How to remove a broken screw

Updated 15 November 2026 · 5 min read

Screws snap when they're seized and someone keeps turning, or when they're overtightened going in. How you get one out depends on where it broke, so start by working out which of these three you've got.

It snapped with some of it sticking up

This is the easy one. If some of the head or shank is above the surface:

• Locking pliers. Clamp them tight on what's left and turn anticlockwise. Re-clamp as it comes up.
• Cut a slot. If there's enough metal showing, cut a slot across it with a rotary tool and use a flat-blade screwdriver.
• Screw extractor. If part of the head is still there, a double-ended extractor bit cuts a seat into it and backs it out, the same as a stripped screw.

It snapped flush with the surface

Here an extractor is usually the answer, because there's nothing left to grab from the outside.

1. If it's rusted, soak it in penetrating oil first (see how to remove a rusted screw).
2. Make a dent in the exact centre of the broken face with a centre punch. Being central matters more here than anywhere else: off centre, you risk drilling into the thread or the material around it.
3. Cut a seat with the burr end of a double-ended extractor, drill in reverse, slowly. For a bigger screw with a traditional extractor, drill a pilot hole instead.
4. Flip to the extractor end, still in reverse, and back it out slowly.

A left-hand drill bit is worth knowing about here. Drilled in reverse, it often catches the broken screw and spins it straight out.

It snapped below the surface

In timber

The simplest fix is often to leave it. Drive a new screw a few millimetres to one side, or move the hinge or bracket slightly. If it has to come out, a hollow plug cutter cuts a ring around the broken screw so you can lift the plug out, then glue a timber dowel into the hole and drill a fresh pilot.

In metal

If it's below the surface in a threaded hole, centre punch it as well as you can, then try a left-hand drill bit, then an extractor. If it's deep, tiny, or in something precious like an engine block, a machine shop can remove it without damaging the thread.

What not to do

• Don't keep forcing a seized screw once it's snapped. The leftover piece is just as stuck as the whole screw was.
• Don't drill with an ordinary bit into a broken extractor tip. It's harder than the bit, and you'll just blunt it.
• Don't drill off centre into a threaded hole in metal. If the hole gets damaged, it'll need re-tapping or a thread repair insert.

Written by Backout. Our set suits screws that broke above or flush with the surface. Deep breaks in metal are a job for left-hand drill bits or a machine shop.

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