How to Reset a Dryer: Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, GE

To reset a dryer, you cut its power, wait, and turn it back on. Most home dryers have no reset button; a power cycle at the plug or the circuit breaker is the reset that Samsung, LG, Whirlpool and GE describe in their support pages, sometimes with a button hold added. A reset clears a frozen control or a one-time glitch, but it will not fix a failed part, and a dryer that has lost its heat almost never needs a button pressed.

Safety first. Electric dryers run on 240 volts, and switching off the breaker is often easier and safer than wrestling a heavy plug out of an outlet behind the dryer. Do not touch a cord or plug that is scorched, melted or wet; switch off the breaker and call. We repair gas and electric dryers. If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility from outside, and do not touch light switches.

How to reset a dryer, step by step

1. Turn the dryer off and cancel the cycle, if the controls respond.
2. Cut the power. Unplug the dryer, or switch off its breaker at the panel. On an electric dryer, that is a double-pole breaker: two switches joined by one handle.
3. Wait. Samsung says to give the electrical charge time to clear, usually 1 to 5 minutes at most. A few minutes is a safe wait for any brand.
4. Restore power and give the display a moment to come back.
5. Check the locks and the door. Make sure no control lock or child lock is on and the door is firmly shut.
6. Start a short timed cycle. Many dryers need Start held, not tapped; Whirlpool says two to five seconds.

If an error code comes back right away, write it down before you reset again. Samsung warns that a reset clears the error codes in memory, which makes the problem harder for a technician to diagnose, and says not to keep clearing a code that returns.

Does a dryer have a reset button?

Almost never on a home dryer. The reset procedures the major brands publish are power cycles, button holds and breaker resets, not a hidden button. If your owner's manual shows a reset button for your model, follow the manual exactly. If it does not, there is no button to find, and taking panels off to look for one is not worth the risk.

Dryer not heating: reset button location

No reset button brings the heat back. When a dryer overheats, a thermal fuse opens to protect it, and on many models that shuts down the whole dryer, not just the heat. It is a one-time safety device: once it blows, it has to be replaced, not reset. It usually blows because the vent is restricted, so a new fuse without a clear vent blows again. Our guide to a dryer not heating covers the other causes.

There is one reset worth trying: the breaker. GE says an electric dryer can run on a partial 120 volts but will not heat without its full 208 or 240 volts, and that a breaker can be partially tripped even when it does not look tripped. Switch the dryer breaker all the way off, then back on.

Brand-specific reset steps

Each brand adds its own button holds and lock settings, and the steps differ by model. We keep them with each brand's error codes so they stay in one place:

• Samsung: see Samsung dryer reset steps, including how long to stay unplugged, Child Lock, and the one code (dn) where you should not cut the power.
• LG: see LG dryer reset steps, including the button hold LG uses with the power off and how to clear Child Lock.

Whirlpool dryer: what to check before you reset

• Hold Start. Whirlpool says the Start, Push to Start or Hold to Start button should be pressed and held for two to five seconds.
• Controls Locked: if the Controls Locked light is on, press and hold Cycle Signal for three seconds on models that have it.
• Door latches: some models have an upper and a lower latch, and both must be secure for the dryer to run.
• Wrinkle Reduction: the dryer will not start if the knob is set on the Wrinkle Reduction option; turn it to a dry cycle.
• Two breakers: electric dryers use two household fuses or breakers, and both must be working.

More on the brand at Whirlpool.

GE dryer: what to check before you reset

• Breaker: turn the dryer breaker all the way off and back on, because a breaker can look on while it is partially tripped.
• Circuit: GE says its electric dryers need their own 208/240-volt branch circuit protected by a 30-amp breaker or time-delay fuse.
• Start and door: GE's checklist says to make sure the plug is pushed all the way in, the door is closed tightly and the START button is pressed completely.

More on the brand at GE.

How to reset a double-pole dryer breaker

1. Find the dryer breaker in the panel: a double-width breaker with two switches tied together, usually labeled for the dryer.
2. Push the handle firmly all the way to OFF. A tripped breaker often rests in the middle, and it will not reset until it goes fully off.
3. Push it back to ON.
4. If your home has a fuse box instead, an electric dryer uses two fuses, and both must be good.

If the breaker trips again when you turn it on or start the dryer, leave it off. Something is drawing too much current, and resetting it over and over is not safe. Whirlpool says to call an electrician if a fuse or breaker problem continues.

GE lists a shorted heater, loose wires or a failed component as possible causes, and says a breaker that trips immediately usually points to the house wiring or the panel. Wiring, outlet and breaker work is a job for a licensed electrician; a fault inside the dryer is a job for a dryer technician; see our electric dryer repair page.

When a reset won't fix it

A reset clears confusion, not wear. If the dryer still will not start, runs without turning the drum, shows the same code again or has no heat after a breaker reset, a part has failed. Our guide to a dryer not spinning or starting walks through those.

What it costs in Atlanta

The diagnostic is $80 and is waived when you approve the repair. Dryer repairs start at $180 labor plus parts, and you get a written flat-rate estimate before any work begins. Typical dryer repairs run $230 to $380 all in on standard brands. Every dryer repair includes an airflow check at the machine, which matters most when a thermal fuse has blown. Many repairs can be finished on the first visit, and every repair carries our 60-day parts-and-labor warranty. See our pricing.

Schedule a visit or read about our dryer repair service. Prefer to talk? Call (470) 778-4087.