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GTA Lockman Mobile Locksmith Services · Toronto & GTA
The shape of the key slot decides which keys fit, whether locks can share a key, and who can copy it.
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Most households have had the experience: a new lock from the hardware store will not take the house key, a key that looks identical will not go into a neighbour's lock, or a locksmith says a lock "is on a different keyway" and cannot be keyed to match the others. The reason is the keyway, the shape of the slot the key slides into.
Understanding keyways explains why some locks can share one key and others cannot, why some keys can be copied anywhere and others only by an authorised dealer, and what to look for when buying a new lock.
Look straight into the front of a lock cylinder and you will see the keyway: a slot with a particular profile of grooves and ridges. The key blank, the uncut key, has a matching profile of grooves along its length. Only a blank with the right profile can slide into the keyway.
The cuts along the top of the key, which lift the pins inside the cylinder, are a separate thing. Two keys can have the same keyway but different cuts, in which case both go into the lock but only one turns it. Two keys with different keyways will not even go in.
In Canadian homes, a small number of keyways account for most residential locks. Two of the most widespread come from the largest residential lock brands, and many other brands use one of those profiles so their locks work with widely available key blanks. That is why many house keys can be copied at almost any key-cutting counter.
It also explains why a house can have locks from different brands that all share one key, provided they use the same keyway, and why one lock in a house may refuse to take the common key: it uses a different profile.
To get every exterior lock onto one key, every cylinder must use the same keyway. Where one lock uses a different keyway, there are three options:
Many locksmiths carry cylinders on the common residential keyways for exactly this reason. Getting the whole house onto one keyway is often the first step in one key for every door.
Some residential locks use a cylinder that the owner can rekey with a tool and a working key, without removing the lock. These are convenient, but they use a different internal design from traditional pin tumbler cylinders, and they often have their own keyway. Mixing them with traditional cylinders on one key can be awkward, and they cannot always be keyed into a master system. If a house has a mixture, a locksmith can advise whether to standardise.
A restricted keyway is one whose key blanks are not sold freely. Blanks are supplied only to authorised dealers, and copies require proof that the person asking is entitled to them, such as a registration card. Many restricted keyways are protected by patents for a period, which prevents others from making compatible blanks legally.
Restricted keyways are the practical way to control who can copy a key. They are used in businesses, multi-unit buildings and homes where key control matters, and they are the basis of restricted key systems. A "Do not duplicate" stamp on an ordinary key does not do the same job, a point also made in the context of key codes and key numbers.
In master-keyed buildings, keyways are often arranged in a hierarchy. A master keyway accepts several sub-keyways, so a master key with a broad profile fits every lock, while each change key with a narrower profile fits only its own group. This adds a layer of control on top of the cuts and is one reason master systems are planned carefully before the cylinders are ordered.
Before buying a new lock that needs to take your existing house key:
A locksmith can usually rekey a new lock to your existing key in a few minutes, provided the keyway matches. Where it does not, swapping the cylinder is often possible. Whether to rekey or replace often comes down to the condition of the lock rather than the keyway.
A key on the right keyway may still go in stiffly or turn roughly if:
These are among the causes of keys that stick or will not go in easily, and a fresh key cut from the correct blank usually solves them. When a key will not go into the lock at all, the cause is usually damage or debris in the keyway rather than the blank.
Padlocks, mailbox locks, cabinet locks, car locks and commercial cylinders all use their own families of keyways. A house key will rarely match a padlock unless the padlock was chosen or rekeyed to match. Padlocks and cabinet locks that need to share the house key can often be supplied on the same keyway and keyed alike, which is useful for sheds, garages and gates.
A keyway's profile also affects how easy a lock is to pick or attack. Common residential keyways have fairly open profiles that allow picking tools in, while many high-security cylinders use complex, paracentric keyways with overlapping wards that make tools much harder to manoeuvre. Keyway design is only one part of a lock's resistance, alongside the pins, anti-drill features and construction, but it contributes. The broader picture is part of high-security locks.
When a key is copied, the cutter first identifies the blank by comparing the key's profile and head shape with blanks on the wall or in a catalogue. A near-miss blank, one with a slightly different profile, may go into the lock but bind or wear the cylinder. Asking for the correct blank reference, or having keys cut by someone who checks the profile carefully, avoids that.
Older houses in Toronto and the GTA often have locks from manufacturers that no longer exist, or keyways that were common decades ago and are now rare. Blanks for these can be hard to find. Where an old lock is still sound, a locksmith may be able to source blanks or fit a compatible cylinder. Where it is not, replacing the cylinder with one on a current keyway usually makes more sense, as with other obsolete and discontinued door hardware.
A newly bought house often has a front door on one keyway, a side door on another and a garage door on a third, sometimes with locks from three brands. The most practical first step after moving in is usually to rekey all the exterior locks at once, choosing one keyway and re-pinning or replacing cylinders so the whole house works on one key. That also ensures previous keys no longer work.
Landlords managing several units often choose a keyway that is not the common residential one, so tenants cannot easily have copies made at any hardware store. A restricted or less common keyway, combined with a record of keys issued, gives landlords much better control at turnover. Tenants should be told how to request extra keys, since copies may need to come through the landlord or an authorised dealer.
Smart and keypad deadbolts usually include a key backup, and that backup cylinder has a keyway like any other. Many smart locks from the large residential brands use the brand's usual keyway, so they can be keyed to match the house. Some smart locks use an unusual keyway or a user-rekeyable cylinder, which can make matching harder. Checking the backup cylinder's keyway before buying avoids ending up with one door on a different key.
Hold two keys side by side, looking at the blade end-on. If the grooves along the blade line up, the keys are probably on the same keyway. If one has a groove where the other has a ridge, they are on different keyways and will not fit each other's locks. Photographs of keys taken end-on help a locksmith identify keyways without seeing the locks.
Tell us which locks you want to share a key, which brands they are, and whether any lock refuses the common key. Photographs of each key's head and each lock's cylinder help us identify the keyways.
We can rekey locks on the same keyway to one key, replace cylinders that use a different keyway, set up restricted keyways where copying needs to be controlled, and match padlocks and cabinet locks to the house key. Other household lock work is part of our residential locksmith services.
Keep reading
The shaped slot in a lock cylinder that the key slides into. Its profile of grooves and ridges must match the key blank, or the key will not go in.
The shaped slot in a lock cylinder that the key slides into. Its profile of grooves and ridges must match the key blank, or the key will not go in.
The new lock probably uses a different keyway. Either the cylinder can be swapped for one on your keyway, or the lock replaced with one that matches.
Yes, if they share a keyway. Many brands use one of the common residential keyway profiles so their locks work with widely available blanks.
A keyway whose blanks are only supplied to authorised dealers. Copies require proof that you are entitled to them, which gives real control over who can copy a key.
Not reliably. It is a request, not a restriction. A restricted keyway is what actually limits copying.
Usually, if it uses the same keyway. A locksmith re-pins the cylinder to match your key.
It may have been cut on a slightly different blank, or the blank or cylinder may be worn. A fresh key cut on the correct blank usually fixes it.
Often. Padlocks can be supplied on the same keyway as the house and keyed alike, which is handy for sheds, garages and gates.
GTA Lockman Mobile Locksmith Services is a mobile locksmith working on homes, businesses and vehicles across Toronto and the GTA, with more than 14 years in the trade. Every review is written by a customer on Google, where you can read them in full.
Areas served: Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Stouffville, Newmarket, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Uxbridge.
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