Microwaves make a lot of noise while we heat food in them.
It may seem impossible to you to silence a microwave because, normally, they are considered one of the noisiest kitchen appliances.
Even after heating your food, the microwave beeps as an alarm to take out the food.
This article is all about helping you to silence your microwave.
Sound button
Some models of microwaves nowadays have a button called ‘mute’ or ‘sound’.
You may not have even noticed it because we usually tend to pay less attention to the extra buttons and notice only those often used.
Look for it, and if you find this button in your microwave, press it, and you’ll probably get rid of the beeping sound.
Breville microwaves have the ‘mute’ button that you’ll find when you open the microwave door.
Just press the ‘mute’ button to silence all the beeping sounds.
Change the settings
If you’ve ever gone through your microwave settings, you might know you can also access the sound controls in your microwave’s settings.
Most LG microwaves have the ‘settings’ button right on the keypad.
If you open up the options in the settings, you’ll see one of the options is sound.
To turn the sound off, press 2.
If you want to turn the sound back on, press 1.
Only if you have one of the latest models, you’ll have the option of turning the sound on and off.
Most old models of microwaves don’t have such an option.
While in Breville microwaves, along with the ‘mute’ button, you can adjust the beep sound volume.
I find this option very convenient because you’ll not have to ‘mute’ the sound, and you’re not creating any noise.
For Panasonic microwaves, look for the ‘Prog’ button.
To turn the beeps off, press the ‘Prog’ button and then the ‘0’ button twice.
This way, your Panasonic microwave will go on mute mode and won’t cause any beep sound when the heating is done.
Press and hold numbers
You can try pressing and holding the numbers to see what happens.
For instance, depending on the model, many microwaves often go silent when you press 0, 1 or 2.
Press one of these numbers for at least 5 seconds to open the microwave door.
Then again, try pressing any other number; if you don’t hear any more sound, you’ve successfully made your microwave silent.
But if you still listen to sounds while pressing the button, try pressing another number to make it silent.
But remember, for any number you try; you need to press and hold it for 5 seconds with the door open.
For instance, Insignia’s latest models have a speaker icon under ‘8’.
So when you press and hold this number, you can make the microwave silent.
The little speaker icon makes it easy to remember that this is the button for silencing.
As for the Whirlpool microwaves, you need to press and hold the number ‘2’ after you press the ‘clock’ button.
Doing this will pull up the ‘sound menu’ for you, and you can turn on the silent mode of your microwave.
Two buttons technique
Another technique works in most microwaves; we call it two buttons technique.
Press and hold the ‘start’ and ‘cancel’ buttons simultaneously when your microwave doesn’t use any other number to get silent.
Hold these buttons for 5 to 10 seconds and see what happens.
But again, remember that this should be done with the microwave door open.
If you have a Frigidaire microwave, press the ‘start time’ button and hold it for over 6 seconds.
You’ll get to listen to a single beep, and after that, your microwave is now on silent mode.
Some models may display some sound-related text on display.
You just need to follow the instructions that are displayed to turn the microwave on to silent mode.
Opening the door before running out of time
This is the simplest technique to avoid the irritating beep sound your microwave produces when the heating is done.
Most of the old models of microwaves don’t have the silent mode or the function of silencing itself.
As mentioned above, the silent mode is only available in some of the latest models, which are expensive.
You might get out of your budget.
The solution to this problem is to open the microwave door before the time runs out.
Just a second or two before the cycle ends, open the door.
This will especially help when you’re warming a snack late at night and don’t want anyone else in the house to get disturbed by your snacking.
This may not be a perfect solution, but it helps make your microwave quieter.
This technique will also require you to stand near your microwave and wait until a second or two are left.
Random beeping
Sometimes you don’t understand the problem while your microwave keeps beeping randomly.
For this problem, you’ll need to hard reset your microwave.
Unplug it or turn off the power at the breaker box, and wait for at least 60 seconds or more.
Now restore the power or plug it back and see how it works.
This will probably resolve most of the problems of beeping.
If this technique doesn’t work, you will probably need to call a professional for help.
Get your microwave checked by a technician to diagnose the problem and get it solved.
Or another option is to buy a new microwave; maybe your microwave has gotten old enough to start giving you problems.
If you have the budget, get a new one and make sure you buy one with the option of silencing.
Most new models these days have this option.
Check the manual
Most microwaves come with a manual.
If you have a new microwave, you might have a manual.
But if your microwave is old and you’ve lost the manual, you can search for it online.
For this, you need to know the model number and the year of manufacturing of your microwave.
Open your microwave door, and you’ll see all the information written on the sticker on the door frame.
When you search online for the manual, enter all the information about your microwave.
When the manual file opens, search for the words like ‘silent,’ ‘sound,’ or ‘beep.’
I’m sure you’ll not have to search too much because everything is easily available online.
Turning the sound back on
Obviously, the beep sound of the microwave is not useless.
It is present in microwaves for some purposes.
So when you think you need to turn it back on, repeat the same process.
For instance, the same way you turned the sound off, try the same sequence again to turn the sound on.
For the Breville microwaves, you need to press the ‘mute’ button again, and the beep sound will turn on again.
But for your understanding, you need to know that some microwaves are different.
As for the LG microwaves, you will press number ‘2’ to turn off the sound and turn it back on, you will press the number ‘1’.
But I repeat it, remember that whatever button you press, you’ll need to press it for more than 5 seconds.
And also you will press the button with the microwave door open.
Disconnect the speaker
We all know that any appliance emitting a beep or sound must have a speaker.
So, it’s obvious that a microwave oven also has a small speaker fit inside it, which emits a beeping sound as an alarm once the heating process is done.
You can stop your microwave speaker from working to stop the beeping noise.
It’s a simple task that can be done without the help of an expert, but you need to be very careful.
Microwaves, unlike other appliances, are a bit more dangerous.
The capacitor can retain electrical energy, so you must wait at least five minutes before opening the microwave.
When you think you’re ready to open it up, remove the top casing or the control panel.
You might need to unscrew it to remove it.
After you’re done removing it, try to find out the speaker.
When you find the speaker’s location, see how it’s wired to the circuit board.
Cut one wire, the current will not pass through it, and the speaker will no longer work.
It will be unable to produce any sound now.
Try not to take the speaker out, as it can cause damage.
So to be on the safer side, just cut one wire.
Now, install the top casing/control panel back properly.
Plug the microwave back in to see if it’s working fine.
Enjoy the silent microwave!
Conclusion
Microwaves have become essential to our kitchens, and we use them multiple times daily.
Like many other kitchen appliances, microwaves also produce noise while working and beep when they’re finished working.
Sometimes it can irritate our family and us to hear that beeping repeatedly, especially late at night.
We have discussed some simple and easy strategies to make your microwave silent.
I hope this article will help you silence your microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Can you turn off the sound on the microwave?
Yes, many microwaves have a sound control option that allows you to adjust or turn off the beep sound.
Check your microwave’s manual or settings to see if this is an available option.
2) How can I silence my microwave without turning off the sound completely?
If you still want to hear a sound, but just a quieter one, you can try placing a towel or sponge over the speaker or using a microwave silencer.
You can also adjust the sound settings to a lower volume.
3) Are there any DIY methods to silence a microwave?
Yes, some people have succeeded with DIY methods like placing a small piece of foam or felt over the speaker or even using earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.
4) Can I damage my microwave by silencing it?
No, silencing your microwave should not cause any damage as long as you are not interfering with the microwave’s internal workings.
Just make sure to follow any instructions or precautions from your microwave’s manual.
5) Is it necessary to silence a microwave?
While it’s not necessary to silence a microwave, it can be a considerate gesture if you live with others or work in a shared space.
Silencing the beep sound can also help reduce stress and noise pollution in your environment.