How to use a screw extractor

Updated 15 November 2026 · 6 min read

A screw extractor removes screws that a screwdriver can't: stripped, rounded, rusted or snapped. It works with a left-hand thread, so turning it anticlockwise drives it into the screw and unwinds the screw at the same time. Here's how to use one without breaking it.

Two kinds of extractor

Double-ended extractor bits have a burr (cutting) end and a threaded extractor end, on a hex shank that fits a drill or driver. The burr end cuts its own seat in the screw, so you don't need a separate drill bit or a centre punch for most screws. Our set is this kind.

Traditional extractors, often called easy outs, are tapered spirals with a square end. You drill a pilot hole into the screw with a normal drill bit first, tap the extractor in, and turn it with a tap wrench. They suit bigger, deeper jobs such as broken bolts and studs. More on the differences in types of screw extractor.

What you need

• A drill or driver with a reverse setting and a low speed setting.
• The right size extractor for your screw (see the size chart).
• Safety glasses. Metal chips fly, and hardened steel can shatter.
• Penetrating oil if the screw is rusted, and a centre punch if the head is very uneven.

An impact driver will take a hex-shank bit, but its hammering can snap a small extractor tip. If you have an ordinary drill, use that on its lowest speed.

Using a double-ended extractor bit

1. Pick the size

Choose the bit for your screw's diameter. If two sizes cover it, start with the smaller one. You can always go up a size after cutting a small seat, but you can't make a seat smaller.

2. Loosen the grip of rust first

If the screw is rusted, soak it with penetrating oil and give it 15 minutes or more. Tapping the head with a hammer helps the oil work in. Details in how to remove a rusted screw.

3. Cut a seat with the burr end

Put the burr end in the drill and set the drill to reverse. Hold the drill square to the screw, lean on it firmly and run it slowly. Stop when you've cut a clean, shiny cone in the centre of the head. A shallow seat is all you need. Don't drill right through the head.

Sometimes the screw starts turning out during this step, because the burr cuts in reverse too. If it does, let it.

4. Flip the bit and back the screw out

Turn the bit round to the threaded end and seat it in the cone you just cut. Keep the drill in reverse, on low speed, with steady pressure straight down. The left-hand thread bites harder as it turns, and the screw begins to unwind. Keep going slowly until it's out.

5. Get the screw off the bit

The screw will be stuck on the extractor. Grip the screw with pliers and turn the bit clockwise to unscrew it.

If it won't bite

• The burr skates across the head: the bit's too small for the screw, or the head's too uneven. Go up a size, or make a dent in the centre with a centre punch so the burr has somewhere to start.
• The extractor spins in the seat: the seat's too shallow or too wide. Cut a little deeper with the burr end, or go up one size and cut a new seat.
• It bites but the screw won't move: the screw is seized, not just stripped. Stop. More force is how extractors snap. Use penetrating oil, heat or a few hammer taps first, then try again.

Mistakes that break extractors

• Running the drill forwards. Both ends work in reverse. Forwards just drives the screw in tighter.
• Too much speed. High speed burns the cutting edges and gives you no feel. Slow and firm wins.
• Pushing sideways. Hardened steel is strong in a straight line and brittle when bent. Keep the drill in line with the screw.
• Forcing a seized screw. If it doesn't want to go after a few seconds of steady pressure, loosen the rust first.
• Very hard bolts. Some high-tensile bolts are as hard as the extractor. If the burr won't cut after a few seconds, it won't, and forcing it can snap the tip off inside the bolt.

Using a traditional extractor (easy out)

1. Make a dent in the exact centre of the screw with a centre punch.
2. Drill a pilot hole to the size the extractor's packet asks for, as straight as you can. A left-hand drill bit in reverse is best: it often catches and spins the screw out before you even need the extractor.
3. Tap the extractor into the hole with a light hammer blow so it seats.
4. Turn it anticlockwise with a tap wrench, slowly and evenly, keeping it straight.

Written by Backout. We sell double-ended extractor bits, and we've said where the traditional kind is the better tool.

Questions