How To Reset Schlage Keypad Lock

Most guides on this topic were written for a homeowner who moved in last week and wants to clear the previous owner's code. That's a 10-minute job and we'll cover it. But a big chunk of people searching for this are facilities managers at schools, property maintenance staff at apartment complexes, and building engineers at hospitals who are staring at a Schlage CO-100 or CO-200 commercial lock. Those two things are not the same job, and the instructions aren't the same either.

We've been an authorized Allegion dealer since 2001, supplying commercial keypad and electronic locks to schools, hospitals, and institutions across the country. Schlage CO Series commercial locks ship out of our Monroe, NY warehouse to schools and institutions every week. This guide covers both scenarios: the residential reset you'll find on most sites, and the commercial reset that most guides skip entirely.

One thing before you start: have your default programming code ready. It's on a sticker inside the battery cover or on the Quick Start Guide that came with the lock. We'll also cover what to do if that code is gone.

What's the Difference Between a Reset and Reprogramming?

People use these interchangeably and they mean different things.

A factory reset wipes everything. All stored user codes, your custom programming code, any settings changes you made. The lock goes back to exactly the state it was in when it left the factory. After a reset, only the default codes printed on that sticker inside the battery cover will work.

Reprogramming means you change something specific without wiping the slate. Add a new user code, delete an old one, change the programming code. You need your current programming code to reprogram. If you have it, you don't need a reset at all. If you're also deciding whether to upgrade your lock hardware entirely, our best commercial door locks guide for 2026 covers every Grade 1 option by application.

Most people end up doing a factory reset because they've lost the programming code. There's a section below specifically for that.

How to Reset Schlage Residential Keypad Locks (BE365, FE595, Encode, Touch)

These steps work across the common Schlage residential and light commercial keypad deadbolt models. Locate your programming code first. It's on a sticker inside the battery compartment or on the Quick Start Guide. You'll need it to set up new codes after the reset.

Step 1. Remove the inside battery cover and disconnect the battery pack.

Step 2. Press and release the Schlage button on the outside keypad. The Schlage button is the oval logo button at the top of the keypad. Press it 2 to 3 times.

Step 3. Within 10 seconds, reconnect the battery.

Step 4. Press and hold the Schlage button on the outside keypad. Hold it until the lock flashes green and beeps once, then release immediately.

The lock is now at factory defaults. Only the default programming code and default user codes from the sticker will work.

The Schlage Encode adds one step. The Encode is a smart lock with Wi-Fi. After the standard reset above, its Wi-Fi and app pairing are also wiped. You'll find the FDR button on the interior assembly, a small black circle near the thumb-turn. Press and hold it until the lock beeps confirmation. Then re-add the Encode in the Schlage Home app from scratch.

Testing after the reset: enter your default user code followed by the Schlage button. The lock should retract. If nothing happens, the reset didn't complete. The most common reason is that you took longer than 10 seconds between pressing the Schlage button and reconnecting the battery. Start over from Step 1.

How to Reset a Schlage CO-100 Commercial Keypad Lock

The CO-100 is Schlage's standalone commercial keypad lock for offices, classrooms, storage rooms, and utility spaces. No network required. It runs on four AA batteries and stores up to 500 unique user PIN codes. Schools use it on classroom doors. Property managers use it on amenity spaces. Hospitals use it on medication storage rooms and staff-only areas.

The reset process is different from the residential locks, and the stakes are higher. A factory reset on a CO-100 clears all 500 stored codes at once. If your facility has been adding codes for five years, those are gone after a reset. Make sure a reset is actually what you need before you do it.

Factory default programming code on most CO-100 units: 13579 followed by the # sign.

Step 1. Remove the inside battery cover and disconnect the battery connector. The CO-100 uses a connector plug, not just loose batteries. Pull the connector out of the socket.

Step 2. Press and hold the Schlage button on the outside keypad while reconnecting the battery connector inside. You need both hands or a second person for this step.

Step 3. Keep holding the Schlage button until you hear a beep and see a flash. This confirms the lock is entering reset mode.

Step 4. Release the Schlage button. Within 10 seconds, press and release the Schlage button 3 times. One beep sounds with each press.

Step 5. After the third press, the Schlage button lights solid green for one second and you hear one long beep. That's your confirmation the reset is complete.

Step 6. Test it. Enter 1-3-5-7-9-# on the keypad. The lock should retract momentarily.

Step 7. Set a new programming code immediately. Do not leave the lock running on the factory default. Someone who knows the default 13579 code can reprogram your lock.

Firmware note: CO-100 units running firmware version 2.5.0 or higher support 3 to 6 digit PINs. Older firmware also supports variable PIN length, but the PIN length setting itself may not be accessible without the software. If your CO-100 is managed through the Schlage Utility Software (SUS), check the firmware version there before assuming which features are available.

We stock the full Schlage CO Series line, including the CO-100 in cylindrical and mortise configurations. Browse our commercial keypad lock catalog for available models and configurations.

How to Reset a Schlage CO-200

The CO-200 adds card reader options to the CO-100's keypad-only design. It's still offline, still battery-powered, but it can handle magnetic stripe, proximity, and smart card credentials in addition to PINs. It manages up to 2,000 users and keeps an audit trail. Most CO-200 installations are managed through the Schlage Utility Software (SUS) mobile app.

The hardware reset sequence on the CO-200 follows the same battery-disconnect and three-press Schlage button method as the CO-100. The difference is what happens on the software side.

If your CO-200 was enrolled in SUS, a hardware factory reset clears the lock's internal configuration, but the SUS database on your device or server still has the old enrollment record. After the hardware reset, you'll need to re-enroll the lock in SUS to restore computer management. If the lock is part of a managed deployment handled by a security integrator, contact them before doing a hardware reset. A reset without re-enrollment can break audit trail continuity.

For CO-250 locks with magnetic stripe card management, the same applies. Contact your systems integrator or call us at 877-471-4870 and we can walk through the right sequence for your specific setup.

How to Change Your Programming Code After a Reset

After any reset, the lock runs on factory default codes. Change the programming code before you do anything else, including adding user codes. Here's the sequence for most Schlage keypad models:

Step 1. Disconnect the battery, press and hold the Schlage button, reconnect the battery, wait for the green flash and beep. (Same as the reset start.)

Step 2. Release the Schlage button. Within 10 seconds, enter your current programming code. On a freshly reset residential lock, this is the code from the sticker. On a freshly reset CO-100, this is 13579.

Step 3. Press the Schlage button after entering the programming code. The light flashes orange. That's programming mode.

Step 4. Press 1 on the keypad. On most models, 1 is the command to change the programming code.

Step 5. Enter your new programming code. 6 digits on residential models. 3 to 6 digits on CO-100 and CO-200 depending on your PIN length setting.

Step 6. Press the Schlage button. Green flash means the new programming code saved. Red flash means try again.

Write the new code down and store it somewhere other than on the lock itself. For facilities managers, the right place is your building's hardware schedule, your work order system, or a locked physical record. A lot of service calls we've seen over 25 years come down to a programming code written on a Post-it that someone threw away during a cleaning cycle.

How to Add and Delete User Codes Without a Factory Reset

This is the step most guides skip, and it's the one facilities managers actually need most.

You don't need to reset the whole lock to manage who has access. Every time a tenant moves out or a staff member leaves, a targeted code deletion keeps the lock secure without wiping the entire user database.

To add a user code: Enter programming mode using your programming code (orange flash confirms). Press 2. Enter the new user code. Press the Schlage button. Green flash means it saved.

To delete one specific user code: Enter programming mode. Press 3. Enter the code you want to remove. Press the Schlage button. Green flash means it's gone.

To delete all user codes without doing a full factory reset: Enter programming mode. Press 3. Enter the programming code itself (not a user code) and press the Schlage button. This wipes all stored user codes while keeping your custom programming code and any other settings you've configured. It's faster than a factory reset and doesn't require reprogramming from scratch.

This is the right move when a tenant lease ends or a school semester turns over. Wipe the user codes, add the new ones, move on. For institutions managing hundreds of codes on a commercial keypad lock, the difference between a targeted deletion and a full factory reset is hours of work.

What to Do If You've Lost the Schlage Programming Code

This is the situation most people are actually in when they find this article.

For residential Schlage locks: If the default codes are still readable on the sticker inside the battery cover, you can factory reset using those defaults and start fresh. If the sticker is faded or gone and you never recorded the programming code, Schlage customer service cannot retrieve it. That's not a policy gap; the code isn't stored on their end. If you have the default user codes (the A and B codes from the original sticker), a reset will get the lock working with those. If you have no codes at all, you're looking at a locksmith visit or replacing the lock. A qualified locksmith can often bypass or re-cylinder the lock without replacing the whole unit.

For Schlage CO-100 locks: The factory default programming code is 13579# on most units. If someone changed it and you don't know the new one, the battery-disconnect hardware reset sequence described in the CO-100 section above bypasses the need for the programming code entirely. The reset uses a physical hardware sequence, not software authorization. This is intentional, so a facilities manager can regain control of a lock even after the person who programmed it is long gone.

For CO-200 and managed CO-Series locks with SUS: Contact Allegion technical support or your authorized Allegion dealer. Some SUS-managed locks have software-side recovery options that avoid a hardware reset. Call 877-471-4870 and we can confirm the right approach for your specific configuration. We've been specifying and supporting the CO Series since it launched; this is not an unusual situation.

How to Prevent Losing Your Programming Code Again

Every time a new Schlage keypad lock installs, do three things before the packaging leaves the job site.

Record the model number, serial number, and programming code somewhere that lives in your building's hardware records, not on the lock. A spreadsheet, a building management system, a property management platform. Somewhere that survives staff turnover.

Take a photo of the sticker inside the battery cover before it fades or gets covered in grime. The sticker carries the default codes, and on installs that are 5 to 10 years old, it's frequently illegible when someone actually needs it.

Run a code audit once a year. On CO-100 locks with up to 500 stored PINs, it's easy to accumulate codes for staff who left three years ago. An annual audit takes 30 minutes per lock and means you're never carrying dead codes that could reactivate if someone passes an old PIN to a new person.

For facilities running multiple keypad locks across a building, the Schlage Utility Software makes code management significantly more manageable. You're updating codes from a mobile device at the door instead of going through the full keypad programming sequence on each lock individually.

Schlage Keypad Reset at a Glance

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reset a Schlage keypad lock without the programming code?

Yes, on most models. The factory reset uses a hardware sequence (disconnecting the battery and pressing the Schlage button in a specific order) that doesn't require you to know the programming code. The sequence is in the CO-100 and residential sections above. After the reset, you'll need the factory default code from the sticker to reprogram.

Will a factory reset on my Schlage lock erase all the user codes?

Yes. A factory reset clears everything. All user codes, your custom programming code, any settings you configured. The lock goes back to factory defaults. If you only need to remove specific codes, use the targeted deletion method in the section above instead.

What's the factory default programming code on a Schlage CO-100?

The factory default is 13579 followed by the # key. This is the code the lock ships with. If the previous user changed it and you don't know the new one, the hardware reset sequence will bypass this and restore the 13579 default.

Does a Schlage factory reset clear the audit trail on a CO-200?

The hardware reset clears the lock's internal audit log. Any records stored in the Schlage Utility Software on your management device are unaffected by the hardware reset, but the lock itself will have a clean audit log after the reset. If you need to preserve audit records before a reset, export them from SUS first.

Can a locksmith reset a Schlage CO-100 without the programming code?

Yes. A locksmith with knowledge of the CO Series can perform the hardware reset sequence. However, if the goal is to change who has access rather than fix a locked-out situation, a targeted code deletion is usually faster. Contact us at 877-471-4870 and we can confirm the right approach before you bring in a locksmith.

Authorized Schlage and Allegion dealer since 2001. We stock the full CO Series line, ND Series commercial cylindrical locks, and L Series mortise locks. For CO-100 programming support, SUS assistance, or commercial lock replacement, call 877-471-4870. Free shipping on orders over $300.

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