Solent Mobile Locksmiths are often asked what the difference is between keyed alike and keyed to differ locks, so I have decided to explain below.

Keyed to differ, keyed alike & master keying explained.

What is ‘Keying Alike’ or what is a ‘Keyed Alike’ lock?

Basically keying alike means that locks in a set or ‘suite’ have the same key code, ie. any key fits any lock. This is convenient where a large number of locks are to be used by the same group of people or person but can be a problem if individual security is important.

What is ‘Keyed to Differ’ or what is a ‘Keyed to Differ’ lock?

This means that all locks have different key combinations, ie. a key from one lock will not fit any other lock in the same group, there is usually a limit to the total number of differs available for a particular lock group but is generally high and not normally a problem for most applications.

What is ‘Master Keying’?

As used suits of locks where one ‘master’ key can open all the locks in a suite, which are themselves made to different key combinations i.e. keyed to differ.

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