How to Change a Key Safe Code: Step by Step for Each Model

To change a key safe code, open it with the current code and reset it from inside: setting dials on the back of the lid for push-button models, a reset lever for four-wheel dials, the keypad or app for digital ones. Here are the makers’ own steps, model by model.

How to change a key safe code: the short answer

There are three kinds of key safe lock, and each is recoded in its own way. Whichever you have, the job starts the same: open the box with the code it has now. Master Lock puts it plainly: the lock “cannot be reset unless it is in the open position”.¹ We haven’t handled any of these key safes; every step below comes from the maker’s own leaflet or product page, as explained in how we research modern safes.

If you’re choosing a key safe rather than recoding one, our guide to key safes, police preferred ratings and insurance covers what the certificates mean.

Which key safe do you have?

Look at the front first, then for a name. Most makers print the brand on the lid or the weather cover (the photo at the top of this page shows Supra, Master Lock and Rolson boxes side by side on one London wall). If the name has worn off, the lock type alone tells you which half of this page to read.

One name trips people up. Burton’s Keyguard Digital XL is a mechanical push-button key safe: its leaflet has you set the code by turning each button with a screwdriver, no batteries involved.⁸

Supra C500 Pro and P500 Pro (The Key Safe Company)

The C500 Pro is a 12-button push-button key safe with more than 4,000 possible codes, and the code changing tool comes in the box.⁹ The Key Safe Company’s two-page code change guide covers the C500; these are its steps.¹⁰ Pick a code before you start: the maker suggests 5 to 7 digits, mixing numbers and letters, with each used once.

1. Pull open the black weather cover, press and release the CLEAR button in the centre, enter your existing code and turn the OPEN dial clockwise 180° to open the lid.
2. Slide the white plastic instruction card on the lid towards the hinge and take it off. It’s also your code change tool.
3. With the lid still open, turn the OPEN dial anticlockwise 180° back to locked, so the word OPEN is the right way up and the green triangle shows on the locking bolt. The guide warns that forcing the setting buttons with the bolt down may damage the key safe and void the warranty.
4. Using the white card, not a screwdriver, turn all twelve grey dials on the back of the lid to OFF (arrows pointing away from the hinge).
5. Check the reset: turn the OPEN dial clockwise. With no code set, it should turn freely and the bolt should retract. If it won’t turn, a grey dial is still ON. Turn the dial back to locked.
6. For each number or letter in your new code, turn its grey dial 180° until the button pops fully up and the arrow points towards the hinge (ON).
7. Refit the red warning sticker, if there was one, and the white card.
8. Test with the lid open: press only the buttons in your code until each clicks, then turn the OPEN dial clockwise. If the bolt retracts, the code is set. If not, press CLEAR and check the code.

To lock it again, close the lid and turn the OPEN dial anticlockwise 180°. The guide adds a line worth taking seriously: “There is no override or reset code.”¹⁰

P500 Pro. The P500 Pro uses the same kind of code changing tool and the same advice on code length, but it adds an anti-tamper plate that the maker says stops “unauthorised code changes”.¹¹ We couldn’t find The Key Safe Company’s own step-by-step for the P500 Pro online, so we haven’t reproduced one. Use the instruction leaflet that comes in the box, or ring the maker on the number on its product sheet, 0330 363 0303.¹²

Master Lock 5401EURD, 5415EURD and other Master Lock key safes

Master Lock Europe publishes the instruction leaflet for each of its key safes on its support page, which is the place to start if your model isn’t below.¹ A small trap for owners of more than one: the two best-known dial models push their reset levers in opposite directions.

Master Lock 5401EURD (four-wheel dial)

1. Open the shutter door, turn the dials to the current combination (a new lock is set to 0-0-0-0 at the factory), press down on the release button and pull the door fully open.
2. Push the reset lever left and down. It stays in that position.
3. Turn the dials to your new combination.
4. Push the reset lever up and right, back to where it started.
5. Close the compartment door, scramble the dials and close the shutter door.

The leaflet reminds you that the release button “will open the lock until you scramble the dials”.⁵ It doesn’t include a test step; we’d still scramble and re-dial the new code once with the door open before shutting it.

Master Lock 5415EURD (four-wheel dial, reinforced)

1. Find the preset combination, which is concealed behind the product. Open the protective cover, dial the combination, press the release buttons on the sides and guide the door down until it’s fully open.
2. Push the reset lever right and up. It stays in that position.
3. Turn the dials to your new combination.
4. Push the reset lever down and left, back to its original position.
5. Close the door, scramble the dials and close the protective cover.⁶

Master Lock 5426EURD (push-button)

The 5426EURD has no preset code, and each button can be used only once; Master Lock recommends at least four characters.³

1. Open the door: slide the reset button down and let it go, enter the code if one is set, and turn the knob clockwise 180° to UNLOCKED.
2. With the door open, turn the knob back 180° to LOCKED so the bolt is fully out. Master Lock warns that setting the code any other way will damage the key safe and void the warranty.
3. Take the recode tool from behind the tray inside.
4. On the back of the door are 14 screws, 0 to 9 and A to D. Turn each screw in your code half a turn to SET ON. On a new box they all start at SET OFF; when you change a code, check that only your new code’s screws point to SET ON.
5. Put the tool back, then, with the door open and the knob at LOCKED, slide the reset button down and release it.
6. Press each button of the code until it clicks and turn the knob to UNLOCKED. If the bolt doesn’t retract, check the code and the screws before you close the door.

Master Lock 5441EURD (digital, Bluetooth)

The Select Access SMART comes with an activation code and a primary code printed on its leaflet. You can open it from the keypad with the primary code, or register it in Master Lock’s Vault eLocks app, where its settings and guest access are managed; once it’s registered, the factory “Try Me” code stops working.⁷ The paper leaflet doesn’t set out a keypad routine for changing the primary code, so follow the app or Master Lock’s support pages for that.

Burg-Wächter Key Safe 10 SB and 20 SB

Burg-Wächter’s small key safes have a four-digit dial code with 10,000 combinations and are meant for indoors or a sheltered spot outside.¹³ The reset pin hides under a little black cap, which is the step people miss.

1. Open the key safe with the current code (the factory preset is 0-0-0-0) by pulling the lid towards you.
2. Take off the small black cap around the silver pin inside the box.
3. With the lid open towards you and the hinge at the bottom, slide the reset pin left and down, as the arrow shows.
4. Turn the four dials to your new code, making sure each number sits centrally and has clicked into place.
5. Return the reset pin up and to the right.
6. Push the black cap back over the pin until it’s flush.
7. Close the lid, check the box opens with the new code, then scramble the dials to lock it.

The manual is blunt about the stakes: “If the code gets lost the opening of the KEY SAFE is impossible.” It also suggests turning the dials once a week to keep them moving freely.¹⁴

Sterling KeyMinder KM3

Burg-Wächter UK lists Sterling Security Products in its own product range.¹⁵ So it’s no surprise that the KeyMinder KM3 manual repeats the Burg-Wächter method almost word for word.¹⁶

1. Open the KeyMinder with the current code (factory preset 0-0-0-0).
2. Remove the small black cap around the silver pin inside.
3. Slide the reset pin left and down, with the lid opened towards you and the hinge at the bottom.
4. Set the four dials to the new code, centred and clicked in. Write the code down somewhere safe.
5. Return the reset pin up and to the right, and refit the cap flush with the pin.
6. Close the lid, scramble the dials, and check the box opens with the new code.

Keyguard Digital XL (Burton Safes)

Burton’s instruction booklet allows a code of 3 to 8 digits, each number or letter once.⁸ If you’re relying on this model’s police-preferred status, note that the LPCB suspended its certificate from 19 May 2026.¹⁷

1. Open the Keyguard as normal: dial upright, enter the code, turn the dial clockwise 360° until it clicks and pull the door open.
2. With the door open, turn the dial anticlockwise until it clicks, so the locking bar is in the locked position, and stand the key safe upright.
3. Remove the screw holding the black plastic plate on the back of the door.
4. Turn the disc of each number in your old code until its arrow faces NOT SET.
5. With the screwdriver, turn each button in your new code 180° so its arrow faces SET.
6. Screw the plate back on, leaving the door open.
7. Check the code: lock the bar by turning the dial anticlockwise 360°, set the dial upright, press the clear button, enter the code and turn the dial clockwise. If it opens, you’re done.

Defender (Solon Security)

Solon’s instruction sheets are the most thorough we read, and the most direct about forgotten codes. Both models below warn that there are no master codes and that getting into a key safe whose code you’ve forgotten isn’t covered by the warranty.²¹⁸

Defender Pro-TEC (push-button)

1. Open the key safe with your current code: slide the red Clear catch down, enter the code, turn the Open dial 90° clockwise and lift the lid. While it’s open, turn the dial 90° anticlockwise back to its starting position.
2. On the inside of the lid are 12 metal dials (1 to 0, A and B) with red arrows. Using the Combination Setting Key, turn each dial of your old code 180° so its arrow faces RESET.
3. For each digit of the new code, put the key in the dial, press lightly and turn 180° until the arrow faces SET. A 90° turn won’t work.
4. With the lid still open, enter the code on the front buttons and turn the Open dial 90° clockwise. If the code is right, the dial turns smoothly and draws the bolt in. Turn it back and repeat.
5. Only after three successful tests, close the lid: with the code entered and the dial turned, shut the door and turn the dial back 90° anticlockwise until the bolt clicks.

Solon suggests a code of four to six numbers, and tells you to keep away from phone numbers, birthdays and your bank card PIN. It also says not to remove the screws on the inside cover of the lid.²

Defender Combination Key Safe (four-wheel dial)

1. Slide the black shutter down, set the current code (0000 from the factory) and push the lever down. The spring-loaded door opens by itself.
2. On the back of the door, push the small reset lever from position A to position B. You’ll feel it lock into place.
3. Turn the four dials to your new code, lined up on the centre line.
4. Push the lever back up and right into position A until it locks.
5. With the door still open, scramble the dials, enter the new code and check that the open lever moves the latch. If it doesn’t, start again from step 2.¹⁸

Yale Y500

Yale’s single-sheet leaflet for the Y500/187/1 Key Access is short and clear.¹⁹ Note one difference from Master Lock: Yale tells you to keep the lever held in position while you turn the dials.

1. Slide the cover down, turn the dials to the current combination (0-0-0-0 from the factory), line the numbers up with the guide line and push the release button.
2. Push the reset lever left and down and keep it there.
3. Turn the dials to your own combination.
4. Push the reset lever up into its original position.
5. Close the compartment door and hold it closed, scramble the dials and close the cover.

Squire KeyKeep 1 and KeyKeep 2

Squire recommends setting your own code before you fit either model, which is good advice for any key safe: it’s far easier on a table than on a wall.²⁰⁴ Derbyshire County Council’s key safe sheet says the same.²¹

KeyKeep 1 (four-wheel dial)

1. Open the shutter hatch, dial the existing code (factory default 0.0.0.0) and press down on the opening lever.
2. Push the reset lever left and towards you. It stays in position.
3. Turn the dials to your new code.
4. Push the reset lever up and away from you, back to its original position, and double-check the code before closing.
5. Close the compartment, scramble the dials and close the shutter hatch.²⁰

KeyKeep 2 (push-button)

1. With the outer cover and the inner button cover both pulled down, find the 12 yellow recoding buttons and the recoding tool, and take the tool out of its holder.
2. Read the arrows: pointing down means OFF, pointing up means ON and part of the code.
3. Turn each number in your code 180° to ON, then put the tool back in its holder.⁴

Squire’s sheet is written for the first setting, when every button starts at OFF, and allows a code of anywhere from 1 to 12 digits. It doesn’t give a separate routine for changing a code, so when you recode, make sure only your new code’s buttons point up.

Models we couldn’t source

We left out any key safe whose maker doesn’t publish the steps. Phoenix is the main one: its Key Store KS0001C and KS0003C pages offer a specification sheet but no user instructions, and we found nothing for the older KS0002C.²² Shop blogs and videos cover some of these models, but we haven’t copied a retailer’s method onto a maker’s name. If yours is missing, the leaflet in the box or the maker’s customer service is the safest source.

I don’t know the code: what you can do

Searches for “how to reset a key safe without the code” are common, and the honest answer is that you can’t, by design. Every reset in this guide is done from inside the open box. What you can do depends on whether you’re the owner, and on what paperwork survived.

1. Look for the paperwork. Solon supplies a Combination Protector Card for exactly this, and Master Lock’s leaflets have a box for writing the code down.¹⁸⁵ Check kitchen drawers, the care plan folder, or whoever fitted it.
2. Try the factory code, if it was never changed. That’s 0-0-0-0 on the dial models from Master Lock (5401EURD), Burg-Wächter, Sterling, Yale, Defender and Squire in this guide. The 5415EURD’s preset is concealed behind the product when new. The Defender Pro-TEC, Master Lock 5426EURD and Squire KeyKeep 2 ship with no code set at all.
3. Ask whoever set it. A care provider, landlord, letting agent or the previous owner may hold it. Derbyshire County Council’s sheet notes that carers, family or professionals may all need the code.²¹
4. Contact the maker. Don’t expect a master code. Master Lock keeps no record of owner-set combinations and says it can’t reset one for you; The Key Safe Company’s guide says there’s no override or reset code; Solon says there are no master codes.¹¹⁰² It’s still worth calling if you think the lock is faulty: Master Lock says most cases it sees are forgotten codes, not faults, and asks owners with a genuine fault to get in touch.
5. Call a locksmith. If the code is gone for good, a key safe is opened destructively and replaced. Have proof that you live at the property ready. Master Lock notes that it doesn’t reimburse locksmith fees.¹

We won’t cover ways into a key safe without the code here, for the same reason we don’t for old safes: the instructions would work just as well for someone who doesn’t live there.

When to change the code, and how to pick a good one

Derbyshire County Council’s advice is simply to change the code regularly, and Solon says the same.²¹² In practice that means changing it whenever the list of people who know it gets shorter:

• when a care package ends or moves to a different agency;
• after a cleaner, builder, holiday guest or house-sitter has finished;
• after moving into a home that already has a key safe, since you can’t know who has the old code;
• straight away, if you think someone watched you open it.

For the code itself, length beats cleverness on a push-button box. The Key Safe Company recommends 5 to 7 digits on its C500 Pro, and says entering them in any order “does not compromise security” for that reason.¹² Avoid anything guessable: Solon’s list of numbers to avoid (your phone number, a birthday, your bank card PIN) is a good one.² Then test with the door open, as most of the makers above advise, and tell your carers and family the new code privately.

Changing a combination: an old problem

The little reset lever in a key safe solves a problem lock makers were working on long before anyone hung a key on an outside wall. In 1843 Linus Yale and Charles Wilson patented a combination safety-lock for doors that held its bolt until notches in pairs of disks lined up.²³ By 1888 the question was how to change such a combination easily: Thomas S. Spivey of Cincinnati patented, for the Victor Safe and Lock Company, a permutation lock with a combination changer, in which a bent arm dropped into a different hole in a ring of holes to give a new combination.²⁴

Our guide to old safe combination locks covers how the dials on antique safes are worked and changed, and why that job is best left to a safe technician. For the wider story of safe locks, see our history of lock mechanisms in safes.

Frequently asked questions