Door Handle Latch Bolt Stuck
If the latch does not catch close the door slowly to watch how the latch bolt meets the strike plate.
Door handle latch bolt stuck. Once you have the door handle off you can now try to open the latch manually with either a large flathead screwdriver or pair of needle nose pliers. You can fix this problem relocating the hinges or using longer screws. Scars on the strike plate will show where it is misaligned it is also possible the door has shrunk and the latch no longer reaches the strike plate. You can see where the cylinder entered the dead latch mechanism and pulled the latch back.
If the latch bolt moves it is sticking in the door knob and requires some disassembly to fix. On the kwikset locks this looks like two little teeth that the cylinder pushes back. Pull the door latch out of the door. The issue a door latch stuck due to a jamming latch will have no real variation between how the latch moves when it is pressed in or when the handle is turned both when the door is open and when it is shut.
If the latch bolt doesn t move and is fully extended the issue is with the strike plate. One of the problems that causes this is that the hinges are loose or the house has settled from the freezing and thawing of the ground. Taking the lock of the door is often simpler than it would be to take a deadbolt or exterior door knob lock of the door. Another problem with many door knobs latches and even hinges is that the door itself will get stuck and close or open hard.
Sometimes the lock button being stuck is endemic of the latch bolt freezing so you might not be able to take advantage of spring loaded latch through the gap between the door and the frame. The bolt may be positioned above below or to one side of the strike plate. Use the screwdriver to lever the latch out of the door. Turn the knob to open the door and release the knob slowly.
Once you let go of the knob grab the end of the latch bolt with your fingers and pull. This is because the issue is not with the door and not even with the control the knob has over the stuck latch.