center and looks like an L. This bobby pin will serve as the pick that you’ll use to unlock the door.[1] X Research source
2. 2Remove the rubber tip on the straight end of the bobby pin. Use a knife or razor blade to remove the rounded rubber tip on the straight side of the bobby pin. This will be the end that you’ll stick into the lock to pick it.[2] X Research source
   • If you don’t have any tools, remove the rubber tip with your fingernail or teeth.

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3. 3Stick the flat end of the pin into the top of the lock and bend it. Stick the pin in about 1 centimetre (0.39 in), then fold the rest the bobby pin until it’s flush against the face of the doorknob. This will bend the tip at an angle.[3] X Research source
   • You’ll use the bent end of the pin to disengage the pins in the lock.
4. 4Bend the wavy end of the bobby pin into a handle for more control. Take the wavy end of the pick and bend it up at a 30-degree angle to create the handle. This step isn’t necessary but will make picking the lock easier and more comfortable for your hands. Once you’re done creating the handle, the pick is done.[4] X Research source
   • The curvy end of the bobby pin will look like a coffee mug handle once you’re done bending it.
5. 5Bend the tip of another bobby pin to make the tension lever. Take a separate bobby pin and bend the top 1/3 of the pin so that it forms a hook. Do not spread both sides of the bobby pin apart as you did with the pick. Instead, bend both sides of the bobby pin in the same direction.[5] X Research source
   • You’ll use the tension lever to actually turn the lock once you’ve picked it.

Picking the Lock

1. 1Stick the tension lever into the bottom of the lock. Take the shorter, bent end of the tension lever and stick it into the bottom hole in your door lock. The tension lever will hang down the front of your doorknob.[6] X Research source
   • You’ll use the lever to maintain tension on the lock as you pick it and as a way to rotate the doorknob once you’ve picked the lock.
2. 2Push the lever counterclockwise to apply tension. Maintaining tension on the lever will rotate the barrel in the lock which will allow you to lift each individual pin. Push the lever until you feel some tension. You do not need to use a lot of force.[7] X Research source
   • Keep tension on the lock as you pick it.
   • This tension is necessary or the pins will just drop back down into the barrel, keeping the knob locked.
3. 3Stick the pick into the lock and feel for the pins. Stick the slightly bent end of the pick into the lock so that the tip is facing upwards. The pins sit on the top portion inside of the keyhole. Feel for the pins with your pick by pushing down on the handle of the pick while it’s in the hole. Press down on the handle of the pick to push the pins up.[8] X Research source
   • Most traditional doorknobs will have 5 or 6 pins.
   • A key pushes the pins up in the exact position they need to line up with the barrel, thus unlocking the door.
4. 4Push down on your pick until you hear a click. Some of the pins will slide up with ease as you push down on it with your pick, while others will have some resistance. Pins that have resistance are known as seized pins. Concentrate on the pins with a lot of resistance first. Locate a pin that’s hard to push up, and push down slowly on the handle of your pick until you hear a click.[9] X Research source
   • The click is the sound of the pin setting on the barrel.
   • You need to set the seized pins first before setting the other pins in place.
5. 5Lift the rest of the pins in the door lock. Continue feeling for the pins with your pick and press down on the handle of the pick to lift up every pin. Once every pin is set on top of the barrel, the door will be unlocked.[10] X Research source
6. 6Turn the tension lever counterclockwise to open the door. Grab the end of the tension lever and turn it like a key until the door is unlocked. Your door is now unlocked![11] X Research source
   • On most doors, you have to turn the tension lever counterclockwise to open the door but some doorknobs may differ.
   • The tension lever will only rotate fully if the pins are correctly set on the barrel of the lock.

Community Q&A

• QuestionHow do you pick a deadbolt with a bobby pin?wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
  Staff AnswerwikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerA deadbolt lock has pins and tumblers, so you’d use the same method covered in this article. You will need 2 pins, or a second thin, narrow tool that can act as a tension lever.
• QuestionIf I pick the lock exactly like in the pictures, will the lock break?Upnorth HereTop AnswererProbably not, but your picking may leave microscopic evidence inside the lock.
• QuestionCan you do this with a car door?Community AnswerNo. Car door locks usually have completely different mechanisms. And even if you could, it would most likely be challenging AND you would have to continuously do it to be able to start the car.

Tips

• Some locks only open in one direction. Before you begin, try to figure out which way the lock must be turned to open the latch and use the tension tool to hold tension in that direction the whole time. Otherwise, if you have to reverse direction, you will lose tension inside the lock, the pins will all spring back into their original positions and you’ll need to start again.⧼thumbs_response⧽

Things You’ll Need

• 2 bobby pins

References

1. ↑ https://youtu.be/cjuT_63Ioig?t=53
2. ↑ https://youtu.be/cjuT_63Ioig?t=58
3. ↑ https://youtu.be/DzrIZNF2ah0?t=220
4. ↑ https://youtu.be/cjuT_63Ioig?t=76
5. ↑ https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/a25318691/how-open-locked-door/
6. ↑ https://youtu.be/d2DxheDJSNQ?t=24
7. ↑ https://youtu.be/cjuT_63Ioig?t=106
8. ↑ https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/a25318691/how-open-locked-door/
9. ↑ https://youtu.be/cjuT_63Ioig?t=144

About This Article

To open a locked door with a bobby pin, separate the 2 ends so you’re left with a 90 degree angle in the middle of the pin. Then, insert the flat end of the pin into the lock, and bend the tip so the rest of the pin is pressed against the door. You should also twist another bobby pin to form a hook, which you’ll need to turn the lock. Once the hook is ready, hang it from the bottom of the lock. When you’re ready to rotate the lock, push the hook counter-clockwise. As you do this, point the tip of the other pin upwards inside the lock, and push out each pin from the barrel. If you have a pin that’s hard to push out, pull down on the handle of your hook until you hear a click. Once every pin has been removed from the barrel, the door will unlock. Finally, turn your hook counter-clockwise to open the door. For tips on how to make a handle for your pick, read on!