According to a method for operating an actuating unit for motor vehicle brakes, an electromagnet that actuates a sealing seat of its control valve is controlled by a minimum current during a pressure-maintaining phase which is carried out independently of the vehicle operator's will, in order to avoid damaging of the coil of the electromagnet. To this end, a current controlling the electromagnet is slowly reduced until a previously fixed pressure decrease compared to the original value occurs. A previously fixed value is added to this current value, and the electromagnet is actuated by a current value corresponding to the result of the addition.