Electrical – Replacing 2 wire switch with 4 wire switch, box has 3 wires. Help

electricalgroundinglightwiring

Box and old switch

I’m trying to replace a light switch that has 2(Red & Black) wires directly connected to the switch itself with a 3rd(White) wire that’s capped off in the box with a new smart switch that has 4(Red- Load out, Black- Line, White- Neutral, & Green- Ground)wires. Is the white in the box neutral? The old light switch has a ground screw and the white wires aren’t connected to it so I think they’re neutral. And if that’s the case what do I do with the ground wire from the new switch? Do I connect it to the screen in the back on the box? Help. Thanks!!! old switch showing ground screw
new smart switch

Is this screw for grounding the green wire from new switch?
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Best Answer

You do not attach the green wire because there is nowhere obvious to attach it to, and you don't really need it. The switch will ground through the mounting screws. (note switches can do this; receptacles cannot).

The screw you circled is not a grounding screw; it is a cable clamp, and you're not allowed to use it to attach grounds. You notice several holes in the back of the box; it's possible one of those is tapped #10-32, and if it is, that is for a ground screw. Any #10-32 screw will do, but they sell green ones just for this task.

Typically, wire colors in switch are an insane nightmare of contradictions. Especially if a 3-way is involved. However, in this particular box, the native wire colors happen to perfectly match the preferred colors for their functions. So in this box, this one time, you do indeed match black to black, red to red and white to white.