Programming a Garage Door Remote

Lead Image for Programming a Garage Door Remote

Conveniently, a garage door remote allows you to open or close the door without having to get out of your car. You may need to know how to program your garage door remote if you change it, it breaks, or if it's ever lost or stolen.

How Does the Garage Door Remote Work?

In an older garage door remote, you will find small code switches that turn on or off. The same set of code switches is present in the garage door opener controlling the door. Newer remotes use a rolling code technology. This type of garage door remote functions by changing the code each time the remote is pressed. A radio frequency allows the remote to send a signal to the opener to go up or down.

Garage Door Remote Frequencies

Radio frequencies are measured in megahertz (MHz). The most common garage door remote frequencies are 300 MHz, 310 MHz, 315 MHz, 318 MHz, or 390 MHz. The frequency for a garage door remote or motor is usually printed on them.

Step 1 - Choose a Remote

Match your garage door remote to your garage door opener by using the same manufacturer. The following are some of the companies that sell garage door remotes: Liftmaster, Genie, Allstar, Linear, and Stanley.

Step 2 - Locate the Learn Button

Programming your garage door remote and clearing the current garage door remotes from the opener varies slightly according to the model of your system.

All openers have a learn button. To find the learn button you may have to remove the light cover on the opener.

Step 3 - Program the Remote

To program a new remote into the system, hold the learn button until the indicator light blinks on the opener. While the indicator light is blinking, press the button on your remote. Test the new garage door remote by pressing once to see if the door moves.

A garage door opener can only maintain five remotes or four remotes and one keyless entry, so if a remote is lost, you might have to erase all codes from your opener before you can add a new one.

Programming Remotes That Have Code Switches

Code switches in your garage door remote and opener have to match. This means that the code switches are placed in the same position.

Programming a Garage Door Remote FAQ

Can I program any remote to my garage door?

You cannot program any remote to any garage door. If you are using a door opener made by a different brand than the company that manufactures the door, you might not be able to get the remote to work on the door at all.

Different brands operate on different frequencies, so a door remote from one brand might not be readable by a door that was created by a different brand.

Can you program an old garage door opener with a new remote?

It is fairly easy to program a new garage door opener to your door because garage door openers get lost and damaged all the time and often need replacing. Usually, the manufacturer of the garage door will have detailed instructions to help you pair a new remote to the door.

If you don't have your owner's manual, you can easily find this information online. Search for the garage door by its manufacturer name and go from there to find the instructions for pairing a new remote to the door.

How do I clone my garage door remote to another remote?

To clone one remote to another, you usually have to press and hold a series of buttons first on one remote and then on the other. A series of flashing lights will indicate whether or not the cloning was successful.

Since every remote has different buttons and different options, the joining process is not the same across all remotes. However, you can find instructions for creating a clone either in your garage door opener's owner's manual or online through the manufacturer's website.

Does every garage door opener have a Learn button?

Many newer garage door openers have a learn button included right on them to make it very easy to program garage doors to the opener. However, this is not a feature you will find on older garage door openers.

How do you program a remote without the code?

In order to program a remote without the code, you will need to reset the remote entirely and pick a new code. Usually, this involves using the reset key or the device key to erase the memory in the remote and program in a new PIN code.

In most cases, erasing remotes from the garage door system is accomplished by pressing the learn button until the indicator light starts blinking. This will usually erase all remote codes and from there, you will have to follow the programming instructions to reprogram all of them.