5 Ways to Silence and Mute a Microwave Beeping Noise: Turn Off That Sound Forever

The loud beeps from a microwave can be super annoying, especially when standing in front of it. Microwaves will beep when your food is ready and several times afterward if you do not take it out.

Although these beeps can help ensure you do not forget about the food in the microwave, the noise can become too much, hence the need to find ways to silence. 

How you silence a microwave will largely depend on the brand and model. The more modern ones have a mute button that simplifies things, but the process is a little more complicated for others.

This article explains how to silence different microwave models and brands. It also provides other valuable insights, like how you can silence a microwave with no sound button.

As an experienced home cook who has had to deal with several microwave types over the years, I have been forced to find ways to silence many of them. Also, some of the methods I share are based on recommendations by the manufacturers and other users.

Let’s start by answering a few questions about microwave noise!

Why Do Microwaves Beep? 

Microwave beeps are alerts that notify you of a certain action or status. For example, when you press a button on the microwave, it will beep to acknowledge the command or function you have entered.

Also, the microwave will make beeping sounds when your food finishes warming or cooking so that you can take it out before it gets cold. If you do not take the food out, the beeping sound will recur every few seconds until you open the door.

If you are comfortable using the microwave without these beeps, you can silence it using the sound button on the control panel if it has one. We will look at other easy of silencing a microwave that does not have a mute button later.

How Loud Can Microwaves Get? Will it affect our health?

A microwave oven is not that loud when cooking or warming food, but the beeps it makes once the food is ready or when you push a button are quite noisy. 

The noise rating of a microwave when cooking is between 55 and 59 dBA, but the rating for the beeps can be upwards of 85 dBA.

55 to 59 dBA is not that loud, given that the rating for a normal conversation can be up to 65 dBA. Therefore, it is clear that the beeps are the biggest problem, and their main disadvantage is just how annoying the sound can get. 

Also, if you have a baby, the beeping is loud enough to wake them, and it will be hard to concentrate when watching something if the microwave can’t stop beeping.

How to Silence a Microwave’s Beeping Sound

There are several ways of silencing a microwave, depending on the type, model, and brand. Sometimes you might have to try several of these methods before successfully putting the microwave on silent mode.

Here are some of the best easy to put your microwave on silent mode:

1. Use the sound control button

If you have a new microwave, the chances are it has a sound control button or mute function. If that is the case for you, silencing it only requires you to locate this button on the control panel and push it.

If your microwave has a mute button, it will probably be among those extra buttons that you hardly pay attention to and have perhaps never noticed this function. 

Look for a button that says “sound” or “mute,” and you should be able to silence the microwave by pressing and holding the button. In some models, the button will have a speaker or sound icon.

Note: Some microwave types will require you to first open the door before pressing the button – for example, most Breville models with a mute function will only hush the microwave beeping and other sounds when the door is open.

2. Quick break routine

Even if your microwave has a mute button, you might still find it hard to switch off the sound no matter how many times you press it. In such instances, a quick break routine can be useful.

A quick break routine will help reset the sensors to ensure they do not raise false alerts and cause beeping even when there is nothing in the microwave.

Here is how to do a quick break routine in 3 easy steps:

• Add salt/sugar to a cup of water and place it in the microwave
• Run your microwave on low for around 15 seconds
• Remove the cup and press clear/stop, which should reset the sensors

3. Try hard resetting the microwave

A hard reset is also a viable solution when dealing with a glitch that keeps the microwave beeping even when there is no food inside.

If a quick break does not solve the issue, you can do a hard reset by simply unplugging the microwave and waiting for 5 to 10 minutes before plugging it back again.

The hard reset will not put the microwave to silent mode, but it can help deal with the glitch causing unnecessary beeps as it restores the operating system and sensors to their original state.

4. Press the stop/cancel button

For some microwave models, the only way to get rid of the beeping sound is by pressing the stop or cancel button. And this is often the case for those that do not have numbers.

All you have to do is open the microwave door and then press the stop or cancel button for 5 to 10 seconds to switch to silent mode. 

The beeping sounds will disappear immediately for some models, while for others pressing these buttons displays a menu with prompts on what to press to activate the silent mode.

5. Check the manual for instructions

If you try all the methods above but can still not switch off microwave beeping, you need to check the appliance’s manual as you are probably missing something.

Most modern microwaves will come with highly detailed manuals that will cover every possible issue you may have with the appliance.

If you do not have a paper manual, you can still search online for a PDF version using your microwave’s model number. You can then use ctrl F to locate the section about mute or sound.

How to activate microwave silent mode

Activating a microwave’s silent mode largely depends on the specific brand and model. With some models, you only need to press the mute/sound button or speaker icon, and all the sounds will go silent.

For others, you might have to go to the settings menu and adjust the sound settings to mute from there. But, this should also be easy as you only need to follow the prompts.

How to Silence a Microwave without a Sound Button

If your microwave has a silent button, silencing it should be straightforward. However, things can get a little complicated if it does not have one. 

You can still silence the microwave as the function is still somewhere on the control panel.

In most cases, some of the other keys have multiple functions. Pressing and holding these keys will silence the microwave or allow you to access the sound settings. 

To Silence a Microwave without a Sound Button, you can try pressing and holding the ‘0’ button; if it does not work, you can try the cancel or start buttons. If all this is still ineffective, you can check the manual for the specific button or even ask customer service.

Are There Any Disadvantages of Silencing a Microwave?

Silencing your microwave helps get rid of the annoying beeping. However, it can still have some disadvantages, and the main one is that you will not know when your food is ready. And so you can end up leaving food in the microwave until it gets cold and be forced to reheat it again.

Also, a silent microwave can be a disadvantage when pressing buttons, as you cannot know when it acknowledges your input without looking at the display. Moreover, it is hard to tell when kids are playing with the appliance if it does not make any beeping sound.

How to silence different microwave brands

How you silence your microwave largely depends on the brand, as manufacturers use different control panel types. Below we look at how to silence some of the most common microwave brands.

1. How to silence a Hamilton Beach microwave

Your Hamilton Beach microwave has a mute button, as the manufacturer includes one in most of their models.

The button will typically be marked as either Stop Sound, Silence, or Mute. Pressing the button just once is enough to silence the microwave for some models, but for others, you may need to press and hold it for a few seconds.

2. How to silence a Whirlpool microwave 

Most Whirlpool microwaves will not have a dedicated sound button, but you can still silence them easily. If you want to get rid of the beeping sound the buttons make, you only need to press and hold the ‘1’ button for a few seconds.

Also, you can mute the end-cycle microwave beeping that indicates the food is ready. And to do this, you should press and hold the ‘2’ button for a few seconds.

3. How to silence a Frigidaire microwave

Frigidaire microwaves make a long, loud sound at the end of the cycle that can be super annoying. Luckily, you can easily silence the microwave by pressing the user preference button and locating the “Volume” function. You should then press Start when the Volume function is at ON to switch it off.

For some other Frigidaire microwaves, you can mute the noise by pressing the ‘Clock Setting’ twice and then clicking ‘Start’ to cycle through the different settings. When the settings get to ‘OFF,’ you should click ‘Start’ to confirm the setting, which should then mute the appliance. 

4. How to silence an LG microwave

If you have a new microwave from LG, you should be able to switch off the sound as most of their recent models have a setting for this.

The process is quite straightforward with LG microwaves; you only need to click the ‘Custom Set’ button once and press 1 and  2 for sound off.

5. How to silence a Samsung microwave

Most Samsung microwaves will have a sound on/off function in the options menu. You need to locate it and follow the prompts. In most cases, when you press the Options menu, you will see the Sound On/Off function, and pressing the number that corresponds to it should mute the beeping sound.

Alternatively, you can also power cycle the appliance to silence it. Here you have to unplug the microwave and wait 1 minute before restoring power, and the beep sound should be gone. Also, you can get rid of microwave beeping in a Samsung microwave by running it for a few seconds and then pressing Stop/Clear.

6. Panasonic microwave silent mode

Unfortunately, you cannot turn off the beep sound in a Panasonic microwave as their models do not have a silent mode. According to the manufacturer, the beep is a safety feature that informs you of the cooking progress and helps prevent accidental operation.

When Should You Consider Buying Another Microwave?

There are some instances when it will be better to go online and buy a new microwave oven instead of trying to fix or troubleshoot the appliance. Here are some examples of such instances:

• You cannot silence it no matter what you try – If you have tried all the tricks we highlight in this post and still cannot get rid of the noise, this may indicate something is seriously wrong with the appliance, and you need a new one.
• The microwave looks broken – While it is possible to repair a broken microwave oven, in many cases, it will not be the same again, so it is always better to buy a new one.
• The microwave takes longer to heat/cook food – A microwave is designed to heat and cook food in just a few minutes, so if it takes too much time, the chances are there is a problem with the heating element, and you may need to buy a new one.
• Microwave is old and worn out – An old and worn out microwave that has become an eyesore in the kitchen needs replacement.

FAQs

Can a microwave work without beeping?

Yes, a microwave can work without beeping. The beep is only an alert that gives you information on the cooking status, such as when the food is ready. The only sound most models can probably not work without is the hum they make as the turntable rotates the food as it cooks.

What can I do if my microwave cannot stop beeping?

You need to identify the problem. In most cases, the issue is a faulty sensor, so you have to give it a hard reset to restore it to its original state. You can do this by unplugging the appliance and waiting a few minutes before restoring power.

Can you silence the older microwave models?

Many old units will not have a silent mode, so you might not be able to mute the beeps completely. However, if they are beeping nonstop even when there is no food inside, a hard reset can help. Also, beating the timer by opening the door before it gets to zero can help you avoid the loud beep at the end of the cycle.

Is it a good idea to mechanically disable the microwave sound?

It is never a good idea to attempt to repair any appliance unless you have the technical know-how. While it is possible to disable the sound mechanically by cutting the sound wiring, it can be risky. Only an experienced technician should do such a repair.

Bottom Line

There you have it, some simple ways to silence your microwave. It is clear that whether your microwave has a silent button or not, it is still possible to silence it. All you have to do is go online and do a quick search to find out how to silence your specific type and model.

Have you tried silencing your microwave? Did you get rid of the beeps successfully? Please let me know in the comments section below, and remember to share this article to help others.