7/20/2021 Three-Way Switch Wiring | How to Wire 3-Way Switches | HomeTips

Three-Way Switch Wiring | How

to Wire 3-Way Switches
by Don Vandervort, HomeTips © 1997 to 2021
July 8, 2021
 This post may contain affiliate links. For more information see our disclosures 
disclosures here
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A three-way switch is the type that turns on lights from both ends of a hallway.
These diagrams clearly show how to wire a pair of three-way light switches in three
different situations.

In This Article:
How a 3-Way Switch Works

How to Wire 3-Way Switches

Three-way light switches control a light from two locations, such as from both ends of a
staircase or hallway.

A three-way switch is built and wired a little differently than a conventional single-pole light
switch. For starters, it doesn’t have “OFF” and “ON” printed on the toggle, and it doesn’t
have a top and bottom. It also has one more terminal. Rather than having two terminal
screws and a ground screw like a regular (“single-pole”) light switch, a three-way switch
has three terminal screws  and a ground screw.

Note: Many contemporary switches have holes for plugging-in the wires instead of screws
that lock the wires in place. Nevertheless, the principle is the same.

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On most 3-way switches, two of the terminals are the same color (typically silver or brass),
and the third terminal, called a “common terminal,” is a different, often darker, color.

Not all three-way switches have these terminals placed in the same configuration, so you
have to pay attention to their colors (and the instructions that come with the package)
when wiring them.

The switch shown here has silver and gold screws opposite one another and a bronze
screw in the third position. The green screw at one end is for the ground wire.

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When replacing an existing three-way light switch, be sure to return the wires to the proper
screw terminals. Put a piece of tape on the wire that goes to the common terminal screw.
The other two wires can attach to either of the identical terminals.

Refer to the illustrations below for doing the rough-in wiring for each of these situations.

Note that these diagrams assume that you’re following all recommended practices for safe
installation of electrical circuits.

Always turn off the power to the circuit before working with exposed wires. 

How a 3-Way Switch Works

It’s important to recognize that a light switch is designed to interrupt the “hot” wire when it’s
turned off.

With this in mind, the white wire from the power source always goes uninterrupted to the
light fixture and the bare grounding wires are always fastened to grounding screws. But the
“hot” or “charged” wire coming from the power source is routed through the switches.

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With a three-way switch, three wires connect the pair of switches—two black “traveler”
wires and a third “common” wire.

When the circuit’s power is turned on, any of these may be “hot,” depending upon how the
switches are toggled.

Because “3-wire-with-ground” nonmetallic electrical cable such as Romex is often used to

wire switches, a slight modification is often made during installation. This type of cable
contains a white wire that needs to serve as a black wire. For this reason, the white wire is
painted or taped black to identify it as a black (hot) wire when the cable is used to connect
two three-way switches and lights.

How to Wire 3-Way Switches

There are three basic ways three-way switches may be set up to control one or more
lights. The right one for you will depend upon where the power enters the circuit (at one of
the switches or at the light fixture), and the placement of the switches and lights.

Please note: All switches that have a green grounding screw or wire must be
grounded to the metal electrical box or to the circuit’s bare or green ground wire.

A) The wires from the power source may enter one switch box first, then travel to the
light, and then terminate at the other switch. Note in this illustration that the inbound white
wire travels through the first switch box and terminates at the light fixture.

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Three-way switch wiring where power connects to first switch and then the light.

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B) The wires from the power source may enter the light fixture box first, travel from
there to one switch, and then connect that switch to the other switch. In this configuration,
the inbound white wire connects directly to the light fixture. The black wire connects to a
taped white wire that passes through the first switch box and connects to the common
terminal on the second switch. Red and black travelers then connect the paired traveler
terminals on both switches.

Three-way switch wiring where power goes directly to the light.

C) The wires from the power source go from switch to switch, and then go to the light.
In this configuration, the power enters the first switch, and the light fixture is placed after
the second switch.

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The white wire, connected by wire nuts in each switch box, is continuous from the source
to the light fixture. The charged black wire connects to the common terminal of the first
switch and is then carried by paired travelers to the paired terminals of the second switch.
The common terminal of the second switch sends the black wire to the light fixture.

Three-way switch wiring where power starts at one switch and goes to second switch before
traveling to the light.

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