5 Quick Ways To Fix When Schlage Door Latch Won’t Retract

Having trawled the internet looking for issues that some of you have been having with your Schlage doors, one issue came up quite a few times. This is the rather unusual issue of your doors not locking and latching properly.

Now, what makes this a little extra strange is that many of you are also reporting that there had never been any sign of this problem before. It seems to just be popping up out of nowhere.

Well, the good news is that we think we have figured out exactly what is causing this problem. Because of this, the problem isn’t going to be all that difficult to fix.

So, if your Schlage door isn’t locking and latching as it once was, this points to the fact that the strike plate may have become pulled out of line over time.

Though this may sound like carelessness may be the cause of the problem, it most likely isn’t. This problem will usually happen as a result of gravity over time, pulling it off center.

But, regardless of what has caused this problem in your case, we are here to help you fix it. Below, we have put together a list of the most likely fixes to resolve the problem.

Naturally, as this issue is a little more mechanical than most we deal with, you will need a few tools to get started.

In particular, you will be needing a screwdriver, a hammer, a lead pencil, a metal file, and last but not least, some lipstick. Regarding the lipstick, bear with us, we promise it does makes sense!

So, without further ado, let’s get stuck into it!

Schlage Door Latch Won’t Retract

1. Make Sure That All the Screws are Tight as Can Be

As is the usual with these guides, we like to start on the easy stuff. Our reason for doing this is to save you as much time as possible by not putting the more complicated fixes first.

So, keeping it really simple, all you need to do is just grab your screwdriver and tighten every screw as far as it can go.

After you have done this, just have a simple check to see whether the issue is still there or not. Close the door a few times. If it doesn’t latch properly yet, it is time to move onto the next step.

2. Time for the Lipstick Trick

Okay, so we will admit that using lipstick to fix a home security issue is a bit odd, but we can promise that this one does work in a lot of cases.

All you need to do is grab your old lipstick (probably best not to waste a new one) and then put it on the end of the bolt. Next up, you will need to then close the door and get ready with your metal file.

With the metal file, the name of the game is to file the corners of the strike plate. While you are doing this, the whole purpose is to remove all of the excess lipstick off of the plate.

Once you have done this, it will be time to give your door a test again. Close it a good few times, making sure that it latches properly again.

With a bit of luck, this nifty trick will have worked for you. If not, it is time to move onto the next step.

3. Repairing the Strike Plate

Okay. His next step is a little more difficult, but if you follow the steps we are sure you can manage it. In this step, you will need to take out all of the screws that hold the strike plate in the frame of your door.

After this is done, you will then need to check whether the bolt is in tis correct position or not. Too low and it won’t work, too high and it won’t work either. For the best results here, grab your lead pencil.

Then, simply mark out on the frame where the bolt is hitting. After you have done this, the next step will show you how to get everything aligned again.

4. Align the Schlage Door Latch and Strike Plate

As we have mentioned earlier on, the main cause for locking issue with a Schlage is that the latch and the hole in the strike plate may have become misaligned over the course of time.

Naturally, for the door to work right, all of this needs to be in order. In most cases, you will easily be able to spot if the alignment is out – particularly if you followed our lipstick tip above.

5. Make the Hole Larger

For us, the easiest way to fix the misalignment issue is to just make the hole a little bigger. That way, everything should line up a little easier in future.

For this step, you will need to grab your hammer and a chisel. Then, place the tip of the chisel into the hole on the strike plate.

Basically, all you need to do here is bore the hole out enough that it will work and then fix the strike plate in the correct position.

Doing this shouldn’t take all that long and will save you a good bit on carpenters or locksmiths fees. Once you are done, make sure that all of your screws are in as tightly as possible.

Your Schlage door should now be in perfect working order for years to come.

We hope that the above steps were easy to follow and got your problem fixed for you. Again, if this issue presents itself a few years down the line, you will know what to do and what caused the problem in the first place.

In general, it is just gravity and usage that are the culprits – nothing that can really be avoided.