How to Replace a Door Handle: Measure, Remove, Install

To replace a door handle, measure the door, remove the old handle, fit the new latch into the door edge, then attach both halves of the handle and install the strike plate on the frame.

One surprise worth knowing before you shop: some curved levers come in a left and a right version, while straight levers fit a door of either hand.

How Do You Measure a Door for a New Handle?

Measure the backset first, which should be 2-3/8 inches or 2-3/4 inches, according to Schlage’s door prep checklist ⁽¹⁾. The backset is the distance from the door edge to the center of the big hole through the door face. Next, measure the thickness on the exposed door edge with a tape measure.

The door should be between 1-3/8 inch and 1-3/4 inch thick. Write both numbers down and check them against the box of the new handle.

What if the New Handle Doesn’t Fit the Old Holes?

If the old holes are too small, enlarge them to the standard sizes. The crossbore, the big hole through the door face, should measure 2-1/8 inches across, per Schlage. The edge bore, the hole in the door edge where the latch sits, should be 1 inch across and 2 inches deep, per Kwikset ⁽²⁾.

Check both once the old set is off. To enlarge a hole that is too small, follow the instructions that come with your door lock installation kit.

When you drill a brand-new hole, Kwikset’s installation guide says to drill from one side until the point of the drill just breaks through, then finish the hole from the other side to prevent splintering.

How Do You Remove an Old Door Handle?

Removal varies with the type and age of the old handle, so follow the step below that matches yours. Keep a hex key set with a 3/32-inch size on hand, since some levers hide their screws behind the trim. For more on knobs, see how to remove a doorknob.

1. Expose Hidden Screws: On a Kwikset lever with concealed screws, Kwikset says a 3/32-inch Allen wrench takes off the lever so the rose plate, the round trim against the door, can be popped off and the screws exposed.
2. Remove the Screws, Knob and Latch: Check the inside of the knob and the faceplate of the latch on the door edge for exposed screws, then unscrew and remove them. Schlage says that frees the trim plate, the door knob and the latch, so all three come off the door.
3. Release a Schlage D-Series Knob: On a Schlage D-Series lock, Schlage’s instructions for its 04-032 retrofit lever take the old knob off by pressing the point of a spanner wrench or small nail into the hole in the outside knob sleeve, turning the key slowly until the knob catch depresses, then pulling the knob off.
4. Check Other Handles: For any other handle, check your lock maker’s instructions for its release before prying at anything.

How Do You Install the New Door Handle?

Install the new door handle by fitting the latch into the door edge first, then both halves of the handle, then the strike plate on the frame, following the steps below.

Kwikset’s installation guide says to hold the latch in front of the door hole with its face flush against the door edge, and if the latch holes are centered in the door hole, no adjustment is needed. If they are not centered, adjust the latch by moving its pin to extend it.

1. Know Your Latch: Schlage’s A-Series instructions name two kinds of latch: a square corner latch is fastened with two latch screws, while a drive-in latch is tapped into place.
2. Fit the Latch: Slide the latch into the edge bore with the slanted side of the latch bolt facing the door frame.
3. Fasten a Square Corner Latch: For a square corner latch, the faceplate sits in a 5/32 inch deep cutout in the door edge. If the door has no cutout, use the faceplate as a pattern and cut one so the faceplate fits flush, then install the two latch screws.
4. Tap In a Drive-In Latch: For a drive-in latch, place a wood block against the latch and tap the block with a hammer until the faceplate is flush with the door, so the latch is not damaged.
5. Separate the Set: If the new Kwikset knob set comes pre-assembled, its installation guide separates it by twisting the side with the holes counter-clockwise and pulling the knobs apart.
6. Attach Both Halves: Fit the outside and inside halves through the latch, then push up on the handle while tightening the screws to keep the latch horizontal and centered. If a handle works loose later, here is how to tighten a loose doorknob.
7. Check the Jamb Hole: The hole in the doorjamb that takes the latch bolt should be at least 7/8 inch across and at least 1/2 inch deep, per Schlage’s door prep checklist.
8. Center a New Strike: If the door frame has no strike hole yet, find its center by measuring back from the door stop half the thickness of the door.
9. Install the Strike Plate: Install the strike plate on the door frame, which Schlage’s A-Series instructions secure with two screws, then close the door and test how the latch works.
10. Test and Adjust: If the small bolt of the latch goes into the strike hole, reposition the strike. If the latch is loose in the strike, adjust the strike tab so it grips the latch bolt better when the door is closed.

Which Type of Door Handle Do You Need?

Match the hardware to what the door does: passage, privacy or keyed entry. On a Kwikset privacy lock, the outside has a hole and the inside has a turn button. That hole takes Kwikset’s Emergency Unlock tool, so the door can be opened from outside; if someone is stuck, this is how to open a locked bathroom door.

• Passage: Non-locking knobs and levers, ideal for a closet or any door where locking is not needed.
• Privacy: Locking hardware, which Schlage sells under its Bed and Bath name, best for a bedroom or bathroom.
• Keyed Entry: Best for exterior doors, and useful on an interior room that needs more security than a privacy lock, such as an office.

Do Door Levers Come in Left Hand and Right Hand?

Some levers do come in a left hand and a right hand version, so check the hand of your door before you order.

To find it, stand on the outside of the door so it opens away from you, then look at the hinges. Hinges on the left mean the door needs a left hand lever, and hinges on the right mean it needs a right hand lever, per Schlage’s handing guide.

Is a Lever Better Than a Knob?

A round knob that must be gripped and twisted falls short of the federal Access Board’s ADA guide, and Schlage itself says a traditional round knob does not meet ADA accessibility requirements. The Access Board guide says door hardware must open with 5 pounds of force at most and without tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist ⁽³⁾.

Is Replacing an Exterior Door Handle or Deadbolt Different?

Yes, if the exterior door is an egress door: California’s residential code, quoted by the City of Dublin, requires egress doors to be readily openable from inside the dwelling without the use of a key or special knowledge or effort. Check your own local code.

Under a rule like that, a lock that needs a key to open from inside the dwelling does not belong on an egress door. When a passage lock goes on an entry door, Kwikset’s installation guide says the knob with the screw holes must be on the interior side of the door.

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