How to Remove a Door Knob With a Broken Latch

Manufacture a device to slide the latch back into the mechanism so that you can open the door. In movies, this is usually done with a credit card. In reality, though, a credit card is usually too small to provide the necessary leverage against the springs inside the latching mechanism. Use material similar in feel and flexibility to a credit card. An off-cut of aluminum or PVC siding is ideal, but a PET soda bottle can work in a pinch if the spring inside the mechanism is worn. Cut a piece 12 inches long by the depth of a credit card.

Slide the tool into the space between the door edge and the jamb, above the broken latch. Tilt the tool at a 45-degree angle. If the door opens toward you, the nearest end must be upward; if the door opens away from you, the nearest end must be downward. Use a sawing motion to move the tool backward and forward in the gap, pressing downward against the latch.

Slip a thin flat-bladed screwdriver between the tool and the latch when the tool has partially moved the latch back into the mechanism. Press the screwdriver tip against the latch to push it fully into the mechanism. Open the door.

Remove one of the mechanism’s knobs by releasing the set screw that holds it to the stem. The set screw should be at the bottom of the knob. Use a screwdriver -- for older knobs use flat-bladed; newer units typically require Phillips or Allen wrenches -- and remove the screw completely. Door knob set screws conform to the conventional thread direction of "righty tighty, lefty loosey," so turn the screw counterclockwise. Keep it safe. Slide the knob off the stem.

Pull on the remaining door knob to retract the stem from where it passes through the mechanism. If round decorative plates -- properly called roses -- form part of the assembly, they should flick away with your thumbnail.

Retract the two screws holding the face plate to the edge of the door. Pass a long screwdriver through the space where the stem was. Stand facing the door edge with one shoulder on either side. Grasp both ends of the screwdriver, one end with each hand on either side of the door, and pull the screwdriver toward you. It will only move a quarter inch, but this will free the latching mechanism from inside the door.

Remove the screwdriver, then pull the mechanism out. You can now access and fix the broken latch.