How to Fix a Sliding Patio Door Lock

Because sliding patio doors are used a lot, it’s common for their locks to occasionally jam or break. These locks are important for keeping your patio doors secure, so it's important that you replace yours promptly if it's not working. While you might need to completely replace your lock, it's possible you just need to replace the latch. Check out this simple DIY to learn how.

Step 1 – Determining the Model

Most sliding glass-door manufacturers etch their name or the model number into the door’s corner edge. Find this information and write it down. You may need it if you need more than a simple latch replacement.

Step 2 – Removing the Handles

Remove the handles from the door, using a Philips-head screwdriver. Then replace the bottom screw in the hole where it was affixed to the handle, to prevent the latch from falling into the doorframe.

Step 3 – Removing the Screws

Two screws on the end of the door secure the latch. Remove these two screws, and gently pull out the latch mechanism and its cartridge. If you live in a windy area, place a heavy object against the door or use tape to keep it from opening up after you've removed the lock.

Step 4 – Finding a Replacement

Finally, bring the latch into your local hardware store to find a compatible replacement. Reverse the previous steps to install the new latch.

If you replace the latch and your sliding patio-door lock still doesn’t work correctly, use the model information you determined earlier to replace the entire mechanism and install a new lock.