How to Program a LiftMaster Remote, Keypad or Car

Press and release the learn button on the garage door opener (its light comes on), then within 30 seconds press and hold the button on your remote until the opener lights flash or you hear two clicks. That’s it. If it doesn’t work, check that your remote matches the color of your opener’s learn button (table below) and that its battery is good.

The same steps work for Chamberlain openers, and for Craftsman openers made after 1993 that have a yellow, purple, red/orange or green learn button. The steps on this page follow LiftMaster’s own instructions, written up by the team that has completed 930+ LiftMaster jobs since June 2020.

The learn button is on the back or side of the opener motor, near the hanging antenna wire (on wall mount openers such as the 8500W, use the learn button on the wall control). Its color tells you which remotes and keypads will work.

Source: Chamberlain Group learn button identification chart and LiftMaster remote compatibility list, checked November 2026. Older remotes such as the 893MAX and 890MAX and the 877MAX keypad still work with yellow, purple, red/orange and green buttons. Openers with a square yellow, white or grey button made before 1993 are no longer supported; replacing the opener is the fix.

Using the learn button on the opener (works on any compatible opener)

1. Find the learn button on the opener. Take the remote up the ladder with you.
2. Press and immediately release the learn button. Its light glows steadily.
3. Within 30 seconds, press and hold the remote button you want to use.
4. Release it when the opener lights flash or you hear two clicks. Test the remote.

Using a wall control with a learn button

1. Press and release the learn button on the wall control twice. Its light starts blinking.
2. Within 30 seconds, press and hold the remote button you want to use until the opener lights flash or you hear two clicks.

Using a wall control with a screen

1. Use the navigation button to scroll to PROGRAM and select REMOTE.
2. Press and hold the remote button until the opener lights flash or you hear two clicks.

Using the myQ app

On a Wi-Fi opener (yellow or white learn button, or a “Powered by myQ” logo): in the myQ app tap Settings, Devices, Add a New Device, Accessory, then Garage Door Remote, choose your opener and follow the prompts. Newer remotes have a QR code on the back you can scan instead.

If the remote won’t program

• Check that the remote is on the list for your learn button color.
• Put in a fresh battery, the right way round.
• Wait for the learn button light to go out before trying again.
• Remote only works up close? LED bulbs in the opener can interfere with the signal.

The 877MAX is the keypad we install most. It works with yellow, purple, red/orange and green learn buttons; you tell it which one by the number of times you press ENTER.

1. Press and hold the * and # buttons on the keypad until the keypad lights stop blinking.
2. Enter a 4 digit PIN of your choice, then press #.
3. Press and release ENTER: once for a yellow learn button, twice for purple, three times for red/orange, four times for green.
4. Press and release 0.
5. Press and release the learn button on the opener. Its light comes on.
6. Within 30 seconds, enter your PIN and press ENTER until the opener lights flash or you hear two clicks. Test it.

Change the PIN: enter the current PIN, press and hold # until the opener light blinks twice, enter the new PIN and press ENTER. The light blinks once.

Temporary PIN for a guest or contractor: enter your PIN, press and hold * until the light blinks three times, enter the temporary PIN and press ENTER (four blinks), then enter the number of hours it should work (up to 255) and press *.

The newer L979M and L979U keypads have a QR code on the back that walks you through programming on your phone.

Park outside facing the garage door with the car on, and have a working remote for the door. Finish these steps within 90 seconds.

1. Press and hold the HomeLink button you want to use. A slow flashing light means it is ready; a fast flash means it is already programmed, so pick another button or clear it first.
2. Hold your remote 1 to 3 inches from the HomeLink button.
3. Press and hold the HomeLink button until its light flashes slowly. Keep holding it and press and hold the remote button too.
4. Keep holding both until the light changes from a slow to a fast flash (up to 20 seconds), then release both.
5. Press and hold the HomeLink button for 2 seconds. If the door doesn’t move, repeat this step up to two more times.

Some cars pair through the dashboard screen, and some (often Audi, Porsche and Tesla) have the HomeLink sensor in the bumper. Some cars also need a HomeLink Compatibility Bridge; HomeLink can tell you whether yours does. For car specific help, contact HomeLink at homelink.com or 1-800-355-3515.

Do this after you move into a home, lose a remote, or if the door opens on its own. Press and hold the learn button on the opener (or on the myQ wall control for wall mount openers) for about 6 seconds, until its light goes out. Every remote and keypad is erased; program the ones you keep again.

For openers with a yellow learn button and UP and DOWN arrow buttons (Security+ 2.0). If the door stops short of the floor or opens too far, reset the travel:

1. Press and hold the adjustment button until the UP button flashes or you hear a beep.
2. Hold the UP or DOWN arrow until the door is where you want it fully open, then press and release the adjustment button. The opener lights flash twice and the DOWN button starts flashing.
3. Hold the arrows until the door is where you want it closed, then press and release the adjustment button. The lights flash twice and the UP button flashes.
4. Press and release UP. When the door is open, press and release DOWN. The opener learns the force it needs on these two runs.

Lights flashing 5 times means the setup timed out; flashing 10 times means the safety sensors are blocked or out of line. Never use the force setting to make a sticking door close.

If a remote, keypad or car still won’t program, the opener may need a new logic board or an accessory that matches its learn button, or a compatibility bridge for your car. We have installed or programmed LiftMaster keypads on 500+ jobs. See our LiftMaster troubleshooting guide for blinking lights and error codes, or the LiftMaster openers we install. We are open 24/7 and the $45 service call is waived when we do the repair.