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How to open SIM card tray without a SIM tool

nextpit how to open sim slot hero
© nextpit

Remember where you keep your SIM ejector tool? You know, those little metal things you occasionally get with a new phone? No, me neither, but don't despair. Fortunately for you and me, I've MacGyvered my way into the SIM card tray and microSD card slot many a time. Here are a few handy ways to open the SIM card slot without a SIM tool.

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Earring or piercing

The right tool for the job might be closer than you think, as in on your body. Traditional earrings with thinner wires or hooks work best. On others, you might need to unscrew the ball/spike on the end. More extreme piercings might be too large to serve as SIM tray openers. (Be careful not to bend your earrings!)

Opening a SIM slot with an earring
Earrings are the most common and simple DIY SIM tools around. / © NextPit

Paperclip

Probably the next most common thing, if you happen to work in an office. Not the fat plastic-coated paperclips, but pretty much any small metal paper clip will get your SIM tray ejected. And when you're done, you can use it to attach various bits of paper together.

Opening the SIM tray with a paper clip.
It looks like you are trying to open a SIM tray! / © NextPit

Needle

If you repair socks and pants as much as I do (you don't want to know), then you'll have a needle floating around the house somewhere. Just use the not-pointy end in the SIM eject hole and press down on the edge of a table. I'd advise you not to try this using your hand. But desperate times call for desperate measures!

Opening a SIM tray with a needle
Often, a needle will just do the trick. / © NextPit

Thumbtack/staple

Another ubiquitous object that you may find in most homes and offices is the humble little thumbtack. There are many shapes and sizes, but pretty much all of them are capable of opening your SIM tray. If you're thinking outside the box, then you've probably realized that you could also use a staple.

Safety Pin

A safety pin is something that is very ubiquitous and found in nearly every household. Thanks to its sharp, pointed edge, it makes for a great sim tool. The fact that its design allows for more force to be (safely) exerted makes me think the safety pin is a better sim ejector tool than needles.

Toothpicks

Now, this is an option that can be used as a last resort if none of the objects above are at your disposal. But you'd be already aware that most toothpicks aren't thin enough to be inserted into the tiny SIM hole. To get around this, you might be required to whittle away some buts towards the bottom using a knife.

Opening a SIM tray with a skewer
Yes, we were able to open the SIM tray with this monster toothpick. / © NextPit

Once again, if none of these things is an option, just look for any pointy thing you have lying around - and if you still failed in your mission, it's time to get to a store for a solution.

Go to a store and ask nicely

If you are ever out and about and need to pull out your SIM card tray, as I have been in the past, one of the quickest ways to solve the problem is to pop into a nearby store. Of course, if you are in the middle of the woods, you are in trouble, but if you are in an urban area with a large shopping mall or high-street phone carrier store, you needn't worry.

The last time I went into a cell phone store to ask them to open my SIM tray, the helpful employee was wearing a SIM tool around his neck and was more than happy to help me out for free.

Do you have any other secret SIM tools to share? Let us know in the comments.

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Benoit Pepicq

Benoit Pepicq
Editor

Benoit is passionate about new technologies and everything related to computers. A big Android fan since 2011, he joined the AndroidPIT team to satisfy his passion and to share his knowledge on Android with readers.

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24 comments
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  • 1
    Immy Nov 19, 2020 Link to comment

    I cannot eject the sim card holder from my new Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite. No ejector supplied and nothing else works


  • F.Alam 7
    F.Alam Jan 1, 2019 Link to comment

    Thanks

    Brittany McGhee


  • Waqar Ghafoor 7
    Waqar Ghafoor Sep 7, 2018 Link to comment

    I usually do it with needle :)

    Brittany McGhee


  • Rusty H. 33
    Rusty H. Sep 6, 2018 Link to comment

    Got one on my keychain, but in a pinch, a paperclip always works.

    Brittany McGheeSorin


    • Brittany McGhee 21
      Brittany McGhee Jul 19, 2019 Link to comment

      Paperclips are my favorite alternative, too!

      Rusty H.


  • 1
    sixpack Jun 28, 2018 Link to comment

    fuse wire!


  • 27
    Sorin Apr 5, 2018 Link to comment

    I used a paper-clip because I was not willing to buy a special device to remove the card!

    marco sarliBrittany McGheeDeactivated Account


  • Rusty H. 33
    Rusty H. Feb 18, 2018 Link to comment

    LOL, I've always used a paper clip. But, a phone I got several years ago, came with a sim tool, so it's always on my key chain.

    marco sarliBrittany McGheeSorin


  • 26
    Andrew Burgin Feb 18, 2018 Link to comment

    Why couldn"t Samsung use the Bixby button to open the sim tray,as not many blokes carry needles or pins with them

    HaleyJ1008ElfynSorin


  • 8
    Tom S Feb 17, 2018 Link to comment

    I have always carried about 3-5 paper clips on my wallet. When you work on Tech Support for several years, you carry them for when a CD/DVD rom won't open the easy way or any other type of situation. Nowadays I wear a bracelet that has a sim picker tool. Anytime I see someone trying to pick the sim out, I pull a clip from my wallet and I get a Mcgyver comment.

    SorinRusty H.


  • 46
    Deactivated Account Feb 17, 2018 Link to comment

    One more reason why I like the removable battery the sim card was always under the back cover no tools needed

    ElfynSorin


  • 1
    john cocktosen Jan 26, 2018 Link to comment

    My moto g5 plus tray will come out with NOTHING but the friggin tool, which of course EVERYONE LOSES. Why in the world would they engineer it so?


    • 1
      Abby Nov 5, 2020 Link to comment

      so you have to buy one from them!!!!


  • chuuchu 2
    chuuchu Jan 11, 2018 Link to comment

    Should've come up with a better method to insert the SIM card. It's gonna be annoying when you have to open it up but you can't find anything to help.

    Rusty H.john cocktosen


    • Rusty H. 33
      Rusty H. Feb 18, 2018 Link to comment

      Not only that, but the SIZE of the cards have gotten so small, you can lose one without even trying, if your card is on the side of the phone, and you don't know which side is up, if you don't have your hand on it, or over a table. ;)

      ElfynSorin


  • Brenda Chilson 1
    Brenda Chilson Jun 12, 2017 Link to comment

    Does anyone else think it is a stupid setup? New phone did not come with one, Verizon gave me one, put it on my keychain, lost keys a week later...first time ever in my life doing that! AND does anyone know what to do when the Samsung Galaxy battery quits and needs replacing, since who knows how to get to that. I used to think prying the whole back off the S4 was stupid, but this is worse.


    • Mats Engelsvoll 1
      Mats Engelsvoll Nov 4, 2018 Link to comment

      I bought a cheap Huawei because the screen on my S4 is broken, but shit, I think I'll stay wit hthe S4 as long as it still works. Prying the back is a pleasure. Easy and you can use anything. The ejection tool thing is just completely unnecessary.


  • Joe Hiltabidel 2
    Joe Hiltabidel Feb 17, 2017 Link to comment

    A toothpick grips the tray after releasing it and pulls it out like prom night.

    Rusty H.john cocktosen


  • Vince Garcia 1
    Vince Garcia Nov 17, 2016 Link to comment

    The paperclip worked like a charm. Thank you.


  • Ash Veen 1
    Ash Veen Nov 17, 2016 Link to comment

    Mechanical Pencil worked like magic .


  • 1
    baba yaga Aug 13, 2016 Link to comment

    Mechanical pencil works perfectly


  • 1
    Ronie Rea Jan 23, 2016 Link to comment

    This is not a reply to the comment on the paper clip being stuck in sim hole...although thats a tricky one considering you cant really see down inside that well. I lost tool to unlock sim card tray... I used an earing, it unlocked but did not open much at all.. Maybe a centimeter. So i used two razor blades and used sharp edges to grip both sides of tray and pull while my husband held phone on counter top.. Sure enough it came out after hours of trying before thinking about razor blades.


  • 1
    Adam Regan Jan 16, 2016 Link to comment

    I have a part of a paper clip stuck in my sim hole. What do I do to get it out?


    • Jason Elliott 1
      Jason Elliott Feb 17, 2017 Link to comment

      Did you try a magnet to get it out?

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