How to Program a Honeywell Thermostat (Every Model)

If you’re wondering how to program Honeywell thermostats, the good news is that almost every model works the same way: you give each day four periods, and each period gets a start time and a temperature. What changes from one model to another are the buttons you press to get there.

This guide shows you how to find your model and then follow its exact steps. All of them come from Honeywell’s own manuals and support pages.

Quick Answer

• Find your model number and set the time, the day and the system mode (Heat, Cool or Auto) first.
• Plan four periods per day: Wake, Away, Home and Sleep (older models call them Wake, Leave, Return and Sleep). Each one has a start time and a temperature.
• Open the schedule: Menu > Schedule on touchscreen smart models (T5, T6 Pro Smart, T9, X7S, X8S), Menu > SCHED on the X2S and X2P, Menu > PROG on the T4 Pro and T6 Pro, and the SET button on basic models like the RTH2300.
• Save before you leave the menu: Done, Save & Exit, Home or Run, depending on the model.

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Before You Program It

Three things make Honeywell thermostat programming much easier, and they only take a couple of minutes.

Find your model number. It’s printed on the back of the thermostat (on a few models, on the battery holder) and starts with letters like TH, RTH or RCHT. Our guide on how to change the battery in a Honeywell thermostat shows how to take each type off the wall.

Set the time and the day. The schedule runs on the thermostat’s clock. On many older models, a flashing clock means the time isn’t set, and the thermostat follows the Monday Wake setting until you set it. Wi-Fi models registered to an app take the time from the internet.

Choose the system mode. Select Heat, Cool or Auto with the Mode or System button (or the System switch on basic models). On some older models, such as the RTH2300 and the FocusPRO 6000, you program the mode the thermostat is in: set it to Heat and program the heating schedule, then switch to Cool and program the cooling one.

Then decide on your times and temperatures. If you don’t change anything, most models already run Honeywell’s energy-saving schedule:

Period	Start time	Heat	Cool
Wake	6:00 am	70°F	78°F
Away (Leave)	8:00 am	62°F	85°F
Home (Return)	6:00 pm	70°F	78°F
Sleep	10:00 pm	62°F	82°F

Honeywell says these presets can reduce your heating and cooling costs. If you’re not sure which temperatures to choose, our guide on what temperature to set your thermostat in winter can help.

One thing worth knowing: most Honeywell models learn how long your system takes to heat or cool the house, and start early so the temperature is ready at the time you set. So set Wake to the time you want the house warm, not earlier.

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How to Program Honeywell Thermostats by Model

This is how to program Honeywell thermostats from each family. Find your model in the table, then read the steps for it below. If yours isn’t here, Honeywell keeps a list of manuals for each model family.

Model	Model number	Open the schedule
T5, T5+, T6 Pro Smart	RCHT8610WF, RCHT8612WF, TH6220WF2, TH6320WF2	Menu > Schedule
T9, X7S, X7B, X8S	RCHT9510WF, RCHT9610WF, X-series touchscreens	Menu > Schedule
X2S, X2P, FocusPRO P200	RTH2CWF, RTH20B, RTH21B, RTH22B	Menu > SCHED
T4 Pro, T6 Pro, RTH6360	TH4110U, TH4210U, TH6210U, TH6220U, TH6320U	Menu > PROG
RTH2300, RTH221, PRO 4000	RTH2300B, RTH221B, TH4110D, TH4210D	SET until Set Schedule
RTH7400, RTH7500, RTH7600	RTH7400D, RTH7500D, RTH7600D	Schedule > Edit
FocusPRO 6000, Wi-Fi 6000	TH6110D, TH6220D, RTH6580WF	Set Clock/Day/Schedule > Set Schedule
Wi-Fi touchscreen 8000	RTH8580WF	Sched > Edit
Smart Wi-Fi 9000	RTH9580WF, RTH9585WF	Settings > Create/Edit Schedule

T5, T5+ and T6 Pro Smart

These touchscreen models can run a different schedule each day or one for weekdays and one for the weekend (5-2).

1. Touch Menu on the thermostat and select Schedule.
2. Touch the time of a period and use the + and – icons to change its start time (it moves in 15-minute steps).
3. Touch the temperature to set it. Touch it again to switch between the heating and the cooling temperature.
4. Repeat for every period and day. When DONE appears on the screen, touch Select to save.

To change one period later, go back to Menu > Schedule, use the < and > arrows to find it, change it and save the same way. If you want the thermostat to follow your phone’s location instead (geofencing), you set that up in the app.

T9, X7S, X7B and X8S

1. Touch the Menu icon at the bottom of the home screen, then Schedule. On the T9, choose Create new schedule.
2. Choose grouped days (the same schedule for those days) or single days.
3. Touch the period you want to change (Wake, Away, Home or Sleep).
4. Touch Time to set its start time and Temperature to set the heating and cooling temperatures.
5. Touch Fan if you want the fan on, auto or circulate during that period. Our guide to thermostat fan On vs Auto explains the difference.

The T9, X7S and X8S also have Priority, which chooses the room sensors the thermostat uses during each period. The X7B doesn’t have room sensors, so you won’t see this option. To use Auto-Away (geofencing), you need to set the schedule in the app.

X2S, X2P and FocusPRO P200

These models have buttons instead of a touchscreen, and the steps are the same on all three:

1. Press Menu, then press the up or down arrow until SCHED appears.
2. Select ON (to use a schedule), then press Select.
3. Press Select to edit the day or days that are flashing.
4. When Wake flashes, press Next, choose ON for this period and press Next.
5. Set the start time and press Next, then the heating temperature (Next) and the cooling temperature (Next).
6. Repeat for Away, Home and Sleep, then for the other days.
7. Press Save & Exit at the top left.

How the days are grouped (every day the same, 5-2, 5-1-1 or 7-day) is chosen in the installer setup, which opens when you hold the bottom left button and the up arrow for five seconds. You can also program the X2S from the First Alert app.

T4 Pro, T6 Pro and RTH6360

The T4 Pro and the T6 Pro without Wi-Fi are Pro models that HVAC contractors install. The RTH6360 uses the same steps:

1. Press Menu. PROG appears: press Select, then select ON.
2. Choose the day or group of days to edit and press Select.
3. Choose a period (Wake, Away, Home or Sleep) and press Select. Keep it ON, or turn it off if you don’t need it.
4. Set the start time and press Select.
5. Set the heating temperature (Select), then the cooling temperature (Select).
6. Repeat for the other periods, then press Home to save.

On the T4 Pro and T6 Pro, the grouping of days is setting 120 in the installer setup (5-2, 5-1-1, 7-day or non-programmable).

RTH2300, RTH221 and Other SET and RUN Models

Basic models with SET, HOLD and RUN buttons (including the PRO 4000 series) work like this:

1. Make sure the System switch is set to Heat or Cool, depending on the schedule you want to program.
2. Press SET until Set Schedule appears.
3. Use the arrows to set the weekday Wake time and press SET. Then set its temperature and press SET.
4. Do the same for Leave, Return and Sleep.
5. Press SET to move on to the weekend periods, then press RUN to save and exit.

The RTH221 has one schedule for every day of the week, so you only program the four periods once. On the RTH2300 and the PRO 4000, you can cancel the Leave and Return periods on weekends if you’re usually home.

Older Touchscreen and Wi-Fi Models

• RTH7400, RTH7500 and RTH7600: press Schedule, then Edit. Press Select Day to choose the days (Mon to Fri on the RTH7400), then Next Step twice. Set the Wake time, then press Next Step to set the heating and the cooling temperatures. Repeat for Leave, Return and Sleep, and press Done.
• FocusPRO 6000 and Wi-Fi 6000 (RTH6580WF): press Set Clock/Day/Schedule, then Set Schedule. Set each period’s time and temperature, pressing Next after each one, and press Done. Program the mode the thermostat is in (Heat or Cool), as explained above.
• Wi-Fi touchscreen 8000 (RTH8580WF): press Sched, then Edit. Choose the days at the top of the screen, set the Wake time and the heating and cooling temperatures, then touch Leave, Return and Sleep to set them. Press Done to save, or Cancel to leave without saving.
• Smart Wi-Fi 9000 (RTH9585WF): touch Settings (called Menu on some units) and select Create/Edit Schedule. Guide Me builds the schedule by asking you simple questions. I’ll do it myself lets you choose the days and set each period, then touch Done.

Models You Can’t Program

The FocusPRO 5000, the X1N, the RTH111 and the PRO 1000 are non-programmable thermostats. They don’t have a schedule. This is how to set Honeywell thermostats like these: choose the mode, set the temperature with the arrows and change it yourself when you need to. If you’d like a schedule, our guide to the best programmable thermostats covers the current options.

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Programming Honeywell Thermostats From the App

If your thermostat has Wi-Fi, the app is often easier than the small screen. Which app you use depends on the model: the Resideo app (formerly the Honeywell Home app), Resideo Connect or the First Alert app for the T-series and X-series smart models (Honeywell’s manuals name different ones), and Total Connect Comfort for the older Wi-Fi 6000, 8000 and 9000 models. If yours isn’t online yet, our guide on how to connect a Honeywell thermostat to Wi-Fi explains each setup method.

On the T9 and the X-series, select the thermostat and touch the calendar icon. You then have three ways to schedule it:

• Time-based: the same four periods, with grouped or single days.
• Auto-Away (geofencing): the thermostat uses your phone’s location to switch to your Away settings when everyone leaves, and back to Home when someone returns.
• Smart scheduling: geofencing plus a Sleep period at a fixed time.

You set up geofencing in the app, not on the thermostat. On the T5 and T6 Pro Smart, turning it on also turns off the permanent hold. If you’re thinking about a newer model with these features, our guide to the best Honeywell thermostats compares them.

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If the Schedule Doesn’t Run

If your thermostat doesn’t follow the schedule, the cause is usually one of these:

• A hold is on. When you change the temperature with the arrows, the thermostat keeps it until the next period (a temporary hold). A permanent hold keeps it until you cancel it. Look for Hold on the screen and press Run, Cancel or Run Schedule. Our article on what hold means on a thermostat explains each model.
• The schedule is off. On the T4 Pro, T6 Pro, X2S and X2P, check that PROG or SCHED is set to ON.
• The clock is wrong. Check the time, the day and AM or PM.
• You programmed the other mode. On models that program Heat and Cool separately, the heating schedule doesn’t run in Cool mode.
• The heat starts early. This is normal: the thermostat starts early so the house is warm at the time you set.

If you made too many changes and want to start again, you can restore the default schedule. Our guide on how to reset a Honeywell thermostat shows the schedule reset for each model. And if the heating or cooling doesn’t start at all, see our Honeywell thermostat troubleshooting guide.

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The Bottom Line

Learning how to program Honeywell thermostats comes down to two steps: find your model, then open its schedule menu (Menu > Schedule, SCHED, PROG or SET, depending on the model). Set the clock and the mode first, give each period a time and a temperature, and save before you leave the menu. If you don’t want to program it yourself, Honeywell’s default schedule is a good place to start, and you can adjust it later.