How do I remove this round metal insert in an old wardrobe?

Question

It's some kind of screw/insert of an old wardrobe/closet.

Answer 1

It's a camlock. Standard knockdown/flatpack furniture fastener (Ikea, et al) though of a slightly different design than many.

It pulls straight out at you in this picture, which may be a little difficult judging by the fuzz on the edge of the hole, but it's not locked into its mating fastener, so it's free to come out (they often fall out when not connected, but again, the fuzz on the hole suggests not this one.)

There's no need to remove it for disassembly. If it was locked into its mating part, (which would poke into it from the hole on the left side) you'd need to release it, but that's already been done and the mating part is not even there.

It's possible that someone used glue when assembling the flatpack - that would make it difficult to impossible to disassemble without damage.

Answer 2

The inside appears to turn clockwise to lock. The whole assembly looks like it's been glued in, so removing it will most likely take out some of the surrounding material . Only way to extract it is with a smallish flat lever - bent at its tip, and work as gently as you can around until it (hopefully) pops out. But that's nowhere near guaranteed. A heat gun may help soften up the glue before starting. And you'll be left with a mess that'll need even more glue to re-fit.