Microwaves have relatively small displays. This forces manufacturers to develop unique, shortened codes to help you identify your appliance’s settings.
Unfortunately, not all the codes are as intuitive as most users prefer. So if you face the ‘LOC’ message every time you try to press your microwave’s buttons, it could be hard to understand exactly what it’s trying to say.
What does “LOC” mean on a microwave? Find out with this short guide.
- The ‘LOC’ code means your microwave’s child safety program is enabled.
- Most microwaves let you control the lock feature by pressing and holding Start or Clear.
- If you want to disable the feature but don’t know how you can try to power cycle your unit.
Most appliances come with a control lock feature that disables all of the buttons on the control panel. This prevents unwanted, accidental changes to the unit’s settings.
For the most part, the LOC feature comes in handy when you’ve got small kids or pets in your home that could accidentally press buttons on your microwave.
What Does ‘Loc’ Mean on a Microwave?
If your microwave’s display flashes ‘LOC’ every time you try to press any buttons, the control lock feature or child safety program is enabled.
This prevents users from unintentionally pressing any buttons and changing any settings on the unit. It comes in handy when you’ve kids or pets that could accidentally start your microwave.
Depending on the make and model of your microwave, the lock setting could be indicated by the shortened word ‘LOC,’ by a letter ‘L,’ or by a padlock symbol on the screen.
If you try to press any buttons, you’ll also notice that the microwave will make error noises and likely flash the ‘LOC’ code or its equivalent.
How To Enable/Disable Microwave Lock
The steps to enable or disable the microwave lock feature depend on the manufacturer.
You should check your user manual for instructions on turning your microwave’s lock feature on or off. But just in case you don’t have it, here are some methods you can try.
1. Press and Hold a Designated Button
Most microwaves let you enable or disable the child safety feature by pressing and holding a designated button. In some cases, it’s the Start button. Other times, the feature is controlled by the Clear button.
Try these steps with either button to find out whether it will work to operate the lock feature:
- Make sure that the microwave is in idle mode.
- Press and hold the Start or Clear button, depending on your microwave’s controls.
- Wait three seconds or until the microwave makes a beeping noise.
- The lock message should now appear on the screen.
- Press and hold the Start/Clear button to disable the feature until the microwave beeps.
Some models will require that you press multiple buttons at once. For example, suppose your microwave requires a combination key press to enable or disable the lock feature.
In that case, you’d be better off consulting your user manual or calling the support hotline to cut out the guesswork.
2. Reset
If the previous steps didn’t work, you could disable the lock feature by resetting your microwave.
You’ll notice, however, that microwaves don’t come with a dedicated reset button. So to reset the lock setting, you’ll have to perform a manual reset with a power cycle.
Simply unplug the unit from the outlet and wait a minute before plugging it back in.
Microwaves have an auto restart feature that saves previous settings in case of a power interruption. Unfortunately, waiting a minute or more prevents this auto-reset feature from enabling when you restore power.
However, remember that a power cycle or reset will only disable the lock feature. If you want to enable the setting, you must use the steps above.
Conclusion
The lock feature is a handy setting that you can use to prevent accidents when you’re not around. Enabling and disabling the feature is often as easy as pressing and holding a button.
If you can’t figure out how to turn off the lock feature, you can restore the original settings by power cycling your microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Should I Lock My Microwave?
Keeping your microwave’s control panel locked prevents unintentional use of the unit. This works best in situations where you might have small kids that could tinker with the microwave and turn it on.
The entire purpose of the lock feature is to reduce the chances of accidents and damage to your microwave.
Does a Microwave Lock Feature Also Lock the Door?
Most microwaves use a mechanical door lock feature that you can release by pressing the dedicated door button. However, the child lock feature will not lock the door.
So while the lock feature will prevent users from pressing buttons and changing settings, it will not prevent them from opening and closing the microwave door.
