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I have taken the back plate off of the lock and nothing appears to be worn or broken. However, the door was shut when the latch got stuck, so I cannot pull the whole latch out. The lock is made by Schlage. Please helpenter image description here

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  • Try jamming a flat screwdriver into that hole and turn. If that does not work, try to pull that stem out completely. The latch should be able to move to open position with the use of a screwdriver and some wiggling. Got the same problem with one of my doors right also.
    – crip659
    Jan 28 at 18:09
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    Have you tried turning the other way? I had one which failed from wear in the normally used direction but still worked fine the other way.
    – Olivier
    Jan 28 at 18:51
  • That should've fallen on the floor by now. Couple taps with a hammer while some outside catches it.
    – Mazura
    Sep 11 at 20:04

3 Answers 3

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Unless the doorframe is abnormally well built, a flat prybar between the frame and the door will ease it open enough to either open directly, or permit you to push the latch in and open it.

Welcome to "the sad reality that locks keep honest people honest, pretty much."

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The lock might be broken, but it's also highly possible that it's just jammed in the strike by misalignment.

Pull the hinge pins (hopefully they aren't security pins) and pivot the door the opposite way to remove it. (If you can't remove the pins, try and pry the door up or down with a thin prybar to see if the latch will move.)

From there, reassemble the lockset and see if it works. If the lockset works, then it's simple alignment. Remove the strike plate, reassemble the door and figure out where the strike plate is really supposed to be.

Top tip: fill old screw holes with toothpicks covered in glue. When you're ready to put a new screw in, predrill with a small (~1/16") drill bit to prevent wandering.

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It is clearly defective So you will have to disassemble it all the way.

You can try to push the tongue in by using a spatula.

To fully disassemble unscrew on the other side and pull out the the handle pin that rotates.

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