How to Rekey Any Kwikset SmartKey or Knob Lock

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A quick, easy guide to resetting your locks to protect your home
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Whether you have a SmartKey Security lock or a regular pin and tumbler knob, it’s easy to rekey a Kwikset lock. To rekey a SmartKey lock, all you need is your old key and the SmartKey that came with it. To rekey a pin and tumbler knob, you’ll need a Kwikset Re-Keying Kit and a new key—we’ll tell you how to reset it if you don’t have the current key. Keep reading to learn how to reset your Kwikset lock in just a few minutes.

Rekeying a Kwikset SmartKey Lock: Quick Steps

  1. Prop open the door and lock the deadbolt, knob, or lever.
  2. Insert the current key into the lock and rotate it clockwise 90 degrees.
  3. Push the SmartKey into the small hole above the rotated key.
  4. Remove both keys, then insert the new key.
  5. Rotate the new key to the upright position, then turn it 90 degrees.
Section 1 of 3:

Rekeying a Kwikset SmartKey Security Lock

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  1. Open the door with the SmartKey Security lock on it. If you have a deadbolt, knob, or lever, make sure it’s in the locked position. Prop the door open with a large object so you won’t get locked out while rekeying the lock. [1]
    • Consider leaving another entrance into your home open or unlocked so you have a way to get inside if the door closes accidentally.
  2. Insert the key you’re currently using to unlock the door into the lock. Rotate it 90 degrees clockwise to engage the locking mechanism inside. [2]
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  3. Find the small square hole on the top of your rotated current key. Firmly push the SmartKey into the hole. You may feel the tool click inside the lock. When the tool is all the way in, remove the SmartKey along with the current key. [3]
    • If you’ve lost the SmartKey, you can purchase a SmartKey Re-Key Lock Kit , which includes a new one.
    • The keyhole will stay locked in the 90-degree position. [4]
  4. Fully insert the new key into the lock so the edge touches the indent in the face of the cylinder (the piece of the knob or lever that holds the lock). [5] Rotate the key back to the upright starting position, then rotate it 90 degrees counterclockwise. Try to pull the key out of the lock. [6]
    • If the key doesn’t come out, you’ve successfully rekeyed your lock. Rotate it counterclockwise 90 degrees and pull it out.
    • If the key does pull out, rekeying was not successful. Insert the SmartKey firmly in the small hole, then remove it. Repeat this step once again.
    • If the key still pulls out, contact Kwikset customer service for assistance at 1-800-327-5625 or submit a general inquiry .
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Section 2 of 3:

Rekeying a Kwikset Pin and Tumbler Knob

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  1. Purchase a Kwikset Re-Keying Kit , which comes with a key gauge. Insert the key in the “0” hole so the first divot, or cut, is directly under the measurement. Slide the key down the gauge until it stops. The number above the key is the first number in the code. Repeat with the other 4 cuts on the key. [7]
    • If the cut is between 2 numbers on the gauge, go with the number to the key’s right side.
    • Start with the cut closest to the “bow end,” or part of the key you hold when inserting it into a lock. Move down the key until you reach the last cut.
    • Write down all 5 numbers in order—once you disassemble the lock, you will pick the tumblers that match and insert them into the key mechanism.
    • These Kwikset locks work by matching the cuts on the key with the tumblers inside. To rekey the lock, measure the cuts on the key so you can reset the tumblers inside to match. [8]
  2. To rekey your lock, you will have to remove it from the door entirely. To do this, gently twist and pull on the round plate on the inside of the door until it slides back. On one side under the plate, there will be a small metal arrow switch. Insert a screwdriver above the switch and gently push it down. [9]
    • If the knob is already off the door, skip this step and the next 2 steps.
    • If your knob has visible screws, simply unscrew them and skip the next step. [10]
  3. Gently pull the knob and round plate away from the door to reveal the locking mechanism underneath. Locate the two screws on either side of the locking plate and unscrew them until you can rotate the plate and remove it. [11]
    • When you loosen the screws, it allows you to shift the locking plate clockwise so they can fit into the larger holes next to each of them. This lets you then pull the plate off entirely.
  4. If the knob gets caught on something inside the door, go to the opposite side of the door and use your screwdriver to move the internal parts until it releases. [12] Once both knobs are removed, the next step is to remove the knob cylinder that has the locking mechanism inside it.
    • Optionally, unscrew the latch for the door once the knob is removed. However, it isn’t necessary to rekey your lock.
  5. Pick up the knob with the large cylinder sticking out from it—this is the spindle. Insert the cylinder removal tool (or “pickle fork”) from the Re-Keying Kit into the open end of the spindle. Rotate it until the base of the spindle lines up vertically with the small notch in the metal spring housing. [13]
    • This will unlock one side of the spring housing so you can remove it later.
  6. Take the small end of the cylinder removal tool and slide it in between the hole where a screw fits and the bottom of the spring housing, under the spindle. Rotate the tool clockwise until you feel the latch (called a “Detent Slide”) under the spring housing push upward. [14]
    • Keep pushing the Detent Slide upward to complete the next step.
  7. Use the cylinder removal tool to push up on the Detent Slide to remove the spring tension holding the spindle in place. Tilt the knob backward so the spindle falls out of the mechanism. [15] Mark a vertical line above the spindle on the side of the knob where you insert the key. [16]
    • This line will help you reassemble the lock after you’re done resetting it.
  8. With the cylinder removed, insert the larger forked end of the removal tool into the hole where it was. Firmly push the tool into the hole until it stops. Turn the lock upside down and tap the tool on a table lightly until the cylinder pops out. [17]
    • You want to be firm, but not forceful, or you may damage the components inside.
    • This cylinder holds the locking mechanism for the knob.
  9. Turn the cylinder upside down, so the keyhole points down. Locate the small clip lying against the top of the mechanism around the plug. [18] Align the forked end of the cylinder removal tool with the ends of the clip and wiggle it back and forth until the clip slides off. [19]
    • Keep the plug retainer clip handy—you’ll need to put it back on when you reassemble the lock.
  10. While holding the plug inside the cylinder, rotate the mechanism upright so the keyhole is upright. Insert your old key in the lock and rotate it a quarter turn. Push the flat end of the plug following tool from your Re-Keying Kit against the plug to push it out of the cylinder. [20]
    • Leave the tool inside the cylinder to keep the top springs and pins in place.
    • If you don’t have the old key: Rotate the plug so the keyhole is level with the floor and gently pull the metal portion holding the pins off the plug. [21]
  11. Flip the plug upside down so the bottom pins inside fall out. Pull the existing key out of the plug, then gently push the new key inside. [22]
    • You can then recycle the old pins or place each one in your Re-Keying Kit in the matching pin compartments. [23]
    • If you don’t have the old key: Use a screwdriver to line up the pins inside the metal pin holder so their divots align with the long trench inside. [24] Place the pin holder back inside the plug. [25]
  12. In your Re-Keying box, there are several compartments with pins in them, labeled with numbers 1 to 6. Find the pins that match the combination you wrote down for your new key earlier. Insert the pins starting with the first number pin in the hole closest to the “bow end” of the key. [26]
    • For example, if the combination you wrote down is “2 4 4 3 2,” place a “2” pin in the hole closest to the bow end of the key. Place a “4” pin next, then another “4,” and so on.
    • Place the pins in the set of holes that’s flush with the top of the plug and the key.
    • The “bow end” of the key is the large portion you hold that sticks out from the lock.
    • If you don’t have the old key: Push the new key inside the plug. [27]
  13. Place the end of the plug against the plug following tool sticking out of the front of the cylinder. Rotate the plug and key a quarter turn clockwise and push the plug following tool out of the cylinder. Turn the key back counterclockwise to its starting position. [28]
    • If you don’t have the old key: Push the end of the plug inside the cylinder without turning the key. [29]
  14. Slide the plug retainer clip back around the plug. Rotate the key in both directions to make sure the plug stays together, then remove the key. Insert the cylinder into the knob, making sure the mark you made is on the right side of the keyhole. Push the cylinder until it snaps into place. [30]
    • Push the spindle back into the spring housing until it snaps into place.
    • Insert your key and turn it back and forth to make sure the spindle moves with it. If it doesn’t, make sure the spindle has snapped into place.
    • Push the latch down on the door. Slide this knob and the internal locking plate (if you have one) back inside the door, then screw in the locking plate. Reattach the other knob. [31]
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Section 3 of 3:

Frequently Asked Questions

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  1. You can rekey any Kwikset lock an unlimited number of times. All you need to rekey a SmartKey Security lock any time you want is the SmartKey itself. [32] To rekey pin and tumbler knob locks, all you need is the Kwikset Re-Keying Kit, which comes with tons of pins that you can use over and over again.
  2. No, you cannot rekey a SmartKey lock without the old key. You must have the current working key in order to reset a SmartKey Security lock. [33] If you don’t have your current key, call Kwikset at 1-800-327-5625 or submit a general inquiry for support. [34]
    • You may have to contact a locksmith if Kwikset support can’t assist you.
  3. The average cost for a locksmith to rekey a Kwikset lock is anywhere from $75 to $130. [35] However, the cost may be more or less depending on the type of lock and the number of locks that you’d like to be rekeyed.
    • Rekeying a regular Kwikset lock yourself can cost around $70 for the Kwikset Re-Keying Kit.
    • Rekeying a SmartKey Security lock yourself is free unless you don’t have the SmartKey. In that case, you’ll have to buy Kwikset’s Re-Key Lock Kit, which costs around $12.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.kwikset.com/support/answers/how-to-re-key-your-smartkey-security-locks
      2. ↑ https://www.kwikset.com/support/answers/how-to-re-key-your-smartkey-security-locks
      3. ↑ https://www.kwikset.com/support/answers/how-to-re-key-your-smartkey-security-locks
      4. ↑ https://images.kwikset.com/is/content/Kwikset/Redesign%202019/Literature/Documents/KW-REKEY-MANUAL.pdf
      5. ↑ https://www.kwikset.com/support/answers/how-to-re-key-your-smartkey-security-locks
      6. ↑ https://images.kwikset.com/is/content/Kwikset/Redesign%202019/Literature/Documents/KW-REKEY-MANUAL.pdf
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=86
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=36
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/KNNt3sM6s7A?t=38
      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/bsgpomUQcy0?t=741
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/KNNt3sM6s7A?t=74
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/KNNt3sM6s7A?t=104
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=151
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=166
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=176
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=184
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=190
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=211
      10. ↑ https://images.kwikset.com/is/content/Kwikset/Redesign%202019/Literature/Documents/KW-REKEY-MANUAL.pdf
      11. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=229
      12. ↑ https://youtu.be/y1EdFHnf8v8?t=203
      13. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=242
      14. ↑ https://images.kwikset.com/is/content/Kwikset/Redesign%202019/Literature/Documents/KW-REKEY-MANUAL.pdf
      15. ↑ https://youtu.be/y1EdFHnf8v8?t=239
      16. ↑ https://youtu.be/GyHUB3QKskU?t=283
      17. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=254
      18. ↑ https://youtu.be/y1EdFHnf8v8?t=357
      19. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=276
      20. ↑ https://youtu.be/y1EdFHnf8v8?t=380
      21. ↑ https://youtu.be/zg1F9gI-Qss?t=287
      22. ↑ https://youtu.be/bsgpomUQcy0?t=741
      23. ↑ https://www.kwikset.com/support/answers/how-many-times-can-i-re-key-my-lock
      24. ↑ https://youtu.be/lvn6UclD6Vg?t=1
      25. ↑ https://www.kwikset.com/support/topics/re-key-basics
      26. ↑ https://homeguide.com/costs/locksmith-cost
      27. ↑ https://www.kwikset.com/support/topics/re-key-basics

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