Although it may seem impossible to unlock a locked keyless door, there are several solutions. While calling a locksmith is the fastest and most reliable way to unlock a locked door, you’re more than welcome to try your hand at the DIY methods below.
Privacy Door Locks
Privacy door locks are devices that don’t have a keyhole and are usually installed on bathroom and bedroom doors. Unfortunately, homeowners can get locked out of their bathrooms or bedrooms if they forget to unlock the door when they come out. Luckily, there are several methods for unlocking privacy door locks on your own.
Deadbolts
Because they are built for security, keyless deadbolts are the hardest locks to unlock. Common examples of deadbolts without keyed cylinders are WiFi locks, biometric locks, Bluetooth locks, and keypad door locks. If you get locked out of a keyless deadbolt door lock, your only options will be to call a locksmith or find an alternative entry into the room.
How to Unlock a Keyless Privacy Lock
Credit Card
The credit card is the most common method for unlocking privacy locks. This method will only work if the slant of the latch is facing you. You can figure this out by taking a look at your door. The slant is facing you if the hinges are on the other side of the door. If the hinges are on your side, this method will be impossible and you’ll have a better chance of getting through the door by removing them. You also need to make sure there is no excess molding or metal plates between the door and the strike plate that will keep your credit card from sliding through.
To unlock your privacy door lock with a credit card:
- Slide your card at an angle through the door and the strike plate.
- After inserting the card, straighten it out so that it is perpendicular to the door.
- Bend your card towards the door knob and give it a little push to help it slide further into the door.
- While applying pressure to the door, bend and jiggle the card. Once the card is far enough to depress the latch, the door will open.
Pinhole Bypass
Some doors without keyholes still have exterior holes on the door knob or handle. Although these holes are not intended for keys, they serve as a solution for lockouts. To be able to unlock a door with one of these holes, you will need to assemble a small flathead screwdriver that fits into the pinhole and unlock the door. You can use a paper clip to bypass the pinhole. All that you need to do is to unwind the paper clip and press it down to ensure that it’s flat enough to resemble a flathead screwdriver.
After creating your tool, follow the steps below to unlock a locked door with a pinhole:
- Use a flashlight to locate the actuator in the pinhole (the actuator is a slot)
- Insert the tool into the pinhole and through the actuator.
- Turn the tool left and right to determine which way will open the door.
- The handle or knob should be able to turn freely after the door is unlocked.
Manipulate the Handle From Under the Door
This technique will only work if you have a door lock that unlocks when the handle is opened from the inside. To unlock this type of door lock, you will need a wire hanger long enough to be bent twice and reach the door handle from underneath the door.
- Make two bends in your wire hanger; the first should be big enough for you to grab, and the second should be large enough to catch the door handle.
- Slide your makeshift tool below the door.
- Align the tool with the handle, then lift it slightly above it.
- Pull the tool down and grab the handle.
- Once the handle is hooked, pull down to turn it and unlock the door.
Alternative Entry
This may seem like an obvious solution, but in the heat of the moment, the simplest solutions can slip our minds. Do you have a side door that will give you access to the room? Or perhaps you left a window open? Even if you have an access point that is not physically big enough to fit through such as a crawl space, you may be able to reach the door handle using a hanger or makeshift tool.
Contact a Locksmith
With a little effort, anyone can work out how to unlock a keyless privacy lock, but if the door knob isn’t turning or the lock itself is broken, it will be extremely difficult for you to resolve on your own. In this situation, the best solution is to call a locksmith. If you’re locked out of an outside door or deadbolt without a keyed cylinder, rather than attempting to bypass, decode, or destroy your locks, contact a local locksmith. Locksmiths have experience unlocking all types of locks and are able to unlock keyless door locks. However, they may resort to destructive entry methods. It is unlikely that the locksmith will drill your lock since there is no cylinder to drill out, but they will use another appropriate method.
If you get locked out of a privacy door lock, all of the solutions above are at your disposal. However, if you get locked out of your deadbolt door lock without a keyed cylinder, your only options are to access your door through an alternative entry or to call a locksmith. If you’re trying to unlock your privacy door lock using the methods above but still haven’t had any luck, don’t hesitate to call a locksmith. If you’re looking for a reliable locksmith around the San Jose area, give Real Time Locksmith a call!
