I have a couple of stripped screws that I need to get out and can't.

Jean Angel
by Jean Angel

I was screwing into a stud and I couldn't go any further because the screw stripped. I was trying to hang shades. I need to remove the stripped screws from the wall stud.


  6 answers
  • Bijous Bijous on May 18, 2018

    You can try using a screw driver (phillips if it's a four prong) and a hammer. Put the screw driver in the screw and hammer it into the screw to get a grip. Then try to back out the screw manually. If that doesn't work, you may need to drill through the screw, then fill with Bondo, let dry and start again with a new screw. Going forward, always drill a hole slightly smaller than the screw, then screw into the hole. Good luck.

  • Helen Neubauer Helen Neubauer on May 18, 2018

    There is a tool you can buy called a screw extractor for about $10 that will allow you to remove striped screws.

  • Lisa Judycki Lisa Judycki on May 18, 2018

    Is the screw all the way down into the wood or is the screw still up above the wood? Take a dremel and put a cut off wheel in the dremel and cut a slit into the screw not you will have a new place to put a flathead scree driver into. If the screw is above the wood try using a pair of vice grips or channel lock tool to unscrew. This has always worked for me when I stripped a screw. I forgot to mention use eye protection while using a Dremel.

    • Jean Angel Jean Angel on May 18, 2018

      I don't have a dremel. I already tried pliers to remove and that didn't work strong enough to back out of the hole. Maybe I can borrow a dremel and cut into the phillips head of the screw. Thanks for the advice.


  • Laura Cooper Laura Cooper on May 18, 2018

    Try a magnet first. If that doesn't work they make a kit to remove stripped screws. Any hardware store will have it.

  • Claudia Angulo Pope Claudia Angulo Pope on May 18, 2018

    Occasionally I've been able to remove stripped screws by using a square drill tip. I learned it from furniture movers and it works about 85% of the time.