How Do I Program a BMW Key Fob?

If you’ve recently picked up a new key, or you’re trying to replace one that was recently lost or damaged, there’s a good chance you’ve wondered about how to program a BMW key fob! Although you can always rely on Motorwerks BMW to take care of services like these, we can hardly blame you for wanting to handle it at home in St Paul or Minneapolis. Thanks to our simple step-by-step guide, you can become a professional BMW key fob programmer in 15 minutes or less! Here’s everything you need to know when you buy a new BMW.

How to Program a BMW Key: Additional Key Fobs

If you already have a working BMW key fob in your possession, take the following steps to pair another fob with your vehicle:

1. Gather up all the keys that you’d like to program, along with the working fob. Then get into your vehicle, and make sure all windows and doors are completely closed.
2. Insert the key into the ignition, and turn it to position one. Your electronics should turn on, but the engine should stay off. Turn the key back to position zero, and remove it.
3. Find the lock and unlock buttons on your working BMW key fob. Hold down the unlock button and press the lock button three times, in quick succession. When you release the unlock button, the doors should lock and unlock automatically.
4. Now it’s time to program your new key. Within 30 seconds, hold down the new key fob’s unlock button, and press the lock button three times. Once more, you’ll hear the doors lock and unlock when you release.
5. Repeat step four for any additional key fob that you’d like to program. Just make sure to work quickly, so you don’t have to start over with a working key. If you hear the doors lock and unlock, you’ve made a successful pairing!

How to Program a BMW Key from Scratch

Let’s say you lost or damaged the only BMW key that you had! Don’t despair, as there’s an easy way to program a new BMW key, even if you don’t have an original:

1. Use the emergency key to unlock the vehicle, then get into your car or SUV. Close all windows and doors.
2. Insert the key into the ignition. Then turn it to position one, and back to position zero. Do this five times, quickly, and remove the key.
3. Now, you’ll just hold the unlock button down and press the lock button three times! You should hear the doors lock and unlock as soon as you release the button you were holding down, and that means the pairing has been successful.
4. Do you have additional keys to program? Repeat step three for each additional BMW fob.
5. Turning on your vehicle allows everything to sync up as it should, so you don’t have to start over next time!

Visit Motorwerks BMW for All Your BMW Key Fob Needs

If you still need to order a new BMW key fob or a new BMW key battery, just fill out our simple parts order form online! We’ll call you as soon as it reaches our parts department. If you have any trouble with the BMW key fob replacement process, you can always schedule service and let us finish the job today!