Can a Smart Lock Be Rekeyed? Brand-by-Brand Answer

A smart lock is really two products bolted together: a motor with a keypad or radio, and an ordinary lock cylinder underneath it. The electronics decide when to turn the bolt. The cylinder is the key override that still works when the battery dies or the Wi-Fi drops. That cylinder is what gets rekeyed, and on most models it is no different from rekeying a plain deadbolt.

The exceptions are key-free locks with no cylinder at all, and retrofit locks that keep the deadbolt you already have. Here is how each major brand handles it.

Does a smart lock have a key that can be rekeyed?

Look at the outside of the lock. If there is a keyway, the answer is yes. If there is no keyway, the lock is key-free and you manage access through codes and the app only.

Keyways matter for one more reason: keyed alike. A smart lock with a Schlage cylinder can join the same key as your other Schlage doors. One with a Kwikset SmartKey cylinder joins the Kwikset key. Mixing brands means two keys, or replacing one lock. Our keyed-alike page explains the options.

Brand-by-brand: which smart locks can be rekeyed?

Schlage Encode and Encode Plus

The Encode family is a full deadbolt with a conventional Schlage cylinder behind the keypad. It rekeys like any Schlage deadbolt and can be keyed alike with the rest of a Schlage house, which makes it a natural fit for homes in Carmel Valley where the other doors are already Schlage.

Kwikset Halo and Halo Touch

Halo uses Kwikset SmartKey. With a working key and the learn tool you can rekey it yourself in under a minute; the steps are in our Kwikset SmartKey guide. Without a working key, a locksmith resets the cylinder.

Yale Assure Lock 2

Sold in two versions. The keyed model uses a Kwikset-style KW1 cylinder that can be rekeyed on-site and keyed alike with other Kwikset locks. The key-free model has no keyway at all, which some people prefer for a cleaner look. On the key-free version, security is entirely codes and app, so a factory reset at move-in is essential.

August Wi-Fi Smart Lock

August is a retrofit that replaces only the interior thumb-turn. The outside of your door keeps its original deadbolt and cylinder. To rekey an August-equipped door you rekey the existing deadbolt. That also means an August install is a natural add-on to a whole-home rekey.

Level Bolt and Level Lock+

Level Bolt hides inside the door and replaces the deadbolt’s internal mechanism while keeping your existing exterior cylinder and key, so rekeying is the same as for the original lock. Level Lock+, Level’s earlier Home Key model, is a complete deadbolt that came with its own keys on a Schlage-style five-pin cylinder, so a locksmith can rekey it and key it alike with other Schlage-keyway doors.

Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro

Fingerprint, keypad, app and a mechanical key override. The override cylinder can be rekeyed, which is worth doing on a used lock because the previous owner’s keys still work until you do.

Eufy and Lockly

Both brands sell several models. Most include a physical key override that can be rekeyed; a few lean fully key-free. Check your model’s manual for a keyway. If it has one, it can almost certainly be rekeyed.

Why rekey the override if you never use the key?

Because someone else might. A used home in Chula Vista or a vacation rental in Pacific Beach may have had a dozen keys cut for the smart lock’s override over its life. Every code you set is irrelevant to a person holding one of those keys.

Rekeying the override costs less than the lock itself and takes a few minutes. Doing it at the same visit as your code reset closes both doors at once. That combination is exactly what our smart lock rekey and reset service covers.

What else should you reset when you move in?

Rekeying handles the physical key. The electronics need their own cleanup:

1. Factory reset the lock. Each brand has a specific sequence, usually a button on the interior unit held for several seconds. A reset wipes stored codes and unpairs it from the previous owner’s app.
2. Set it up fresh in your own account. Do not accept a transfer from the old owner’s app if you can avoid it.
3. Create new codes. One per household member, plus temporary codes for cleaners or guests.
4. Update Wi-Fi. Move it to your network.
5. Check the backup unlock. Know how the lock opens with a dead battery: key, 9-volt battery terminals or a USB port, depending on the model.

If a previous owner never removed the lock from their account, some brands require proof of ownership to release it. That is a manufacturer support conversation, not a locksmith one, but we can tell you which brand you are dealing with. The rest of the move-in list is in Should You Rekey After Buying a Home in San Diego?

When should you replace instead of rekey?

• The cylinder is a proprietary or damaged unit with no rekey kit available.
• The lock is an older generation with known reliability problems.
• The keyway does not match your other doors and you want one key.
• The motor or keypad is already failing. See our smart lock repair page before deciding.

Which lock to move to is covered in Best Smart Locks for San Diego Homes.

Next step

If you have moved into a home with a smart lock on the door, book a smart lock rekey and reset. We rekey the override to your new house key, factory reset the electronics, set you up in the app, and leave you with codes that only you know.