How To Stop Your Microwave From Beeping at You

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Life is much easier when you have a microwave. Sure, there are better ways to reheat leftovers, but not when you're in a hurry. And while they may not be the cheapest cooking appliance, a microwave can poach an egg in under a minute and save you money -- they use less energy than gas stoves. Plus, a quality one can cost under $100. 

But most microwaves have a crucial flaw: one that has nothing to do with the machine's cooking prowess. 

It's the beeps. The incessant, grating and completely unnecessary noise that makes you watch the timer like a hawk. You know 'em, you hate 'em -- and I've figured out how to get rid of them. 

How to stop your microwave from beeping

One of the most important things to remember is that no two microwaves are the same. With some, pressing 1 will immediately start the microwave's one-minute timer. Other microwaves register your pressing 1 as just one second of heat -- you'd have to press 0 twice and Start to activate a one-minute timer.

The same is true for how microwaves deal with beeps. Once the timer finishes, some microwaves beep constantly until you open the door. Others only beep a few times before stopping. Some beep extra loud with each button press. If nothing else, two things are certain: microwaves are deliberate and excessive with their beeping, and almost all of their noises are annoying.

To put an end to the incessant beeping, you just have to know how your particular microwave's mute function works, if it does at all. Most modern microwaves have at least some kind of mute function -- but not all. Naturally, the Emerson microwave in my kitchen from 2011 doesn't.

To mute your microwave, start by checking the control panel. Look closely. The mute function may be labeled as a secondary function of one of the standard buttons. Check these things first:

• Look for a Sound button. Seriously. It may have been there all along, begging you to press it.
• Press and hold either 1 or 0. Sometimes manufacturers give these keys hidden, secondary functions.
• Press and hold the Stop or Cancel button. Like 1 or 0, this key might have a hidden function when held.

Often, pressing and holding 1, 0, Stop, or Cancel will either mute the beeping sounds or activate a child lock feature. (The child lock doesn't actually secure the door but disables the control panel, preventing buttons from being pressed until you hold the button again for around three seconds to unlock it.)

If none of these work, it's probably best to consult the manual. Even if you don't have a Sound button, there's no Mute function denoted as a secondary function and holding a button doesn't do anything, there is still a chance a mute function exists. It could be a button combination or, like on some microwaves, be buried in a submenu that's not at all obvious how to activate.

If you've tossed the owner's manual to your microwave, check the manufacturer's website. They will often provide a digital version of the manual as a PDF for more recent models. For an older model, you may need to do some digging, but a great start is to just do a Google search for "[microwave brand and model number] manual." 

Once you have the PDF version of the manual, press Ctrl + F on Windows or Command + F on Mac to search the PDF for "mute," "sound" or "beep."

Of course, if your microwave doesn't have a mute function built in, you'll just have to continue doing the run-across-the-kitchen-to-open-the-door-before-the-timer-ends maneuver. 

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