Is there a Silent Mode on a Microwave? Know Here!

Are you looking for a way to avoid the beeping sound of your microwave? Maybe you’ve got a newborn who wakes up at the slightest of noise. Maybe your cat gets scared with the sound of your microwave. Maybe you’re a Youtuber or musician who records stuff all the time and needs a sound-proofed home to create content. Or maybe the beeping simply gives you a headache every time you hear it. 

Whatever your reason for wanting to “silence” your microwave, the good news is: IT IS POSSIBLE. But before we discuss your options, you should first check if your microwave oven is broken. 

• Sensor issue: Sometimes it beeps continuously because the door doesn’t close properly, even if you’ve closed it shut. This happens when the microwave’s sensors do not register the door closing. Shut the door harder next time. 
• Glitchy device: If your microwave continues to beep even after you’ve opened and closed its door, it could be caused by an issue with one of its mechanical parts. Try to do a hard reset. Unless you know how to work with gadgets and electronics, leave this for the pros to fix if hard reset doesn’t work. 

Sometimes, if your area suffers from brownouts, the microwave could become problematic with a lack of power and beep out of nowhere. This usually fixes itself once power resumes normally. If the beeping isn’t caused by the reasons stated above, then it’s time to try to silence your kitchen appliance. 

4 Ways to Silence Your Microwave

Here are four temporary and permanent ways to keep your microwave from beeping.

• MUTE your microwave. 

If you have a modern microwave, there’s a good chance your model is designed with a MUTE function. Manufacturers who have decided to give this option to us users usually include this on the control panel. Look for words like “mute,” “sound,” or the “off” button beside a music note, or something similar. 

If the mute function isn’t clearly listed on the menu or control panel, check your microwave manual and see if this setting is a secondary one. 

Some microwave models require you to hold down the 0 (zero) or 1 (one) button, which eventually leads you to turn off the microwave’s beeps. Some models require you to hold down the “stop” button for 3 to 5 seconds to be able to mute the microwave. 

• Confuse the machine. 

In some cases, the microwave sensors are still detecting something inside the microwave, even if you’ve already taken the food out. When this happens, you have to confuse your machine and reset its sensors by doing something out of the ordinary. 

For example: 

• Boil water with salt 
• Melt hard chocolate blocks
• Defrost frozen vegetables 
• Do any cooking with your microwave

This sudden change in activity should stop the beeping and refresh the microwave’s sensors. Make sure to press STOP or CLEAR after you’ve used the microwave. 

• Do a hard reset. 

If resetting the sensors didn’t help you silence the beeping, a hard reset may be required.

Fortunately, this method doesn’t require any mechanical know-how or skills. While the process may vary between manufacturers and models, doing a hard reset could be as easy as this: 

• Unplug the microwave

• Wait it out for 5 to 10 minutes

• Plug the microwave back in.  

Super simple, right? This quick reset is done so that the microwave’s components go back from scratch and any electricity being used up will stop. If doing a hard reset didn’t work, maybe there’s a more serious problem happening inside the machine. 

• Buy a new microwave.

If you feel like your microwave oven has lived its life to the fullest (especially if you’ve had it for over 10 years), it’s time to let it retire. If you’re OK with this idea, then your solution could just be to buy a new one. 

Sure, this requires another investment, but if the beeping isn’t stopping no matter what settings you’ve tried and numerous hard resets you did, weigh if having it fixed by a professional is worth the trouble compared to buying a new microwave. 

The good news is almost all microwave ovens in the market today already have a silent mode, so you can have it muted out of the box. 

Don’t Tinker with a Dead Microwave

If you think your microwave’s sound is malfunctioning and you’re tempted to open the device and see what’s going on inside, don’t touch any of the wirings if you don’t know what you’re doing. Microwave ovens use electricity and radiation to work, both of which could be dangerous for your skin.

The ideal solution for the incessant beeping depends on what’s wrong with your microwave oven, but I suggest your stick with our four recommendations above instead.