Merlin remote programming starts with the model number
The Door Hero is not connected with Merlin or Chamberlain. The steps here come from Merlin's own manuals.
Merlin openers do not all learn a remote the same way. The yellow button might say LEARN or S, the opener might answer with a flash or a beep, and some older units want the remote put into a programming mode first. So pin down exactly which opener you have before pressing anything.
Merlin's support page says the model number is usually on the motor unit: on the side or the back, near the light, or underneath when the unit hangs from the ceiling. Note it down with the remote's model, such as E975M or E960M. When you tell us the job, give both, because the door specialist who takes it may or may not work on Merlin openers.
Merlin's support page also says Chamberlain openers are designed for DIY installation, while Merlin's are meant for professional fitting. The steps below are Merlin's only, so for a Chamberlain-branded opener, check the manual for your model. Other makes are in programming a garage door remote.
Before you start
- The opener's model number, read off the motor unit
- The remote's model, such as E975M, E970M or E960M
- A step ladder or sturdy step, so you can reach the yellow button
- A fresh coin cell if the remote has been slow to respond: Merlin says its remotes commonly take a CR2032 or a CR2025
- The car moved out and nobody standing in the doorway
How to program a Merlin garage remote on a myQ opener
Find the yellow button on the motor unit
On the Commander Elite MS105MYQ and the Commander Ultimate MJ3800MYQ, Merlin's manuals call it LEARN. On the SilentDrive Elite MR855MYQ roller door opener it is S, for SAVE.
Hold the remote button you want to use
All three manuals start at the remote. Press the button that will run this door and keep your thumb on it.
Tap the yellow button once
Still holding the remote button, press and release LEARN, or S on the MR855MYQ.
Let go when the opener answers
The MS105MYQ manual says to release the remote once the opener light flashes. On the MR855MYQ the courtesy light flashes twice. The MJ3800MYQ, coding an E975M, beeps instead, and its myQ light flashes once.
Try it from where you can see the door
Step back clear of the opening, press the remote, and watch the door run all the way.
Older Security+ openers: programming mode first
Put the remote into programming mode
Merlin's support page says to hold the remote's left and right buttons together for around 5 seconds, until its LED stays lit.
Press LEARN on the opener
The learn button is on the motor unit, not on the remote.
Press your chosen button twice
Press the remote button you want this door on two times, until the opener light flashes.
Lock the code in
Press any one of the remote's other 3 buttons. Merlin's support page says that is what locks the code in.
Which remotes work with which Merlin opener
Merlin's support page gives a timed version for its E148M wall remote, its E964M visor remote and the E960M, E970M, E975M, E980M and E985M: press and release LEARN on the opener, and the remote can then be programmed within 30 seconds. Have the remote in your hand before you press.
Merlin's E975M manual says that four button remote works with both Security+ and Security+ 2.0 openers and leaves the factory set for Security+ 2.0. The MJ3800MYQ is fussier: its manual says older Merlin door controls and third party products are not compatible with it.
The remotes packed with a new Commander Elite MS105MYQ are already done. Its manual lists E970M four button remotes and an E148M wireless wall remote in the carton, preprogrammed to that opener.
Car buttons are a common question. Merlin's support page says HomeLink car systems are not currently compatible with Merlin garage door or gate openers.
Resetting a Merlin garage remote: erasing every code
| Button | What the manual says to do | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander Elite MS105MYQ | LEARN | The manual gives two versions. In one, hold LEARN until the indicator LED comes on and keep holding for about 6 seconds until it goes out. In the other, hold it until the courtesy light flashes twice (about 8 seconds), then keep holding until it flashes twice again |
| SilentDrive Elite MR855MYQ | S (SAVE) | Hold S until the light flashes twice, about 8 seconds, and keep holding until it flashes twice again |
| Commander Ultimate MJ3800MYQ | LEARN | Hold LEARN until the LED goes out, approximately 6 seconds. Holding it again also wipes the myQ connections |
When to wipe a Merlin opener's memory
An erase takes out every remote at once, the ones you use included. Merlin's support page says so plainly: deleting a lost or stolen remote erases all the programmed codes. Gather every remote you are keeping before you start, then add each one back with the steps above.
Merlin names three moments for it. Its support page says to reprogram after a remote goes missing. Its blog tells new owners and new tenants alike to wipe the memory once they have the keys, since a previous occupant's remote may still be learned. And its MT3850EVO manual gives the same fix when a neighbour's remote opens your door.
Merlin's support page also says its openers have no simple reset function. Power cycling, travel limits and other resets are in resetting a garage door opener. For a Merlin not in the table, check the manual for your model.
How many remotes a Merlin opener remembers
Merlin's support page says up to 180 individual remotes can be programmed to a single Merlin opener. That is Merlin's general figure, and the model manuals give their own.
The MJ3800MYQ Commander Ultimate manual says that opener remembers up to 40 remote controls, plus up to 2 Smart Control Panels or 4 other door controls. Merlin's MR855EVO, MT3850EVO and MT110MYQ manuals each list 64 memory registers.
Merlin remote batteries and range
A remote that does nothing may just be flat. Merlin's E975M manual says its LED does not flash when the battery is low, so if it stays dark when pressed, try a new cell first. That remote takes a CR2032 lasting up to 3 years, with a range of up to 3 car lengths.
Merlin's instructions give the E960M's CR2032 up to 5 years, and the E964M visor remote and E148M wall remote up to 3 years each. Merlin's E985M manual says that remote is water resistant to IP65.
For a remote that has stopped working altogether, start with garage door remote control not working.
Coin cells and small children
The CR2032 in these remotes is a lithium button battery. Queensland Fair Trading says a lodged button battery can cause severe burns in as little as 2 hours, so keep spare and used cells locked away from children. If a child may have swallowed one, it says to call the Poisons Information Centre at once or go straight to a hospital emergency department.
Phone control with myQ
Merlin's support page says the myQ app needs an opener whose model name contains MYQ, such as MS105MYQ or MR855MYQ, on a roller or sectional door, because myQ does not suit tilt doors. Adding phone control is covered in smart garage door openers.
What to tell the door specialist
- The opener's model, such as MR855MYQ or MS105MYQ
- The remote's model, and whether it came in the box with the opener
- What happened when you tried: a flash, a beep or nothing at all
- Whether a remote is lost, or a former owner may still hold one
- Whether the opener is still under warranty, and who fitted it
Do it yourself, or hand it over
You can
- Add a remote with the steps your model's manual gives
- Swap the coin cell in a remote that has gone quiet
- Erase the memory and re-add your remotes after one goes missing
Leave to a door specialist
- A remote that still won't learn after two careful tries
- Fault codes flashing on the opener's lights
- Adding myQ phone control, which brings safety beams into the job
What we would do
Before buying a replacement remote, photograph the opener's label and check the remote suits it. Merlin's MJ3800MYQ manual rules out older Merlin door controls on that opener, so a spare from the kitchen drawer may never pair, however carefully you follow the steps.