How do I remove a stripped screw?

A stripped screw is a driver that no longer grips, and every method below either restores grip or removes the head entirely. Working through them in order matters, because the later ones are destructive and can't be undone.

Safety

What you'll need

• Correctly sized screwdriver
• Wide rubber band
• Pliers or locking grips
• Screw extractor set (optional)
• Rotary tool with a cutting disc (optional)
• Eye protection

Step by step

1. Check you're using the right driver size and type first.A large proportion of 'stripped' screws are a Pozidriv screw being driven by a Phillips bit, or a bit one size too small.
2. Press down hard while turning slowly.Downward force matters more than rotational force. Most stripping happens because someone turned hard without pushing.
3. Put a wide rubber band flat over the screw head and press the driver through it.The rubber fills the rounded recess and grips. Surprisingly effective and completely non-destructive.
4. If the head protrudes, grip it with locking pliers and turn.Often the fastest solution when there's anything to grip.
5. For a slightly rounded head, try a slightly larger driver or a flat blade wedged into the recess.Sometimes a flat driver bites into the ruined cross recess when a cross driver won't.
6. Cut a straight slot across the head with a rotary tool and use a flat screwdriver.Effective, and it destroys the head — so it's a later step. Eye protection is essential.
7. Use a screw extractor: drill a pilot hole in the head, then wind the reverse-threaded extractor in.It bites as you turn anticlockwise and backs the screw out. Go slowly — snapping an extractor inside the screw makes things considerably worse.
8. As a last resort, drill the head off entirely.The component comes free and the shank can then be gripped with pliers.

Tips

• A drop of penetrating oil left for fifteen minutes helps considerably on anything that's been in place a long time or is corroded.
• Impact drivers apply rotational force in short bursts and are excellent at freeing stubborn screws without stripping them.
• Pozidriv and Phillips screws look similar and are not interchangeable. Using the wrong one is the most common cause of stripping.
• Replace the screw with a new one afterwards. A damaged screw reused is a stripped screw waiting to happen.

Common mistakes

• Using the wrong driver type or size — It's the leading cause of stripping in the first place, and it makes an already-rounded head worse.
• Turning hard without pushing down — The driver cams out of the recess and rounds it further.
• Going straight to an extractor — It's destructive, and simpler methods often work. Escalate rather than starting at the end.
• Snapping an extractor in the screw — Extractor steel is very hard and can't easily be drilled out. Go slowly and don't force it.

Questions people ask