How to Program a Garage Door Remote, Keypad or HomeLink

New remote, new car, new tenant, new house: sooner or later someone has to teach the opener a code. On most openers it takes a minute at the learn button. The steps below are generic by brand family. Your manual has the exact version, and our brand pages note the differences between makes.

Before you start

A safety note first. You will be on a stepladder under the opener. Keep your hands clear of the rail, the chain or belt and the trolley. Never unwind, adjust or remove a torsion or extension spring, a lift cable, a cable drum or a bottom bracket, and do not reach toward them. Never run the opener with a broken spring or a snapped cable, and keep everyone out from under the door while you test. If the door is crooked or jammed, stop and get that fixed first.

Have ready: the remotes, a fresh battery for each, a steady stepladder and, for HomeLink, the car parked outside with the door path clear.

Where is the learn or program button?

• Chamberlain, LiftMaster and Craftsman. A colored learn button on the back or right side of the motor head, near the hanging antenna wire. The color tells you which remotes will work. The opener brand identification guide has the color chart.
• Genie and Overhead Door. Either a round LEARN CODE button with a red light, or a square PROGRAM button marked PRGM on newer models. Genie says it sits on the motor head or under the light cover.
• Other brands. Check the manual or the label for the button location.

Program a handheld remote

On Chamberlain-made openers, Chamberlain’s steps are:

1. Press and immediately release the learn button. Its light glows steadily.
2. Within 30 seconds, press and hold the button on the remote you want to use.
3. Release when the opener lights flash or you hear two clicks.
4. Step outside the door’s path and test it.

A universal remote has to be set to your opener first, usually by entering a mode that matches your learn button color or brand family, before you press the learn button. Follow the remote’s own sheet.

On Genie openers the idea is the same, but the button behavior differs by model. On 1995 to 2011 units, press the LEARN CODE button and its red light flashes. On newer units, hold the PRGM button until its round light turns blue, then release, and the long light starts flashing purple. From there, follow the button presses on the remote’s own instruction sheet.

Program a keypad PIN

On Chamberlain-made openers:

1. Press and release the learn button on the motor head.
2. Within 30 seconds, enter a four-digit PIN of your choice on the keypad.
3. Press and hold Enter until the opener lights blink or you hear clicks.
4. Test the keypad with the door clear.

Genie keypads work the other way around. Per the Genie instructions, you set the PIN on the keypad itself first, then put the opener in program mode, enter the PIN and press the UP/DOWN key slowly, 3 to 4 times, until the door moves. Whatever the brand, pick a PIN that is not the house number or the last four digits of a phone number. To swap an existing PIN for a new one, follow our guide to changing a garage door keypad code by brand.

How do you program HomeLink in your car?

HomeLink is the row of opener buttons built into many cars, in the mirror, visor or overhead console. Exact button combinations vary by vehicle, and Security+ 3.0 openers work differently, as noted below. For most rolling-code openers the general sequence is:

1. Park outside with the door path clear and the ignition on, as your car’s manual directs.
2. Train HomeLink to your remote. Hold the handheld remote a few inches from the HomeLink buttons. Hold the HomeLink button while you press and release the remote every 2 seconds, until the HomeLink light changes from a slow to a rapid blink. HomeLink notes that a rapid blink that turns solid means it has picked up a rolling code and needs one more step.
3. Press the learn button on the motor head. Press and release it like a doorbell. You now have about 30 seconds.
4. Return to the car and press the HomeLink button. Press and hold it for about 2 seconds, release, and repeat until the door moves.

Three compatibility points to know:

• Security+ 2.0 openers (yellow learn button or yellow antenna wire). These have been made since 2011. HomeLink says some older versions of HomeLink cannot program them directly, and a HomeLink Compatibility Bridge kit exists for that case. Check your vehicle on the HomeLink site before buying one.
• Security+ 3.0 openers (white learn button). Chamberlain-made openers from 2025 on use Security+ 3.0. HomeLink says these must be programmed using the original handheld remote, not directly at the motor head, so follow the 3.0 steps on the HomeLink site or in your car’s manual instead of steps 3 and 4. HomeLink describes the bridge only for yellow-antenna openers, so it is not the fix for a 3.0 opener.
• Genie openers. Genie publishes its own HomeLink steps, so use those or your car’s manual.

Erase all remotes after a move or tenant change

You do not know how many remotes the last owner or tenant handed out. Erase them all and start clean.

• Chamberlain, LiftMaster and Craftsman. Press and hold the learn button for about 6 seconds, until its light goes out. That clears every remote and keypad code, including car HomeLink buttons, so reprogram the ones you keep.
• Genie. On newer models, hold the PRGM button until its round light turns blue, then hold the up and down buttons together until both lights go solid blue. On 1995 to 2011 models, hold the LEARN CODE button until its light stops blinking. Genie says this also clears car HomeLink buttons. Other brands list the erase sequence in the manual.
• App-connected openers. Erasing remotes does not remove app access. Genie says Aladdin Connect keeps working after a memory clear, and on Chamberlain-made Wi-Fi openers the Wi-Fi settings are cleared separately, by holding the black adjustment button until you hear three beeps. Then set the opener up under your own app account.

Landlords with several units can hand this to our property manager service at every turnover. In neighborhoods with a lot of rentals, such as Pacific Beach, University City and North Park, a clean erase between tenants is the simplest garage security there is.

Why does programming fail?

If the opener lights flash when you press a programmed remote but the door does not move, the problem is the door or the opener’s drive, not the code. The will not open or close checklist walks through it safely.

Next step

If a remote still will not program, or you want every code cleared and new remotes set up in one visit, book remote, keypad and HomeLink service. If the remote stopped working without warning, start with remote or keypad not working.