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Stuck Patio Sliding Door is similar but has a different locking mechanism

I have a sliding door to my balcony which is stuck on one end. I cannot push the lever/button down that will unlock the latch.

I tried to remove the entire front face by inserting a sharp object (a small screwdriver in my case) at the pointed areas but I could not make much of a dent. I am unable to try this from the other side as there is no clearance to do so. Stuck Lock. Cannot push down

How do I remove the cover or unlock the door? I cannot slide anything between the frame and the door to unlatch as there is not room there.

A picture of the latch from the other side

Unlocked latch from other door

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  • Is the door stuck open, or is it just that the latch won't move to lock/unlock? If you're renting, call the landlord.
    – FreeMan
    Jun 3, 2020 at 11:06
  • The latch wont move. I can't push it down to unlock the door.
    – Sinstein
    Jun 3, 2020 at 11:14
  • Have you tried some spray lubricant into the latch mechanism on the edge of the door?
    – FreeMan
    Jun 3, 2020 at 11:17
  • I did, did not help. The latch seems to have been stuck, my guess is the plastic mechanism is jammed by the actual metal latch inside. Any amount of force or lubrication does not introduce any movement whatsoever.
    – Sinstein
    Jun 3, 2020 at 11:22
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    @JimStewart that actually worked! Pushed the door from the outside and we could unlock the door. The alignment does seem a little off as the door won't close again without pushing it the other side. Thank you! Please post this as an answer so that I can accept.
    – Sinstein
    Jun 4, 2020 at 5:00

1 Answer 1

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Try pushing the door closed as hard as you can and maybe this will take pressure off the latch mechanism allowing the door to be unlatched. I know of one case where someone took too much slack out of the the door by threading in the screw in the jamb too far. They then latched the door and it was stuck.

After you get the door to unlatch and get it open, adjust the latching to introduce a little slack in the latch. If it is a case of in-and-out alignment, you might have to bend or file one side of the hook, but I would suppose there is some sort of adjustment.

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