No Clear MyKey Option In Settings: How To Reset Without An Admin Key

If you recently bought a Ford and have been wondering why it’s acting a bit odd, but it’s not actually broken, you might wonder if MyKey has anything to do with it. In theory, MyKey is a really neat idea, but more often than not, it’s an accidental inconvenience. Either you bought a used Ford Bronco, and you didn’t know that MyKey was turned on, or you accidentally activated MyKey while messing around with your car. Turning MyKey off should be simple, but what if there is no Clear MyKey option in the Settings?

What can you do to perform a Ford MyKey reset, then? Thankfully, you’re not completely out of options if you want to clear your MyKey settings. We’ll explain each technique in more detail below, but TL;DR, you can use FORScan to clear or reset any MyKeys saved to your car, even if you don’t have an Admin Key. Alternatively, you can try doing a hard reset of your Ford’s anti-theft system by unplugging the battery. Or, if you want to save yourself the trouble, going to a dealership or calling a locksmith helps, too.

How Does Ford MyKey Work?

Ford MyKey is a programmable key system that allows you, the owner of a Ford, to set specific restrictions and limitations for your car when a MyKey is used. Here are some of the custom limitations you can place on your vehicle using MyKey, designed to minimize distractions and promote safer driving, though it may vary from one Ford model to another:

• Mute your audio system until the driver (and passengers) have fastened their seatbelts.
• Activate the low-fuel warning to come on earlier to give the driver more time to refuel.
• Automatically turn on some of your driver aids, parking assists, and safety systems.
• Prevent the driver from using the touchscreen for manual input when not in Park (P).
• Screen and restrict any explicit adult content from playing on your satellite radio.
• Add a speed limit that prevents your car from exceeding certain speeds.
• Set your sound system’s maximum volume to 45% to minimize distractions.
• Force some settings to remain on and stay active, like the 911 emergency assist feature.

Why Is There No Clear MyKey Option In The Settings?

When you buy a new Ford vehicle (specced with MyKey, which is slowly being deprecated in some newer models), you get at least two car keys. One is the Admin (Administrator) Key, and the other key can be programmed into a MyKey. Any additional keys could also be programmed into a MyKey for your car, as only one needs to be the Admin Key.

The Admin Key gives you full access to the car and can’t be programmed into a MyKey. You’ll need the Admin Key to set, change, or clear the MyKey settings. This means that without the Admin Key, whether you lost it or perhaps you never got one if you bought a used Ford, there will be no Clear MyKey option in the settings.

“Once you turn the vehicle off, you will need an admin key to change or clear your MyKey settings. If you do not have an admin key, you will need to purchase a new key from your Ford Dealer.”

- Ford Support

How To Reset MyKey In The Settings (With The Admin Key)?

For context on how clearing a MyKey is supposed to go, if you’re able to somehow find your Admin Key, then deleting a saved MyKey is super easy.

Here’s how you clear a MyKey using the information display on the gauge cluster:

1. First off, turn on your vehicle using the Admin Key.
2. Now, click through the message center until you find the settings icon.
3. Tap on settings and select MyKey.
4. You should see a Clear MyKey option, so select that.
5. Hold the OK button on your steering wheel.
6. There will be a pop-up message saying that all MyKeys have been cleared.

Additionally, you could also clear a MyKey using the SYNC infotainment system:

1. First up, turn on your vehicle using the Admin Key.
2. Next, tap on the settings icon on your SYNC homescreen.
3. Now, select the vehicle icon.
4. Once it loads, press MyKey and follow the on-screen instructions to clear a MyKey.
5. Like before, a pop-up message will appear after you finish clearing your MyKeys.

How To Reset MyKey In The Settings (Without The Admin Key)?

Remember, to clear any saved MyKeys, you will need the Admin Key. If you don’t have the Admin Key, here’s what you can do to clear a Ford MyKey from your car, in order of easiest to hardest:

Method 1: Go To The Dealership (Or Call A Locksmith)

This is the simplest, most straightforward way to clear a MyKey from your Ford without getting your hands dirty, though it can be expensive if you don’t have the Admin Key. All you need to do is head straight to a Ford dealership to have your MyKeys cleared.

Your local Ford dealership could clear your MyKey settings using special diagnostics and programming tools. However, the dealership staff will likely want to be sure that you’re the actual owner of the vehicle before they start clearing any MyKeys.

You’ll need to show documents as proof of ownership, so be prepared to bring along a valid vehicle title, an ID or driver’s license, your vehicle registration paperwork, or, if it’s being financed, the loan documents might work, too.

The dealership might encourage you to buy a new key, one that can be programmed as the Admin Key, which isn’t cheap. Depending on which dealership you go to and what kind of key you have, it’ll cost you about $150 to $200, at a minimum. Meanwhile, some of the more advanced, techy key fobs might cost as much as $500 to $600 or more.

You don’t necessarily have to go to a Ford dealership, as many locksmiths can help you program a new, blank key that could double as the Admin Key. It’ll cost you as little as $100, or even less, especially if you have an older, more traditional transponder key. You could also call a mobile locksmith to visit you instead of the other way around.

Method 2: Clear The MyKey Settings Using FORScan

FORScan is a powerful diagnostics and programming software made for Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, and some Mazda vehicles, and it lets you clear a MyKey without asking for the Admin Key or forcing you to do any manual programming. It lets you sidestep going to a dealership (which uses similar diagnostics tools anyway), and this is way cheaper.

First, you’ll need three things:

• An OBD2 adapter to plug into your car that lets it interface with FORScan.
• An Android or iOS phone or a Windows computer to run the FORScan software.
• A paid Extended License (a 2-month free trial is available) to unlock some of FORScan’s more advanced features.

Once you have all that, you can start:

1. Turn on your car and connect to it with FORScan.
2. Using FORScan, you have to run the PCM KOER (“Key On Engine Running”) on-demand self-test.
3. Now, wait until the test is complete.
4. If you have a keyless system (in other words, if you have a car with an engine start button), simply remove your key fob from your car.
5. If you have a standard blade key, you need to block the transponder from communicating with your car, such as wrapping it with tinfoil.
6. Then, stop the engine by turning the ignition off.
7. Next, turn the ignition to On, but don’t run the engine.
8. Finally, go to the MyKey menu in your car and click on the Clear MyKey option.

Method 3: Hard Reset By Unplugging The Battery

According to some forum users and angry Ford owners who’ve had to troubleshoot MyKey before, you could try disconnecting your car’s battery and letting it perform a hard reset of the car’s anti-theft system. Doing this apparently resets the MyKey system, as well, and just like that, the Clear MyKey option will reappear in the settings menu.

1. First up, you’ll have to turn off your car and remove the key.
2. Now, grab a wrench and disconnect the (black) negative (-) battery cable.
3. Leave it disconnected for at least 10 to 20 minutes (some sources quote 15 to 30 minutes, just to be safe) to drain any residual power from the anti-theft system.
4. Once the wait is over, you can reconnect the negative battery cable.
5. If all goes well, this will do a hard reset of your anti-theft system, and the Clear MyKey option will become available.

Do bear in mind that this method is hit or miss. Some forum users claimed that doing this will make the Clear MyKey option appear in the Settings menu. On the other hand, there are plenty of other folks who’ve not had much luck and had to resort to calling in a locksmith anyway, so try this method at your own risk.

Sources: Ford Support, FORScan, FORScan Forum

FAQ

Q: How do I remove MyKey settings without the Admin Key?

If you don’t have the Admin Key, the only way to remove MyKey settings is by heading to a dealership to have them clear any saved MyKeys, calling in a locksmith to program a blank key as your new Admin Key, or using the FORScan diagnostics and programming software to clear the MyKey setting. You could also try performing a hard-reset of your car’s anti-theft system by unplugging the battery, but that’s a hit or miss.

Q: How do I remove MyKey restrictions from my Ford?

Using the Admin Key, turn on your car, and find the Settings page either on your SYNC infotainment system or the Information Display on the gauge cluster. Once you’re in the Settings menu, find and select the MyKey option, and follow the on-screen instructions that show you how to clear a saved MyKey. A confirmation message will pop up telling you that you’ve successfully cleared a saved MyKey if you’ve done it right.

Q: Will disconnecting the battery reset MyKey?

This technique is a hit or miss when it comes to clearing any saved MyKeys. Some folks claimed that disconnecting the battery and leaving it unplugged for 10 to 20 minutes, which does a hard-reset of your Ford’s anti-theft system, will make the Clear MyKey option reappear in the Settings menu. For others, it didn’t work, forcing them to either head to a dealership, call in a locksmith, or use FORScan to do a Ford MyKey reset.