How to Reprogram Chamberlain Garage Door Opener

An image of Chamberlain B970T Smart Garage Door Opener with Battery Backup, one of the best chamberlain garage door openers

If you lose the remote control for your Chamberlain garage door opener or it is malfunctioning, you need to reprogram the opener. You may also want to reset the opener if you are moving into a home previously occupied by another owner.

In any case, you should know how to reprogram Chamberlain garage door opener to complete this task.

This write-up looks at the procedure for resetting your Chamberlain garage door.

Read along.

How to program Chamberlain garage door opener

To program your Chamberlain garage door opener, you will need to start with the garage door closed. The motor unit should also have a bulb that will flicker to indicate the system’s response to your input during programming.

What you will need

Depending on whether you will program the unit from the learn button on the motor unit or the control panel, you may need some or all of the following supplies.

Some garage door openers come with a control panel that can be used to program your remote control.

Stepladder

Remote control (or multiple) to be programmed
Paperclip
Light bulb (if the motor unit doesn’t already have one inside)

The procedure to follow

Once you have all the supplies listed above, you can proceed to the steps below to complete reprogramming your opener.

Preliminary step: confirm you have the compatible remote control

Chamberlain remote controls only work with garage door openers made in 1993 and after. One primary feature of these openers is the photoelectric sensors. The sensors are a security feature installed about 6 inches from the ground on the tracks on both sides of the garage door.

You can further confirm the compatibility by checking the color of the learn button. The learn button is usually located on the back or side panel of the opener. You will need to remove the lens cover over the bulb on your motor unit to locate it.

Chamberlain garage door openers are typically an overhead installation, so climb a stepladder to reach the motor unit. Once there, remove the lens cover to locate the learn button inside. You should find the button on the side of the motor unit where the antenna wire hangs down.

This button is usually round and yellow for Chamberlain, Liftmaster, and Craftsman garage door openers. It can also be square-shaped and purple in color for some models. If you have the yellow or purple learn button, the antenna wire will match the learn button color.

So you can just check the color of the antenna wire to know what color the learn button is. This knowledge should save you from having to climb the ladder to check the learn button color.

If the antenna wire is any color other than yellow or purple, you will have to make that trip up the stepladder. Once you have determined the learn button color on your opener, check the remote control user manual to see if it is compatible. The manual should tell you what color button is compatible with your unit.

Below are some of the top 5 best chamberlain garage door opener models at amazon.com

Step 1: Reset the memory of your opener

Now that you have located the learn button of your opener, it is time to use it.

Climb a ladder to reach it on the motor unit and remove the cover to access the button. Now press and hold the learn button for about six seconds or longer. You don’t have to count these seconds; the LED light will go out to indicate the process is complete—so that’s the main thing to keep an eye out for.

This action will erase all previous programming codes from the system. Holding down the learn button clears the door opener’s memory. That means any remotes previously programmed to operate the garage door opener are effectively removed from its memory.

The same goes for any keyless entry codes previously set to open and close the door. Once you have reset the opener, you can try using your remote or keypad code to confirm.

Step 2: Get the remote control ready for programming

To get the remote control panel ready for programing, find its program button. This is typically a small, silver-like button inside a hole. It can be on the side of the remote control or at the back, depending on the specific model you have.

So, ensure you study the user manual for instructions on how to locate this program button.

If it is on the back, you will need to slide off the metal clip to access it. Once you locate it, press and hold it with the metal clip until an LED light on the front side of the remote comes on.

Depending on your model, you could also use a paperclip to press this button, whichever works better for you.

Step 3: Enter the programming mode on your opener

You can put the garage door opener system into the programming mode from the control panel or the main learn button on the motor unit.

If your Chamberlain garage door opener has a control panel, it can be one of the four common styles below:

Multifunction control panel
Motion detecting control panel
Smart control panel with an LCD

Doorbell-style single button control panel

To reprogram your Chamberlain garage door opener, you will need to follow the steps that apply to your specific control panel style. Alternatively, use the learn button on your motor unit to follow the standard procedure for programming the unit.

If the control panel on your garage door opener has a learn button, start by pressing and releasing it two times.

Smart control panel with an LCD screen

If your door control panel has an LCD screen, begin by pressing the menu button followed by the down arrow until ‘Program’ is highlighted on the screen. After that, press the side arrow to select it.

Next, scroll down until ‘Remote’ is highlighted on the screen. Then press the side arrow to select the highlighted option.

Doorbell-style single button control panel

For the doorbell-style single button control panel, press and hold the light button on the side while pressing and releasing the front button. The light will blink once and then stay on solid.

Switching to the programming mode from the control panel can save you the trip to the motor unit for the learn button. It can save you the trouble of climbing the stepladder to reach the motor unit.

However, that step is inevitable if your garage door opener does not include a control panel.

Entering the programming mode without a control panel

If your Chamberlain garage door opener does not have a control panel, you will need to program it using the unit’s learn button.

To do that, press the learn button once. The light next to it will come on. Once you do this, you will have about 30 seconds to reprogram your remote control before the light goes off.

Step 4: Program your selected button on the remote control

Immediately you finish putting your opener into the programming mode, program your selected button on the remote control.

For the newer remote control models, you only need to press and release the button you want to use.

If the garage door opener light bulb does not blink and produce a clicking sound, it means you must press the remote control button multiple times. Wait until the LED on the remote stops blinking, then gently press and release the button again.

Repeat this process until the light bulb flashes and clicks to acknowledge the pairing. Once this happens, do not press the remote control button again until after exiting the programming mode.

The number of times you must press the button before the opener accepts it corresponds to the color of the learn button.

Yellow—press once
Purple—press twice
Red/orange—press three times.

Green—press four times.
Next, press and release any other button on the remote control.

For an older remote control model, you must press a different button on the remote once after you have pressed the button being programmed the correct number of times.

Once you do this, the LED light on the remote will turn off. Next, press and release the learn button on your Chamberlain motor unit again.

Finally, press the remote button you just programmed once. The light on the opener unit should flash once you do that.

Now you can press the button again to complete the procedure, and the door will open.

Final step: Test it out

If you followed all the steps correctly, your remote control should now be paired with the garage door opener.

So, to confirm the process was successful, try pressing the button you just programmed to see if the door responds. If the door was open, it should close upon pressing the button. If it is open, it should close when you press the button.

The video below shows how to program chamberlain garage door opener

How to program Chamberlain’s universal remote control

To program your Chamberlain garage door opener with a universal remote control, you will need to enter the programming mode on your new universal remote before pairing them up. Follow these steps to complete the process.

Step 1

Slide the battery cover off of the remote control to access the program button inside the remote.

Step 2

Press and hold the program button on the remote control until the LED on the front of the remote turns on.

Step 3

If you have a door control with a learn button, press and release the learn button twice.

If you have a door control with an LCD screen, press the menu and then the down arrow to scroll down to ‘Program.’ Once ‘Program’ is highlighted on the LCD screen, press the side arrow to select it.

Next, press the down arrow to scroll to the ‘Remote’ option. Once it is highlighted on the screen, press the side arrow to select it.

However, if you have a doorbell-style door control panel, press and hold the light button on the side while pressing and releasing the front button. Doing this should prompt the light to blink once and then stay on solid.

Alternatively, you can quickly press and release the learn button on your garage door opener once. This should turn on the LED next to the learn button.

You do not want to press and hold the learn button. Holding down the button will clear all remote controls from the memory of your Chamberlain garage door opener.

Once you press the button, you will have 30 seconds to complete the next steps.

Step 4

On the remote control, press and release the button you want to program. Remote controls usually have multiple buttons that you can program with your garage door opener as you prefer.

Once you press it, the LED on the remote will start blinking; wait for it to stop before pressing again. Keep pressing and waiting for the blinking to stop until the garage door opener responds by flashing a light and making a click sound.

Various models will require pressing the button a specific number of times before the garage door opener responds and completes pairing.

You can refer to your manual for this information. It will specify how many times to press the button for your garage door opener model, waiting for the light on the remote to stop flashing after each press.

Press and release the program button inside the remote control and slide the battery cover back into place to exit programming mode.

Test your newly programmed remote button by pressing it. The garage door should move once you press the button. You can also program the remaining button by following these same steps.

Frequently Asked Questions-FAQs

Is there a way to reprogram a garage door opener?

Yes. You first need to locate the opener’s learn button, often on the back of your opener’s motor. Hold the button until your opener’s LED flashes. Holding the learn button erases all the previous codes in the opener, and you can set a new code.

Do garage door openers have a reset button?

This depends on the garage door opener type you have. For instance, the newer or modern versions have a reset button. However, the older or traditional openers lack the reset button. The more recent garage door openers use wireless signals. Hence, you can easily reset them by pressing and holding the buttons until the LED lights flash.

Older openers use a dual in-line package (DIP) to operate the system. Such systems depend on switches and radio frequencies.

Conclusion

This tutorial has walked you through how to reprogram your Chamberlain garage door opener when doing so becomes necessary. We hope it covers everything you need to know to complete your reprogramming project.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the topic, we will be delighted to hear them in the comments section below.