How to Remove a Broken Drill Bit: Methods That Work When the Bit Snaps Off

Every workshop has a moment like this. You are halfway through a hole, the drill catches, there is a sharp snap, and suddenly half a drill bit is stuck in your workpiece and the other half is in your hand. Your first instinct might be to grab the drill and keep going. Resist it. A broken bit is fixable in most cases, but only if you stop, look at what you are dealing with, and pick the right method for the material and how much of the bit is showing.

Why drill bits break in the first place

Bits rarely snap for no reason. Usually it is a combination of side pressure, too much speed, a dull edge, or the wrong bit for the material. Small bits are the most fragile — a 3 mm bit will snap long before a 10 mm bit under the same sideways load. Bits also break when they bind in a deep hole and the drill keeps turning, or when they hit something harder than expected, like a hidden nail in timber or a patch of hardened steel.

Knowing why it broke helps you avoid breaking the next one too, but first you have to get the broken piece out.

Step one: stop and assess

Before you touch anything, unplug the drill or remove the battery. Then look closely at the situation and answer three questions:

How much of the bit is sticking out? If you can grip it, the job is much easier. If it is flush with the surface or buried below it, you will need a different approach.
What material is it stuck in? Wood, metal, masonry, and tile each call for different tools.
What kind of bit is it? A standard twist bit, a masonry bit, and a hardened screw extractor all behave differently, and hardened steel is much harder to drill out than a soft twist bit.

Do not try to drill straight through the broken bit with another bit of the same type. A spinning bit will skate off hardened steel, wander, and usually make the hole worse. If the broken piece is a cheap extractor that snapped inside the hole, be aware that extractors are harder than ordinary drill bits, which is why the methods below change for that case.

Method 1: pull it out with pliers (when part of the bit is showing)

This is the easiest case, and it works more often than people expect.

If at least a few millimetres of bit are protruding, grip it firmly with locking pliers, not smooth-jaw pliers that will slip. Twist it counter-clockwise, the same direction you would use to unscrew something, while pulling gently outward. A broken bit is usually threaded into the material by its own flutes, so turning it backwards backs it out the way it went in.

If the bit is too short to grip well, file two small flat sides on the protruding stub first. That gives the pliers something to bite on. A drop of penetrating oil around a bit stuck in metal, left for ten minutes, can also help loosen it.

This method works in wood and metal alike, and it should always be your first try. If the bit turns even slightly, keep going slowly — forcing it will snap it again, shorter this time.

Method 2: tap it loose with a punch

When the bit is flush with the surface or just below it, a centre punch and a light hammer can save the day.

Place the punch at the edge of the broken bit, angled so your taps will push it counter-clockwise, and tap gently. You are not trying to drive the bit deeper; you are trying to rotate it a fraction of a turn at a time. Once it moves, switch to pliers or keep working it around with the punch until it backs out enough to grip.

This works best in wood and soft metals. In hard steel, be patient and use light taps — heavy blows can mushroom the broken end and make it harder to grip or drill later.

Method 3: use a left-hand drill bit (the method that often does two jobs at once)

A left-hand drill bit cuts in reverse. Chuck one that is slightly smaller than the broken bit, set your drill to reverse, and drill slowly into the centre of the broken piece, keeping the drill perfectly straight.

Two things can happen, and both are good. Often, the reverse rotation catches the broken bit and spins it out of the hole on its own. If it does not, you have now drilled a clean pilot hole in the centre of the broken bit, which sets you up for the next method.

Keep the speed low and use cutting oil on metal. The goal is control, not speed. A drill press is ideal for this if the workpiece fits, because keeping the bit centred by hand in a small broken stub is genuinely tricky.

Method 4: use a screw extractor

With a pilot hole drilled in the broken bit, you can use a spiral screw extractor. Tap the extractor into the pilot hole with a light hammer, then turn it counter-clockwise with a tap wrench or adjustable wrench. The extractor’s tapered, reverse-threaded shape bites into the hole and backs the broken bit out as you turn.

Two warnings matter here. First, do not use an extractor that is too small for the job — undersized extractors are the ones that snap, and a broken extractor inside a broken bit is a far harder problem than the one you started with. Second, if the extractor starts to feel like it is flexing or binding, stop and reassess rather than forcing it. A snapped extractor usually means professional help or a different approach entirely.

Method 5: drill it out (for bits stuck in wood)

In wood, you have an option that metal does not offer: you can sacrifice a little surrounding material. A hollow plug cutter or a small hole saw, slightly larger than the broken bit, can be centred over the stub and used to core it out. You are left with a clean round hole that can be plugged with a dowel and glued flush, then re-drilled.

Another wood-only trick is to drill a small hole right beside the broken bit, at a slight angle, until you can lever the stub out with a thin screwdriver or awl. This is messy and only worth it when the workpiece is not a show surface, but it works when nothing else will.

Method 6: weld a nut onto the stub (metal, for experienced users)

If the bit is stuck in steel and protrudes even a little, welding a nut onto the exposed end gives you something solid to turn. Weld through the centre of the nut so it bonds to the bit, let it cool, then turn the nut counter-clockwise with a wrench.

This is an advanced technique and not one to try as your first welding project. It needs a welder, a safe setup, and care not to damage the surrounding workpiece with heat. But in a machine shop it is a standard, reliable fix, and it works on broken bolts as well as broken bits.

What to do by material

Wood. Start with pliers or a punch. If the bit is buried, core it out with a plug cutter and repair the hole with a glued dowel. Wood is forgiving, so the cosmetic fix matters more than the extraction method.

Metal. Start with pliers, then a left-hand drill bit, then an extractor. Use cutting oil, low speed, and steady pressure. Avoid hammering hard, which can work-harden the broken end and make it tougher to drill.

Masonry and concrete. A broken masonry bit is usually removed by breaking up the material around it with a punch and chisel, or by drilling a ring of small holes around it and chiselling out the plug. The hole is then filled or re-drilled slightly off position. Trying to drill out a carbide-tipped masonry bit with an ordinary twist bit will only dull your good bits.

Tile and ceramic. Be very gentle. A punch can crack tile, so try pliers first, and if the bit is flush, consider drilling around it with a diamond hole saw and replacing that tile or filling the spot. Prevention matters most here, because tile gives you the least room for aggressive fixes.

When to stop and get professional help

Some broken bits are not worth chasing. If a hardened extractor has snapped inside the hole, if the workpiece is a precision part or an engine component, or if the hole is in a place where a mistake would ruin an expensive piece, take it to a machine shop. They have spark erosion (EDM) equipment that can burn out hardened steel without touching the surrounding material. It costs money, but it is cheaper than scrapping the part.

The same applies if you have already tried two methods and the situation is getting worse — the stub is shorter, the hole is chewed up, and nothing is moving. At that point, further DIY attempts usually destroy the workpiece rather than save it.

How to stop breaking bits in the first place

Most broken bits are preventable, and the fixes are unglamorous:

Use the right bit for the material. A wood bit in steel, or a dull masonry bit in concrete, is asking to snap.
Let the bit cut. Pushing hard does not make a dull bit cut faster; it makes it bind and break. Steady, moderate pressure wins.
Keep the drill straight. Side pressure is the number one killer of small bits. If you need an angled hole, drill straight first and adjust afterwards.
Clear the chips. In deep holes, back the bit out regularly to clear swarf. Packed chips cause binding, heat, and breakage.
Use the right speed. Small bits need higher speeds, large bits need lower speeds, and metal needs cutting oil. A simple speed chart on the workshop wall prevents a lot of grief.
Replace dull bits. A bit that squeals, smokes, or needs heavy pressure is done. Sharpen it or replace it before it snaps.

The bottom line

A broken drill bit feels like a disaster in the moment, but it is usually a ten-minute fix. Start with the gentlest method that fits the situation — pliers if anything is showing, a punch if it is flush, a left-hand bit or extractor if it is buried — and work your way up only as far as you need to. Match the method to the material, keep your patience intact, and remember that the bit you save by stopping early is the workpiece you do not have to remake.