Washer Guide
How to Reset a Whirlpool Washing Machine
A Whirlpool washer that's frozen mid-cycle, ignoring the buttons, or flashing a code can sometimes be cleared with a reset — no parts, no service call. It clears a glitched control board the same way restarting a phone clears a frozen app.
Two resets cover almost every Whirlpool. Start with the simple one.
The power reset (try this first)
- Unplug the washer, or switch off its breaker, for a full 1 to 2 minutes.
- While the power is off, press and hold the Start button for 5 seconds to drain any residual charge.
- Restore power and start a short cycle to test.
The motor-control reset (newer top-loaders)
On many newer Whirlpool top-loaders, there's a sequence that resets the motor control directly. With the washer plugged in and off, turn the dial like a clock: one click counter-clockwise, then three clicks clockwise, one counter-clockwise, one clockwise. Lift and close the lid six times within about 12 seconds. The cycle lights should flash, confirming it entered diagnostic mode — then power off to clear it.
If the lights don't respond, the lid switch may not be registering, which is itself a common fault worth checking.
When a reset won't fix it
A reset clears a one-off electronic hiccup. It does nothing for a mechanical fault. If the same code or behaviour returns right after — an F-series code, a washer that won't drain, or one that won't spin — there's a real fault behind it: a drain pump, lid lock, door switch, or the control board itself. That's the point to have it diagnosed rather than resetting on a loop.
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