The 9 Best Drawer Safes
Updated by · How we research
Keypad boxes, fingerprint cases and lockboxes that fit a drawer, compared by lock, fit and mounting. The Amazon Basics DS-110SAM suits most desks and dressers. When users buy our independently chosen editorial selections, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
Almost no drawer safe carries a fire rating, and any of them can be carried off unless it's bolted down. Their real job is keeping kids, guests and casual snoops away from cash, passports, medicine or a handgun. These suit anyone who wants that protection out of sight in a desk, dresser or nightstand, opened by a code, a fingerprint or a key.
Editor's Notes
October 23, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Editors:
The old top pick is gone. Awesafe's biometric gun safes were recalled in 2024 because their locks could open for people who hadn't enrolled a fingerprint. A slim keypad desk safe from the old list, the DS-110SAM, takes its place: it fits a standard drawer, bolts down and has no fingerprint reader to fail. The Barska AX11556 and the Jssmst CB005 stay.
We removed the GunVault MiniVault and the Viking Top Opening because neither has a current price, the Vaultek VT20i and the Tokatuker RFID Lock because they're no longer sold, and the SentrySafe Fire File because it's too tall for a drawer. A concealment end table went too, since a hidden drawer isn't a lock. New picks add quick-access fingerprint cases, a slide-out safe and a medication box.
The most useful evidence came from federal recall notices, a lock-picking demonstration on a budget safe, and firearm sites that kept several of these cases at home for months.
Earlier notes
September 16, 2020, by Will Rhoda:
While all of our previous picks for this category were still great picks for certain circumstances, we did do quite a bit of shuffling during this round of updates, in order to ensure that our list reflected offerings that were appropriate to this specific category. The BNFUSA Small Faux Book, for example, was removed because – although it’s admittedly slick, affordable and in some ways effective – we ultimately felt that it would be a better fit for our list of diversion safes. Similarly, we replaced the V-Line Desk Mate – an under-cabinet gun safe – with the Awesafe Fingerprint Identification – a biometric gun safe that can be permanently installed in a drawer – because we felt that it was an equivalent offering that made more sense for the category. There is still, of course, quite a bit of crossover between categories with our listings – for instance, the SentrySafe Fire File is a fireproof safe that we felt was also relevant to this category, and the Viking Top Opening is a digital safe that we felt was also relevant to this category – but we used our best judgement to eliminate questionable models and replace them with sensible selections. The Safego Indoor/Outdoor and Sunnydaze Combination are two portable safes we decided to let go because, although they would technically fit in most drawers, we felt that there were better choices out there for this application.
Some of our new picks this time around include the Barska AX11556 — which weighs more than 21 pounds, and keeps burglars at bay with a pair of 3/4-inch motorized deadbolts; the GunVault MiniVault — a different take on “drawer safes,” as this safe has a drawer of its own that automatically ejects upon opening; and the Casual Home Store Concealment Furniture — a line of tables that contain a hidden drawer suitable for stashing all your clandestine wares.
A few things to think about for this category:
Storage: To store something safely, you must store it first, so make sure you select a unit with enough interior space to accommodate whatever valuables you’re looking to protect. Also, while many models in the category essentially provide a bare box that’s serviceable for miscellaneous storage, others are designed to meet the particular needs of certain users. For example, the Awesafe Fingerprint Identification and GunVault MiniVault feature padded compartments to help prevent pistols from getting scratched, while the SentrySafe Fire File is designed to accommodate letter-size hanging file folders, and the JSSMST Money Box has all the necessary slots and clips it needs to be operated as a makeshift cash register.
Security: While basic models like the JSSMST Money Box and SentrySafe Fire File employ a simple combination lock or keyed mechanism, models like the AmazonBasics Desk Safe do one better, and offer digital-combination access supplemented by a backup key. Fingerprint access is a rising trend in this category, with many advanced models – like the GunVault MiniVault and Awesafe Fingerprint Identification – offering easily programmable biometric access.
The Tokatuker RFID Lock presents an interesting alternative to putting a safe in a drawer, and allows users to convert a drawer to a safe that can only be unlocked via keyless, touchless access using its included radio frequency tags, and the Casual Home Store Concealment Furniture employs a hidden drawer, but it should be noted that this stash spot isn’t protected by any sort of a locking mechanism.
Installation: Many users will be content to keep one these units simply sitting loose in a drawer, which may be enough of a deterrent to keep out curious children or questionable staff, but others will prefer something that can be bolted down, for extra peace of mind. The Awesafe Fingerprint Identification does come with pilot holes that make it simple to screw down, but its slight size also make it a viable portable gun safe, for transporting pistols to the range, which makes a case for not permanently installing it.
The Barska AX11556 comes with mounting hardware. As does the Tokatuker RFID Lock, which most capable DIYers – equipped with the right screwdriver – should have no trouble with. The Casual Home Store Concealment Furniture is one option that, argubally, can’t technically be “installed,” but it will require some minor assembly, as its legs arrive unattached.
November 20, 2018, by Melissa Harr:
Selected the AmazonBasics Desk Safe and Safego Indoor/Outdoor as budget-conscious tools for securing valuables, as well as the V-Line Desk Mate for those who want something more robust. Added the Vaultek VT20i despite concerns that it can be hacked, as the company seems to have patched this issue. Omitted other similar biometric models, including the Stack-On PDS-1500, due to ongoing hacking/picking concerns.
Special Honors
Vaultek Slider Series Vaultek's Slider safes are slide-out boxes made to mount under a nightstand, bed or desk, sold from the maker's own store. They cost a good deal more than the slide-out safe on this list, but they come from an established gun-safe maker with its own support and replacement parts. vaulteksafe.com
Measure The Drawer, Then The Space Inside
A safe 4.4 inches tall needs about 5 inches of clearance to slide in and out without catching.
Start with a tape measure. Note the drawer's inside width and depth, and the clear height between the drawer bottom and the frame above it with the drawer pulled out. A safe 4.4 inches tall needs about 5 inches of clearance to slide in and out without catching.
Then check the interior height, which matters more than the outside size. The Amazon Basics DS-110SAM is 4.4 inches tall outside but only 1.7 inches inside, which fits cash, passports and a phone, not a handgun. Leave room around the lock as well: Top Firearm Reviews found the Billconch case's backup keyhole hard to reach once it was mounted in a drawer. Quick-access cases such as the Billconch and Onnais are shaped around pistols, while a medication box is laid out for pill bottles.
Drawer safes come in four kinds. Front or top keypad boxes lie flat and open like a lid. Spring-lid quick-access cases pop open when they unlock. Slide-out safes mount under a desk or nightstand and act as a locking drawer of their own. Lockboxes and cash boxes are the cheapest, and they're really for keeping honest people honest. Search results also mix in 1-cubic-foot home safes and fire-rated file boxes; those won't fit in a drawer.
Fingerprint, Keypad Or Key
A fingerprint reader is fast, but it isn't automatically safer. In 2024 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced recalls of biometric gun safes from Awesafe, Machir, Bulldog and others because their locks could open for people who hadn't enrolled. BBRKIN was recalled again in July 2026. Look up any biometric safe on CPSC.gov before you buy it, and if yours is recalled, take the batteries out and use the key until the replacement arrives.
Readers can also balk at sweaty, wet or greasy fingers, a point Top Firearm Reviews raised in its home use of several cases. Enroll the same finger more than once, and learn the code as a backup.
Backup key locks on budget safes are the weak spot. The Firearm Blog covered a lock-picking video in which an inexpensive safe's backup lock opened in seconds. Keep the key away from the safe, change the factory code the day it arrives, and use name-brand alkaline AA batteries, swapping them at the first low-battery warning.
What A Drawer Safe Won't Do
It won't survive a house fire. A real fire rating names a time and a temperature: UL 72 Class 350, for example, means the inside stays below 350 degrees Fahrenheit, the point where paper chars. None of the safes on this list carries such a rating, and fire-rated boxes are too tall for most drawers. For deeds and passports, a separate fire-rated document box in a closet is the better plan.
It won't stop a thief who has time and tools. Even the heaviest drawer safe can be carried off unless it's bolted to the drawer or furniture, or cabled to a bed frame. Mount it, and don't keep the backup key in the same room.
It may not satisfy your state's gun storage law on its own. About half the states and Washington, D.C., have child access prevention or secure storage laws, according to Giffords Law Center and Everytown. California keeps a list of approved firearm safety devices, and a quick-access case may not be on it. Check your state's rules before counting on one.
How we researched this
We compared 20 drawer-size safes, quick-access cases and lockboxes, read the makers' specifications and setup instructions, firearm-site roundups that kept several cases in home use, a lock-picking demonstration on a budget safe, and owner feedback patterns, and checked every brand against U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls. We found no independent lab tests of drawer safes.
Sources (9)
- CPSC: Awesafe biometric gun safes recall (2024)
- CPSC: BBRKIN biometric gun safes recall (2026)
- Top Firearm Reviews: best handgun safes
- The Firearm Blog: budget pistol safe defeated in seconds
- Safe and Vault Store: fire ratings
- Giffords Law Center: child access prevention and safe storage
- Everytown: secure storage laws
- California DOJ: certified firearm safety devices
- Vaultek: Slider series
Frequently asked questions
Is a drawer safe fireproof?
Almost never. None of the safes here carries a fire rating such as UL 72 Class 350, which keeps the inside below the temperature where paper chars. Fire-rated boxes are too tall for most drawers, so keep documents in a separate fire-rated box.
Is a fingerprint safe better than a keypad?
It's faster when it works, but readers can fail with wet or greasy fingers, and several brands of biometric gun safes were recalled in 2024 because the lock opened for strangers. Check CPSC.gov for recalls and keep the code and key as backups.
Can a burglar just take a drawer safe?
Yes, unless it's fixed in place. Use the mounting holes to bolt it to the drawer or furniture, or loop the security cable around a bed frame, and keep the backup key somewhere else.
Will a handgun fit?
Check the interior height, not the outside size. The Amazon Basics DS-110SAM is too shallow inside for a pistol, while quick-access cases like the Billconch Biometric Pistol Safe and the slide-out Zljuan LT-108-F-X are shaped for handguns.
Do I need a safe to store a gun legally?
About half the states and Washington, D.C., have child access prevention or secure storage laws. California also requires an approved safety device with a gun sale. Check your state's rules, since a quick-access case may not be on an approved list.
