Article: 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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Lay hands on tools. Remove the knob by unfastening the mounting screws. Take off knobs without obvious mounting screws with a paperclip. Pop doors off their hinges when possible. Jump sliding glass doors off their track to gain access.