Changing a drill bit on your Ryobi drill is an essential task for any project. For a first timer, this can be an intimidating task, BUT it does not have to be. I will take you through a step-by-step guide on how to change the drill bit on your Ryobi drill.

Ryobi drill how to change bit

To change a drill bit on a Ryobi first, push black reverse button so drill moves counterclockwise. Hold chuck and gently pull trigger. Remove the bit once it’s loose. Place new bit in chuck, and switch drill to clockwise rotation. Hold the chuck and gently press the trigger.

Ryobi makes a variety of different drills. The most common are impact drivers and drill drivers. Changing the drill bit on each of these drills is a little different. I will provide detailed instructions on how to change the bit on each of these Ryobi drills.

Drill drivers

A drill driver is the most common type of drill that Ryobi makes. Your standard drill driver rotates the bit through the chuck at the front of the drill. Before changing the bit, it is essential you know about the key parts.

• A. Trigger switch: rotates the drill when pressed with a battery installed
• B: Forward/Reverse control button: changes the direction the drill rotates (clockwise to tighten and counterclockwise to loosen).
• C. Keyless chuck: Specialized clamping mechanism of drill that holds bit in place
• D. Jaws of chuck: 3 prongs at end of chuck that open and close to grab the bit

Now that you are familiar with the parts of a drill driver necessary to change the bit, lets dive in!

Step 1: Switch drill to reverse

First, you have to make sure the drill is in reverse. You want the drill to rotate counterclockwise. To do this press the reverse control button on the right hand side of the drill (looking at drill from front). I hold the drill in my right hand, so I press the button using my thumb. If you hold the drill in your left hand, you will need to use your pointer finger to press the button.

Once the drill is in the reverse setting, you can move on to the next step!

Step 2: Loosen chuck and remove drill bit

Hold the black part of the chuck with one hand. With the other hand slowly press the trigger button. The jaws of the chuck with rotate to loosen. Once the jaws are loose enough, the bit will no longer be held in place.

Make sure to tilt the drill upwards during this step. That way when the jaws loosen the drill bit will not fall out to the floor.

With your hand away from the trigger, you can now remove the drill bit and set it aside.

You can also loosen the chuck with the battery removed if you prefer. With the battery removed just rotate the black part of the chuck counterclockwise. You will see the jaws of the chuck start to loosen and separate.

Step 3: Insert new drill bit and tighten

Now you can insert a new drill bit into the jaws of the chuck. Prior to tightening you will have to press the forward control button. This button is just opposite to the reverse button you pressed in Step 1. It is located on the left hand side of the drill (when looking at the drill from the front). Because I hold the drill in my right hand I use my pointer finger to press this button (if you hold drill in you left hand, you will use your thumb). Once you press the forward button you will notice the drill rotates clockwise (when the trigger switch is pressed).

With the new bit in place and the drill set to forward you are ready to tighten. Grab the black portion of the chuck with one hand. Then with you other hand gently press the trigger switch. You will notice that the jaws of the chuck will slowly start to tighten around the bit. Again it will be easier for you to have the drill at a slight angle so the bit stays in place while the jaws are loose.

Helpful hint: if you are switching to a smaller drill bit, it can be hard to get the bit centered in the jaws. I recommend tightening the jaws of the chuck slightly, prior to placing the drill bit in the jaws. Tighten the jaws enough so the bit will slide in but is unable to move around too much.

Once the jaws no longer rotate when you press the trigger, the bit is tight and ready to use.

You can also tighten the chuck with the battery removed if you prefer. With the battery removed just rotate the black part of the chuck clockwise. You will see the jaws of the chuck start to tighten and get smaller. Either way will work and is really just based on preference.

Impact Driver

Impact drivers are another popular type of Ryobi drills. The quick and easy difference between impact driver and drill drivers is that impact drivers have more power and torque. There is a lot more detail in regards to how the drill functions if you are interested.

The impact driver has some key differences when it comes to parts, therefore making the drill bit change slightly different. Lets get familiar with the parts of the drill before we dive into how to change the bit.

• A. Trigger switch: rotates the drill when pressed with a battery installed
• B: Forward/Reverse control button: changes the direction the drill rotates (clockwise to tighten and counterclockwise to loosen).
• C. Chuck collar: Locking mechanism of chuck
• D. 1/4th inch (6.35 mm) hex quick release chuck: spring loaded chuck that holds bit in place

As you can see in the picture, the chucks of impact drivers are different then drill drivers. Impact drivers have spring loaded chucks that contain ball detents. These ball detents are what grip the drill bits. In my opinion is is much easier to change a drill bit on a Ryobi impact driver compared to the drill driver.

Now that you are familiar with the key differences and parts of the impact driver, lets change the bit.

Step 1: Pull collar of chuck out and remove bit

For this process you will not need to turn the drill on at all. So if you want, you can remove the battery (this will ensure you do not accidentally hit the trigger).

Angle the drill upward so the bit does not fall when it becomes loose. Grab the collar of the chuck (using thumb and pointer finger) and pull away from the drill.

With the chuck pulled away from the drill, the bit will be loose. Once the bit is loose you can remove the bit and set aside.

Step 2: Set and tighten the new bit

With the old bit removed, it is now time to place the new bit in the chuck.

The chuck of the impact driver is hex shaped. So you must make sure that the bit you will be using is also hex shaped. The size of the Ryobi impact chuck is 1/4th inch (6.35 mm).

So make sure you line the shape of the bit up with the chuck. Pull the collar of the chuck out again. While the collar is pulled out, use your other hand and push the bit into the chuck. Then you can release the collar of the chuck to lock the bit in place. You should hear an audible click once the bit is in place. I find this easiest to do while the drill is sitting on a flat surface.

To check and make sure the bit is in place, pull on the bit to make sure it does not move.

Since the impact driver has a hex shaped chuck, you can only use hex shaped bits in the drill. Other sized and shaped drill bits will not work.

Keyed Chuck

Ryobi also makes some drills that use keys to loosen and tighten there chucks. The two described prior are keyless chucks. So as you can imagine there will be some differences when it comes to changing the bit on a Ryobi drill that has a keyed chuck.

These drills are much less common and often used for larger jobs. The key helps prevent slippage for more heavy duty tasks. Below is a video that takes you through the step-by-step process of changing the bit on a keyed chuck.

I hope this helps you change the drill bit on your Ryobi drill. If you run into any issues throughout the process, you can reach Ryobi at: 1-800-525-2579.

Most Ryobi drills come with a 3 year limited warranty.

Conclusion

• Drill drivers
  • Step 1: Switch drill to reverse
  • Step 2: Loosen chuck and remove drill bit
  • Step 3: Insert new drill bit and tighten
• Impact driver
  • Step 1: Pull collar of chuck out and remove bit
  • Step 2: Set and tighten new bit
• Keyed chuck

Did this help you change the drill bit on your Ryobi drill? If so please let me know in the comments section!