A method for operating a multispeed transmission in a motor vehicle, provided with planetary gearings which can be switched with four switching elements to different gear ratios, and which can be connected by input elements and output elements to a driven input shaft and to an output shaft. The reaction elements can be coupled or locked with a brake, wherein the four planetary gearings can be switched by two brakes and by three shifting clutches to eight forward gear ratios. In the higher gear ratios, at least one first shifting clutch is connected to produce a force flow in the transmission, and in the lower gear ratios, at least a second shifting clutch is connected to produce a force flow in the transmission.