How to Open Screws Without a Screwdriver

You probably still have a situation where you need to open a screw in an emergency but don’t have a screwdriver available. While using a screwdriver is the fastest and easiest way to unscrew a screw, there are other ways you can try if you can’t find a screwdriver, or the screwdriver is the wrong type or size.

Table of Contents

Open the bake screw (the crosshead screw)

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Use this method when you want to open a bake screw without the correct screwdriver. A bake snail is a screw with two grooves forming a cross. In some cases, these two tracks may be of different lengths; then you will use the longer groove to unscrew the screws because there are many tools that you can improvise to use for the long groove.

Bake screws are very susceptible to chipping when the corners formed from two worn grooves. This makes it very difficult to open the screw because there are no healthy grooves to insert the screwdriver head into. You must be very careful when using these methods to avoid batching the snails.

Use a dull knife to butter. Butter knives can be used similarly to coins. Insert the tip of the knife into the long groove and turn it counterclockwise to open the screw.

If the knife is of poor quality and weak or the screw is too tight, the knife may bend and still not open the screw. Beware of possible damage to the knife. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Use coins. Try inserting a small coin into the long slot and unscrew the screw. Coins are very useful for this use. The coin method is often more effective for larger snails than small ones.

Insert the coin into the large slot and rotate it counterclockwise.

Use pliers or dead pliers. This method is only effective if the screw head protrudes from the surrounding surface. Use pliers or dead pliers to clamp the two sides of the screw head and turn counterclockwise to open the screw.

Sharp beak pliers can be more effective than regular pliers.

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Use thumb nails. The thumb nail can only open the screw if the screw has been tightened quite loosely. Insert the nail into the long groove and turn it counterclockwise. If the screw is already relatively loose, it will loosen easily, but if the screw is tight, this method will not work.

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Use old CDs. Insert the edge of the CD into the long slot and turn it counterclockwise. You may damage and/or break the CD, so you should only use old CDs that are damaged.

If the screw is too tight, this method won’t work either.

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Use a metal saw to make a long groove in the screw, similar to a flathead screw. If the screw head sticks out from the surface, you can use a metal saw to make a groove similar to that of a flathead screw. Hold the saw upright and slowly saw the head of the screw to create a groove.

Try to avoid the saw hitting the wood or whatever is holding the screw.
Remove the screw in the same way as the flathead screw, for example using a flathead screwdriver or another flat object such as a credit card. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Use a flat head screwdriver. If you can’t find a bake screwdriver but do have a flat-head screwdriver, try using a flat-head screwdriver as long as the long groove on the bake screw. Insert the screwdriver head into the long slot and turn it counterclockwise to open the screw.

This doesn’t work for small snails but will work for medium to large snails.
Be careful not to damage the screw because now the area in contact with the screw head will be smaller than when using a bake screwdriver. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Use a plastic toothbrush. Take a plastic toothbrush and soften the handle with a lighter or other heat source. After the plastic has softened, you can insert it into the screw head and wait for the plastic to harden. When the plastic of the brush handle has hardened, turn the screw counterclockwise to open it.

This usually only works with screws that are not too tight and are relatively easy to turn.
Be careful when using lighters to avoid accidents, and remember to burn the toothbrush handle to soften at a slow speed to monitor the flow of the plastic to prevent it from melting completely.

Open the screw head with

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Use this method to unscrew flat head screws without a screwdriver. Flat head screws have only one groove running across the screw head. If you don’t have a flathead screwdriver, you can use any type of flat surface to open the screw.

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Use cards. Try using a card like a credit card to turn the screw. Insert one edge of the card into the slot and turn it counterclockwise to unscrew the screw. Remember to use an old card that is hard enough because it can be damaged while opening.

Use a hook to pull the lid of a soda can. Take a hook that pulls the lid off the can and inserts it into the slot on the top of the flathead screw. Turn the screw counterclockwise to open it.

Use coins. Try inserting a small coin into the slot and turning it counterclockwise. Small coins are useful for this use, but large coins are more efficient if they can fit in the groove.

Use a dull knife to butter. Butter knives can be used similarly to coins. Insert the tip of the knife into the slot and turn it counterclockwise to open the screw.

If the knife is of poor quality and weak or the screw is too tight, the knife may bend and still not open the screw. Beware of possible damage to the knife.

Use pliers or dead pliers. This method is only effective if the screw head protrudes from the surrounding surface. Use pliers or dead pliers to clamp the two sides of the screw head and turn counterclockwise to open the screw.

Sharp beak pliers can be more effective than regular pliers.

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Use thumb nails. The thumb nail can only open the screw if the screw has been tightened quite loosely. Insert the nail into the groove and turn it counterclockwise. If the screw is already relatively loose, it will loosen easily, but if the screw is tight, this method will not work.

Open the countersunk hex head screw

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Use this method if you have a countersunk hex head screw. Countersunk hex head screws have a recessed hexagon on the head and are commonly used for many purposes. The countersunk hex head lock nut has a pin in the center of the screw that you need to watch out for.

The countersunk hex head screw is easily damaged so be careful when using a replacement tool to open it.

Use a small flathead screwdriver. Insert the flat screwdriver head between the two opposite sides of the screw head. Turn the screw counterclockwise to open it. Remember to rotate slowly to avoid damaging the screw head.

For countersunk hex head lock nuts, you must insert the screwdriver head between one of the outer slots and the pin in the center of the head. This method is similar to the way of opening a normal countersunk hexagon head screw.
The countersunk hex head lock screw usually has to be rotated in the opposite direction, which means you’ll have to turn it clockwise to open it.

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Break the pin on the top of the countersunk hexagon lock nut. If you have a regular hex screwdriver instead of the locknut version, you can remove the pin in the center of the screw head. Use a hammer and awl or chisel and aim at the base of the dowel. Lightly tap the tip of the awl to break the pin. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Drill a small hole in the head of a hexagon screwdriver. If you come across a countersunk hex key and want to unscrew it with a regular hex screwdriver or drill bit, you can drill a small hole in the drill bit. This will give you a small hole to fit the pin in the center of the countersunk hex key.

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Use a plastic toothbrush. Take a plastic toothbrush and soften the handle with a lighter or other heat source. After the plastic has softened, you can insert it into the screw head and wait for the plastic to harden. Once the plastic has hardened, you will turn the screw counterclockwise to open it.

Open the very small screw

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Use this method to open very small screws without a screwdriver. It is very difficult to open very small screws without the right tools. They are often used on electronic devices. If possible, use an eyeglass repair kit to remove the screws, which will contain small screwdrivers.

If you don’t have an eyeglasses repair kit, try one of the following methods.
Eyeglass repair kits are very cheap and also easy to buy.

Use the tip of the knife. Use the sharp tip of the knife to turn the very small screw counterclockwise. Insert the tip of the knife into the groove, if possible, insert the tip at a slight angle so that the contact surface between the knife and the screw is larger.

Use a metal nail file. Use a metal nail file to insert it into the groove on the screw head. Turn the screw counterclockwise, being careful not to damage the screw head.

Use the tip of the small scissors. Insert the tip of the small scissors into one of the grooves on the top of the screw. Turn the screw counter-clockwise.

You cannot use large-nosed scissors to open very small screws.

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Use tweezers. Insert the sharp end of the tweezers into the slot on the screw head and turn it counterclockwise. The tip of the tweezers must be sharp so that it can be inserted into the screw slot.

Advice

For unusual screws such as those on electronic devices, you may need to use a special tool to open the screws because using the wrong tool will void the warranty or damage the screw to the point where it can no longer be opened. drilling to demolish.
Remember that using a screwdriver is always more effective than improvised methods. Always use a screwdriver if available, as it is designed to open screws.
Always carry a small tool kit with you to avoid improvising without a screwdriver.
The screwdriver set is available at hardware/electrical stores and it’s a good investment to tackle basic tasks in the home, garden, and garage.
When using any method, you must rotate slowly and steadily to avoid damaging the screw head during opening.
Try spraying some WD-40 on the screws before starting to open them. It will loosen the screw and make it easier for you to open it. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
If you really can’t open the screw, try drilling the screw with a drill that’s a bit smaller than the body of the screw.
Attempting to tighten a screw very tightly can twist or chip the screwdriver head, or damage the screw attachment. Using an L-shaped screw opener, hammer the opener (tap until you feel the need to knock harder) to loosen the screw bond. This is also the only method to open the circular saw blade lock nut.

Warning

Be careful when using knives or improvised tools to open screws as these tools can be dangerous when used for their intended purpose.
Always use electrical equipment correctly and keep moving parts away from the body to avoid injury. Follow the safety instructions recommended by the manufacturer.
Always use caution when using a lighter to melt a toothbrush handle. Keep fire away from body and flammable objects to prevent fire.
Using an unsuitable tool to unscrew the screws may void the warranty on some electronic devices.

Steps