File Cabinet Locks across greater Los Angeles, Ventura County & the Bay Area.

This page explains file cabinet locks: what the job includes, what to have ready, honest limits and what sets the price.

Office furniture locks are small, but they guard payroll files, HR records and petty cash, and they fail or lose their keys constantly. We open locked filing cabinets, desks, credenzas and lateral files without wrecking the drawer, then rekey or replace the cylinder and cut new keys, usually in the same visit. Most of the major office furniture brands use a handful of lock families, and we stock the common ones.

We dispatch across greater Los Angeles, Ventura County, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area; see the city pages for local detail. The dispatch line at (888) 492-0666 is answered around the clock.

• Identification of the lock family and core type from the number stamped on the lock face or the cabinet brand
• Opening by picking, impressioning or decoding; drilling only when the lock has failed internally, with a replacement cylinder fitted afterward
• Rekey or replacement of the cylinder so old keys stop working, keeping the original look on the drawer front
• Keys cut by code when the lock number is readable, which gives a factory-cut key rather than a copy of a worn one
• Keyed-alike setups so one key runs every cabinet in a department, or individually keyed where privacy matters
• Repair of jammed gang bars, broken keys snapped off in the cylinder, and drawers that lock but will not release

• Lost the only key to a filing cabinet
• Buying second-hand office furniture
• Office reorganization and consolidation
• Auditor or HR needs urgent access
• Drawer is jammed and a key is broken inside

• Authorization from the business owner, office manager or HR; for a cabinet in someone else's office, confirmation that you have the right to open it
• The brand and model of the cabinet (HON, Steelcase, Herman Miller, Haworth, Hirsh and similar) or a photo of the lock face showing any stamped number
• How many cabinets and desks, and whether you want them keyed alike or separately
• Whether the key is lost entirely or broken inside the lock
• How many keys you need per lock

Typically 15-30 minutes per cabinet to open and rekey or replace the lock, and less when a key can be cut by code without opening anything. Bulk jobs across an office, jammed gang-bar mechanisms, and obscure or imported cabinets take longer and are scheduled in a block.

• Some furniture lines use proprietary removable cores that only accept the maker's replacement; if the part is discontinued, we fit a compatible cam lock, which may change the look of the key or the drawer front slightly
• Thin stamped-steel cabinets and cheap imports can bend during a forced opening; we will say so before using any force
• A cabinet lock is low-security by design. For real document security, store sensitive material in a safe or a locked room rather than relying on the cabinet alone
• Fireproof file cabinets (FireKing and similar) have heavier locks and insulated bodies; opening without a key is possible but slower, and some models need the lock drilled and replaced
• We open cabinets for the business that owns them. A cabinet belonging to a former tenant or a disputed owner needs documentation before we touch it

The number of cabinets, whether each needs opening or just a key cut by code, cylinder replacement versus rekey, keyed-alike versus individual keying, and the key count set the price. Office-wide jobs are quoted as a batch.

The dispatcher gives you a range on the phone, and the technician confirms a written quote before any work starts.

Payment is by Cash, Credit Card, Debit Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and you receive an itemized receipt listing what was done.

• HON F24 / F26 and E26 removable-core locks
• Steelcase XF and Herman Miller UM series cores
• Haworth and Knoll furniture cores
• CompX National, CompX Timberline and Olympus cam and plunger locks
• ESP and Hudson disc-tumbler cam locks
• Keys cut by code from HON, Steelcase, Chicago and CompX code series
• FireKing and Hirsh file cabinet locks

Rekeyable mechanical locks cost the least per door and work well when turnover is low. Keypad or standalone electronic locks suit a few doors with changing users. Networked access control (cards, fobs, mobile credentials) makes sense when you need to revoke access instantly, log entries or manage many doors; it also needs power, wiring and a plan for free egress. Many buildings end up with a mix: access control on the main entries and rekeyable or restricted cylinders everywhere else.

We dispatch across greater Los Angeles, Ventura County, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area; see the city pages for local detail. For file cabinet locks, the city pages list ZIP codes, nearby communities and any local access notes.

Greater Los Angeles includes the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, the South Bay, the San Gabriel Valley, the Gateway Cities, the Santa Clarita Valley and the Antelope Valley. Ventura County includes the Conejo Valley and the coastal cities. In the Bay Area we cover Silicon Valley, the Peninsula and the southern East Bay.

For file cabinet locks, tell the dispatcher your address and what is wrong. You get an ETA before anyone is sent, a written quote before any work starts and a receipt when it is done. The line is answered around the clock.

One & Only Locksmith is bonded and insured; a certificate of insurance is available on request.