Question: Can you tell me how to unlock my new (to me) BMW from the inside? It’s an older model and it’s confusing. I know how to unlock it to get into the car, but sometimes it locks while I’m driving and I don’t know how to unlock it from the driver’s seat.
Answer: Getting used to a new car can be hard, and you’re not alone in being confused by how to unlock all of the doors on your BMW from the inside. While some BMW models do still have a traditional unlock button on the door panel, many newer models have eliminated this feature.
If your car doesn’t have a door panel unlock button, try these tips to unlock your BMW from the inside:
Pull the door handle twice
If your car door is locked, you can unlock it by pulling the door handle once. You’ll need to pull the handle a second time to actually open the door. Each passenger will need to do this to get their doors open.
Press the unlock button on the dash
Once you park your car, press the “Central Locking” button on the center of your dash near the button for your hazard lights. This will unlock all of the BMW’s doors.
Change the settings so the car unlocks automatically
Go to the Settings menu in the infotainment center. Choose Doors and Windows, then Lock/Unlock. Select the option that reads Unlock doors at end of trip.
With this setting turned on, all the doors of your BMW will automatically unlock after you turn off the ignition. However, if the car is running, you’ll still need to use the unlock button or double-pull to unlock the doors.
You can also deselect the option to Lock after starting to drive within your settings if you don’t want your doors to lock automatically once you’re going more than 10 mph. For safety reasons, many drivers are more comfortable leaving this feature enabled.
Unlock all the doors from the outside with Comfort Access
If you forget to unlock all of your doors after you get out of the car but you left your key inside the vehicle, you can still unlock the rest of the doors from the outside with Comfort Access—if your vehicle is equipped with it. Just grab any door handle—or the front passenger door if your BMW model only has sensors on that door—and all your doors will unlock.
To set up this feature, use the BMW app to set Comfort Access to All Doors—if it’s set to Driver’s door only, which is usually the default setting, only your driver’s door will unlock.
Expert insurance writer and editor Amy Bobinger specializes in car repair, car maintenance, and car insurance. Amy is passionate about creating content that helps consumers navigate challenges related to car ownership and achieve financial success in areas relating to cars. Amy has over 10 years of writing and editing experience. After several years as a freelance writer, Amy spent four years as an editing fellow at WikiHow, where she co-authored over 600 articles on topics including car maintenance and home ownership. Since joining Jerry’s editorial team in 2022, Amy has edited over 2,500 articles on car insurance, state driving laws, and car repair and maintenance.
Everett Cook is an award-winning journalist and editor with more than 10 years of experience across a variety of industries. In editing for Jerry, Everett’s mission is to help readers have a better understanding of the costs of owning or leasing a car and to better understand their vehicle in terms of insurance and repairs. Prior to joining Jerry, Everett was an editor for Axios. His previous work has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Atlantic, Atlantic Re:think, The Boston Globe, USA Today, and others. He’s also been a freelance writer and editor with experience in SEO, audience building, and long-term content roadmaps. Everett is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan.
