What does F2 mean on a Whirlpool microwave?

The panel sees a key held down longer than a key is ever pressed. A key that stays stuck after a cleaning is the touch panel or the control it is part of — a part, a technician's job.

What does F3 mean on a Whirlpool microwave?

The control found the touch panel shorted — several keys reading pressed at once, usually from moisture behind the panel. F3 that returns after the panel has dried is the touch panel — a part, a technician's job.

What does F6 mean on a Whirlpool microwave?

The control board and the panel lost communication with each other. F6 that comes back is a board or the harness between them — a service call.

What does door mean on a Whirlpool microwave?

Not a fault. Start was pressed and the control had not seen the door open and close since the last cycle, or the door is not fully latched. The cycle starts. A door that clicks shut and still prints door is a door switch in the latch — a part, a technician's job; stop using the microwave until it is replaced.

What does dEMO mean on a Whirlpool microwave?

Not a fault. The display counts down and the light comes on, and the microwave never heats — the mode a store floor uses. The microwave heats once the mode is off. The guide for the exact model is on whirlpool.com by model number and names the keys.

Error codes · Whirlpool · Microwaves

Whirlpool microwave error codes: most of them are the door, the lock, or a key the panel thinks is held.

A Whirlpool over-the-range microwave prints very few codes — a stuck key, a shorted touch panel, two boards that stopped talking — and the words everyone calls about (door, Loc, dEMO) are not faults at all. Find what your display shows below and take the checks in order; a microwave that hums and will not heat with no code at all is the magnetron side, a technician's part.

Covers: 2015-and-newer over-the-range microwaves — the WMH31, WMH32, WMH53, WMH54, WMH78, WMHA9 and WML55 and WML75 low-profile series.

Jump to the codes Text (573) 353-8511

Jump to a code · 6 on this page

The code as the display prints it; an older spelling sits under it on the card.

F2Key stuck

F3Touch panel shorted

F6Boards not talking

doorOpen and close the door

LocControl lock is on

dEMODemo (showroom) mode

Whirlpool · First

Before you clear it

Whirlpool prints an F code with an E code (F9 E1, shown as F9E1). The F names the system, the E names the fault inside it.

The display prints a single F number (F2, F3, F6) on a fault and a word (door, Loc, dEMO) for a state. A microwave that has stopped with nothing on the display and no light inside is its fuse or its door switches — a technician's.

The reset: unplug the microwave (the cord is in the cabinet above it) or switch its breaker off for one full minute, plug it in, set the clock and try 30 seconds on high with a cup of water inside. A code that comes straight back is real.

There is no home diagnostic. The tech sheet is inside the cabinet, written for a technician, and the high-voltage side of a microwave holds a charge after it is unplugged — never open the cover.

A burnt smell, arcing or sparks inside, or a fan that will not stop: stop using it, unplug it and call it in. No code on this page comes before that.

The model and serial plate is inside the door opening, on the frame at the left or the bottom, readable with the door open. Every warranty call starts with those two numbers.

Section 1 of 2

The faults

F2#1

Also printed as F2E0 · F2 E0

Fix at home

Code

Key stuck

What it means

The panel sees a key held down longer than a key is ever pressed.

Check first

Press each key once; feel for one that does not spring back.
Wipe the panel dry and clean — steam and grease on the touch panel hold a key.
Unplug for one minute.

The fix

A key that stays stuck after a cleaning is the touch panel or the control it is part of — a part, a technician's job.

F3#2

Check, then call

Code

Touch panel shorted

What it means

The control found the touch panel shorted — several keys reading pressed at once, usually from moisture behind the panel.

Check first

Wipe the panel and let the microwave sit unplugged for an hour with the door open so any steam behind the panel can dry.
Plug it in and set the clock.

The fix

F3 that returns after the panel has dried is the touch panel — a part, a technician's job.

Stop & call

F3 after an hour's dry and a reset is a service call on the touch panel. On a machine under warranty, file it as a warranty call.

F6#3

Service call

Code

Boards not talking

What it means

The control board and the panel lost communication with each other.

Check first

Unplug the microwave for five full minutes, plug it in and set the clock.

The fix

F6 that comes back is a board or the harness between them — a service call.

Stop & call

F6 after a five-minute unplug is a service call; nothing to check at home. On a machine under warranty, file it as a warranty call.

Section 2 of 2

States that are not faults

door#4

Also printed as Door · DOOR · Open/Close Door

Fix at home

Code

Open and close the door

What it means

Not a fault. Start was pressed and the control had not seen the door open and close since the last cycle, or the door is not fully latched.

Check first

Open the door all the way, close it until it clicks, and press Start again.
Nothing is caught in the door — a corner of a paper towel, a lid — and the two latch hooks on the door are straight.

The fix

The cycle starts. A door that clicks shut and still prints door is a door switch in the latch — a part, a technician's job; stop using the microwave until it is replaced.

Loc#5

Also printed as LOC · LoC · Lock · Control Lock

Fix at home

Code

Control lock is on

What it means

Not a fault. The panel is locked so a child cannot start the microwave; the display reads Loc or shows the lock icon.

Check first

Press and hold the key the panel marks Control Lock (on most models Cancel, or the lock icon) for three seconds until the display clears.

The fix

The panel answers again.

dEMO#6

Also printed as DEMO · Demo · Showroom

Fix at home

Code

Demo (showroom) mode

What it means

Not a fault. The display counts down and the light comes on, and the microwave never heats — the mode a store floor uses.

Check first

The display reads dEMO, or shows it when a key is pressed.
Press and hold the key or pair of keys the use-and-care guide names for your model (on many models Cancel, or Timer and Cancel, held for five seconds) until dEMO goes out.

The fix

The microwave heats once the mode is off. The guide for the exact model is on whirlpool.com by model number and names the keys.

Warranty · When to file

When it's a warranty call

Every unit leaves with the manufacturer's full factory warranty. The codes below name a part inside the machine — once the checks have ruled out the install, the power and the hoses, call Whirlpool's line with the model and serial, and text us if you want a hand with the claim.

F6Boards not talking

Warranty help for Whirlpool

All units are surplus inventory (open box, cancelled order, customer return, overstock, or minor scratch & dent). Every unit includes the manufacturer's full factory warranty. Please inspect thoroughly in person before purchasing — cosmetic imperfections or missing accessories are possible.

Still stuck?

Text us the model number and what it's doing — we'll point you at the next step.

A fix, a part, or a warranty call — the plate's model and serial plus one line about the symptom is all it takes to tell which.

File a warranty inquiry Text (573) 353-8511 Browse Inventory Or reach us another way

These pages are educational. Every appliance is a little different — follow the manufacturer's manual and local code, and leave gas, water heater and 240V work to a licensed installer.

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