Hi guys I'm locked out of my bedroom at the moment, not sure if I accidentally shut it when it was locked or if something is broken. I was struggling to pick the lock (it's a twisting lock) so figured taking the knob off might be easier but now I'm stuck as I don't know what to do next. The video I watched looked easy but I'm not sure what piece needs to move to make it unlatch. I know very little about locks or doorknobs or how they work. The metal pieces won't budge and when I tried to move part of the black inner piece it kind of popped out a bit which I included a picture of as well. I'm scared if I mess around with it anymore I'll break it, assuming I haven't already, and am renting so don't want to cause unnecessary damage. I'm not very handy and the limited number of tools I own are on the other side of the door. Any help you can give will be so very appreciated. Also, sorry I don't know why the pictures show up sideways but can't figure out how to fix it on my phone.

 

The plate inside slides to the right to move the catch.



At 5:50 you can see the sliding action required to move the catch. You won't have that hole where the guy put a pick in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsmngd-FanE

 

Thanks for the reply. So the black piece needs to move? The small black part that came out in the picture broke off when I tried to put it back where it was, not sure if that had a function. I can't seem to move anything I'm not sure if I just don't have the right tools to get in there or what I'm doing wrong.

 

A pair of needle nose pliers might grab it. that black piece needs to move 1/4 to 1/2 inch out. Black piece looks broken and knob assy replaced. Piece should slide easy if no pressure on latch.

 

Thanks, I may have to go pick some up. The closest I've got right now is a tiny pair of tongs that aren't strong enough to grab it. Also in the picture you can hopefully see on each side of the left hole there are two tiny up arrows and a little pin with a track, does this have anything to do with it?

 

Got some pliers, a little too big but getting a better grip. Nothing moves, if anything I feel like I'm just going to break another black piece off and have nowhere left to grab.

 

Can you give us a picture of the latch that is looking straight through the hole? i.e. not at an angle? And IMO, if the knob still works, that is what you should be using to turn the latch.

If the latch won't budge with the knob, you will have to loosen or remove the door stop so as to slide a putty knife between the strike plate and latch. Or go in through a window so that you can slide the putty knife in from the side the strike plate is on.

 

The arrow is pointing to a sliding plate....inside the lock mechanism.
Only that inside plate will slide away from the door jamb side.

 

I see the pics now... thanks Pete... (didn't see any of the op's pics before... stupid mobile version of this site SUCKS!) I agree the latch looks broken. I think your effort should be directed toward the putty knife / credit card approach.

 

Worse case scenario, use a hack saw blade and cut the sucker in half. I think the cylinder is jammed against the frame. Push or pull while you try to move the slider.

 

Thank you all so much! The piece never actually slid over but the door kind of just popped open while I was trying. I'm guessing pushing and pulling helped loosen something up. I really appreciate all the suggestions. Is there a better way to tell if something is broken now that I can see the inside?

 

Inside door knob assy can be bought for 110 to 15 dollars. get a new one so you don't have to worry about it.

 

After the fact advice, nevertheless: rental property usually has the cheapest of the cheap hardware, and these adjustable-backset latches break easily. PJ et.al. are correct in pointing out the inner sliding plate that should move easily if the latch is not binding against the strike, or otherwise broken.

One thing to keep in mind for future advice/reference, is that on some brands (and this appears to be a Kwikset brand or clone) the slider won't slide unless the backset adjustment is fully positioned at one or the other settings. Shown in photo at the typical residential setting of 2-3/8", fitting the outer knob/lever secures the setting in place, but when the knob/lever is removed, the setting can be easily shifted by sliding the outer shell of the latch tube, in this photo, to the right, to achieve the 2-3/4" commercial backset. (Never mind that these cheap locks have no place in commercial applications).

In some cases, a stuck latch will work in the alternate backset setting, just remember, when fiddling with the latch when the knob/lever is removed, the adjustable shell will tend to float out of position, due to no detent. On some brands, the shell must be twisted a bit to make the adjustment.

Bottom line, when attempting to unlatch the door with knobs/levers removed, make sure the shell is fully into one setting or the other.