How to Break Into Your House

Through a Window

Break in through an open window. First floor windows will be easiest and safest, but these are also the most likely to be locked. You’ll have better chances of finding a second floor window left open, but exercise caution - you don't want to fall! If a ladder isn’t available, you may have to get creative to reach a second story window. Is there a fire escape you could climb? A trellis? A tree? Whatever you use, make sure it’s stable before climbing. Casement windows (side-hinged windows) may be easy to pry open with your fingers or a thin tool if they aren't locked.

Borrow a screwdriver from a neighbor. You don’t have to feel shy or embarrassed. Most everyone has an “I locked myself out” story, so they’ll likely understand your predicament. A flathead screwdriver will work best, but if you’re handed a Phillips head (cross slot) screwdriver, give it a shot anyway. This technique can be effective for removing or partially prying open door windows. Even a small gap may allow you to reach inside and open the lock.

Remove the window beading. The beading is the plastic or metal strip around the window frame. Insert your screwdriver into the beading channel at one corner and pry it out a little bit at a time. Work your way to the opposite corner. When the beading has been completely loosened, pull it free with your hands. Check the corner of the window to see whether the vertical (up and down) beading overlaps the horizontal (left and right). Remove the overlapping beading first. Removing the beading may deform it. In some cases, beading can be quite expensive. Keep this in mind before attempting entry in this way. Depending on your situation, you may be able to leave the beading in place and still lever the window free. Some windows may not even have beading.

Pry open the window pane from the bottom. Insert your screwdriver between the glass and frame. When prying, use light force while working your tool in between the mounting and glass to lever the glass out of its mounting. The window should come out relatively easily.

Remove the window pane. Support the glass with your free hand so it doesn’t fall and shatter when it comes free. Slide the glass free of its mounting, place it off to the side, and enter your house through the empty window. If your window has only partially popped free of the mounting, try to reach either a set of keys, the lock, or the door handle. If there's any broken glass, be incredibly careful. Jagged glass may be sharper than you think. In the event of a deep cut, treat the wound as best you can and see a doctor, if necessary.

With a Plastic Card

Check the lock. The card technique will only work on a spring latch. Spring latches are generally the kind that move with the handle when it is turned. Turn the handle to make sure that the spring lock is engaged. If it doesn't turn, it's locked. A dead bolt is often located above or below the handle. If the handle moves but the door doesn’t open, the dead bolt is locked and you'll need to try a different method. This method will be much less likely to work on modern locks, which are designed to be less vulnerable to unlocking with a plastic card. Handles attached to a spring latch will "spring" back to their original position after you turn them.

Select an unimportant plastic card to open the lock. When opening a door with a plastic card, the card may be damaged. Because of this, you should avoid using important or frequently used cards, like credit cards. A library card or point card will be less of a big deal to replace. Laminated cards tend to work best. These cards are bendy and can be inserted more easily between the door and its frame.

Wedge the card in the space between the door and the frame. Press on the door with moderate force with your non-dominant hand. This will create some extra space between the door and frame, making it easier to insert your card. Work your card into this gap just above the doorknob on a downward angle. If there's molding on the frame, there will be less space between the door and frame, making this process more difficult. In these cases, you may want to try another method to prevent costly damage.

Locate the lock mechanism with your card. Your card is wedged between the door and frame, right? Wiggle it deeper into the space between the doorknob and doorjamb until you meet resistance. This is the lock mechanism, which you’ll need to force back to disengage. Feel around with the bottom corner of your card a little bit. You should feel the angled part of the latch facing towards you. If the sloped side of the latch isn't facing you, you'll need to slide a long piece of plastic behind the latch to work it from the angled side.

Lever the latch with the card to disengage it and open the door. Press the card away from the knob to apply greater pressure to the latch. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to completely disengage the latch this way, but when you feel it start to give, push on the door and it should open. This may take a bit of maneuvering. Try different positions until you find one that allows the card the most purchase on the lock mechanism. Although this won’t be necessary for some latches, it may help open the door if you turn the knob lightly with your free hand disengaging the latch.

By Removing the Doorknob or Door

Lay hands on tools. A lock can be manually disengaged by taking the knob apart, and even quality locks won’t stop you if the door is off its hinges. Doorknobs will require a screwdriver or paperclip; hinges will need a nail and a pounding tool, like a hammer or rock. Borrow these items from a neighbor or snag them from your tool shed. If your car is open, you might have some emergency tools there, too. The kind of screwdriver you need will depend on the kind of door you have. Knobs and hinges are often fastened with Phillips head (cross slot) screws. Even if you don’t have a screwdriver available, you may be able to remove fasteners with a suitably thin, sturdy tool, like a butter knife or a bent pin.

Remove the knob by unfastening the mounting screws. Ideally, you’ll be able to see mounting screws connecting the knob to the door. These can be simply unfastened with your screwdriver to take apart the knob. Pull the knob free of the door, and disengage the latch with your fingers. Depending on the kind of lock installed in your door, you may be able to disengage the lock immediately after removing the knob, or you may need to remove a secondary mounting plate. Some knobs may only have a screw fastening the knob to the spindle that both knobs are attached to. To remove these, loosen the screw on the metal connecting the knob to the door.

Take off knobs without obvious mounting screws with a paperclip. Some knobs may have a pin-size hole in the front of the knob instead of mounting screws. Insert a thin piece of metal, like a straightened paperclip, as deep into the hole as possible while twisting the knob and pushing on the door to open it. In some situations, you may find that fastening hardware for knobs, like screws and bolts, are only accessible from the inside.

Pop doors off their hinges when possible. The hinges are usually the most vulnerable part of a door, requiring only a nail to bypass. Place a nail (or a similar item) at the bottom of the opening for a hinge pin. Then hit the nail with a tool (like a hammer or rock) to push the pin out. Do this for all hinges. The hinge pins may be stiff when you remove them, even after they’ve been partially pushed out with a nail. For easier removal, use a screwdriver like a chisel under the rim of the pin head to pop it free. Much like knobs, doors that are well-installed may not have outside accessible hinge pins. You won’t be able to easily pop the door off its hinges if this is the case for you.

Jump sliding glass doors off their track to gain access. Most sliding glass doors, opposed to traditional hinged doors, are not directly fastened to your home's structure. Many rest in a track and are locked in place, and by jumping the door out of the track, you can easily bypass it. You may be able to jump a light sliding glass door by prying up and outward with a flathead screwdriver (or two), but a prybar or crowbar will work best. Be careful when trying to get your door to jump its track. If it falls, it could cause expensive damage. To make sliding doors in your home less vulnerable to break ins, you may want to secure your door with a security bar, like a wooden dowel.

Through the Garage Door

Obtain a wire hanger. You may have a spare hanger in your car or in outdoor storage, but if not you’ll have to go door-knocking until you find a pleasant neighbor who can give you one. Really, any piece of sturdy yet moldable wire will do. Even thin wire, like the kind use in electrical work, can be doubled up for improved stiffness and used to open your garage door.

Bend the hanger into a long rod that ends in a hook. The rod needs to be as long as possible. If you find that the reach of your hanger is insufficient, wrap the non-hook end around an extension, like a branch. If possible, double up the wire of the coat hanger to make it sturdier. This may only be possible if you have an extra hanger or leftover wire.

Insert the rod through the top of your garage. For some garages, this may be impossible. But if your garage has a gap at its top, you should be able to snake in the rod hook-end first. You may find it easier to insert the rod from the sides, but it’ll need to be in the center of the door to disengage its lock. Be careful when doing this if there is a soft plastic molding around the door. Inserting your rod between the molding and the door could cause damage it, which can be expensive to replace.

Hook the door release latch and yank to disengage it. The manual release latch is located just below where the arm for the opener attaches to the garage door track. Maneuver the hook around the latch and pull with firm, steady pressure until the latch disengages. Now you can slide the door up and open. Many garage door releases have a string attached so you can pull and disengage the release from inside the garage. Use this string as a point of reference when looking for the release. If you can't see into your garage, feel along the door's metal track toward the opener motor. When you feel a ridge poking out of the track to the rear of the motor, you’ve found the release.

Seeking Help

Contact a friend, family member, or some other key holder. If you've entrusted a key to a friend, family member, or neighbor, now's the time to retrieve it. If you don't have your phone on you, head to a neighbor to call a key holder to help you out of this bind.

Reach out to your landlord. This is generally a last resort. Having your landlord come unlock the door oftentimes costs a fee. And that's if they answer the phone. If your landlord isn't answering, or if you can't find their number, this option may lead to a dead end.

Call a locksmith. Locksmiths are trained in techniques and equipped with tools that will, in most cases, help you break into your home without doing any damage. The cost of a locksmith varies widely depending on location, and can range from as low as $15 and as high as $75 (or more, depending on the lock).