A method for operating a braking system for a motor vehicle, including a service brake unit and the service brake unit is activated to generate a brake force on a wheel axle of the motor vehicle at least temporarily as a function of a setting of an operating element. The generation of the brake force is performed using a calibration data set stored in a control unit of the braking system. An identifier stored in the operating element is transmitted to the control unit and used for a compatibility check. If the compatibility check is successful, a configuration of the operating element takes place and a generic data set stored in the control unit is used as the calibration data set and an operating element-specific data set stored in the operating element is transmitted to the control unit and used as a calibration data set after the transmission.
