Question: I’m trying to replace an electrical outlet. As I tried to unscrew the screws holding the outlet to the box, the heads broke off; one is basically flush while the other has a little bit of the shaft still visible.
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eZ6fh.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eZ6fh.jpg)

How can I attach the new receptacle to the box? I don’t feel confident enough to try to drill out the old screws. I’m not sure what to do.

Answer: 
I tried using some PB blaster on the screws, then tried vice grips on the bottom screw. Tried notching the top screw with a Dremel so I could use a flathead on it. These techniques did not work, unfortunately. I’m in a bit of a time crunch, so I didn’t want to try and replace the box and risk having to patch/paint the wall.

I ended up drilling the screws out despite my hesitation. I first used a 1/32” bit, then a 1/16” bit, and finally a 1/8” bit to clean out the holes. The screws were soft enough (likely why they snapped in the first place) that it didn’t take long to drill through them. I swapped out the machined screws on the receptacle with a couple wood screws with coarse threads to grip the plastic. It’s mounted solid and looks great! Thanks for all the suggestions here.
The tool you need is called a [screw extractor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_extractor). If you have a 1/16 or 1/32 bit, the extractor works even better if you can drill a tiny pilot hole in the broken screw before using the extractor.