How to Reset Any Samsung Ice Maker Quickly and Easily

If the ice maker within your Samsung refrigerator isn’t working, it can be a pain – especially if you’ve got a party planned. 

As with anything, though, sometimes all it needs is to be turned off and on again. 

In this article, I’ll talk you through how to do this properly, as well as some next steps for when this doesn’t work.

When Can Resetting Your Samsung Ice Maker Be Helpful?

You shouldn’t have to reset your ice maker often. Samsung recommends only being used as a last resort when ice production has completely stopped, and you’ve run through all the normal troubleshooting through the ‘test’ menu. 

You shouldn’t reset your Samsung ice maker more than once a day, as it can cause water to overflow, jammed ice, or, worst case, permanently damage your ice maker.

How to Reset Samsung Ice Maker

This is a fairly basic maintenance task, so don’t fret! Do be careful, though only to reset once per day. 

How you do this will depend on what type of Samsung refrigerator you have. If you’re not sure which type you have, start with the general instructions below and work your way down the options. 

1. Take the ice bucket out and set it to the side
2. Find the rectangular ‘TEST’ button in your ice maker. It should be near the front, on either the side or the bottom, and it will either say ‘TEST’ on it or have an arrow pointing to it
3. Press and hold the button for 3-10 seconds until you hear a chime. This indicates that the diagnosis process is starting
4. Put the ice bucket back in – with relative haste, as whatever ice is in the ice maker will soon fall out

Ice Maker Within a Fridge Compartment or Side-by-Side Freezer

1. Gently lift the ice bucket up and pull it out slowly, using both hands. Then set it to the side
2. Press and hold the TEST button on the top right of the ice maker for 3-10 seconds or until the refrigerator chimes

NB. If you don’t hear the chime but can see the parts within the ice maker moving, then the reset was still successful. If there’s no chime or movement, flick down to our ‘How to do a Hard Reset section’.

1. Reattach the ice bucket. It should just click into place, but if not, turn the Helix (at the back) 90 degrees and try again
2. If the ice maker chimes once – good news! The reset and test were successful. If you hear multiple chimes, the ice maker still has a problem and will likely require input from an appliance technician to get it back up and running

Ice Maker Within Back of Freezer Door

1. Remove the ice bucket using the side handles
2. Press and hold the TEST button, on the bottom left of the ice maker, for 3-10 seconds or until you hear a chime

NB. If you don’t hear the chime but can see the parts within the ice maker moving, then the reset was still successful. If there’s no chime or movement, flick down to our ‘How to do a Hard Reset section’.

1. Reinsert the ice bucket. It should click into place, but if it doesn’t, rotate the gear handle on the back of the ice bucket by 90 degrees and try again
2. If the ice maker chimes once – good news! The reset and test were successful. If you hear multiple chimes, the ice maker still has a problem and will likely require input from an appliance technician to get it back up and running

Ice Maker Within Bottom Freezer

1. Gently lift the ice bucket up to remove it
2. Press and hold the TEST button on the bottom of the ice maker (in the middle) for 3-10 seconds or until you hear a chime

NB. If you don’t hear the chime but can see the parts within the ice maker moving, then the reset was still successful. If there’s no chime, and no movement, flick down to our ‘How to do a Hard Reset section’.

1. Reinsert the ice bucket.
2. If the ice maker chimes once – good news! The reset and test were successful. If you hear multiple chimes, the ice maker still has a problem and will likely require input from an appliance technician to get it back up and running.

Ice Maker Within Top Freezer

1. Locate the ice bucket underneath the ice maker and remove it
2. The Test Switch is under the middle of the ice maker near the front – press and hold it for 3-10 seconds or until you hear a chime

NB. If you don’t hear the chime but can see the parts within the ice maker moving, then the reset was still successful. If there’s no chime, and no movement, flick down to our ‘How to do a Hard Reset section’.

1. Slide the ice bucket back into place below the ice maker.
2. If the ice maker chimes once – good news! The reset and test were successful. If you hear multiple chimes, the ice maker still has a problem and will likely require input from an appliance technician to get it back up and running.

Cubed and Ice Bites Ice Makers

1. This type of refrigerator will have two ice makers; one for cubed ice and another for ice bites. These are both located in the bottom left freezer, near the top. Cubed ice will be on the left, and ice bites on the right

NB. If both ice makers are malfunctioning, you’ll need to repeat this process for each.

1. Press the ‘TEST’ button for the ice maker that you want to reset. It’ll be on the bottom of the ice maker – below the vent but above the ice bucket. Press and hold for 3-10 seconds until you hear a chime
2. If the ice maker chimes once – good news! The reset and test were successful. If you hear multiple chimes, the ice maker still has a problem and will likely require input from an appliance technician to get it back up and running

How To Do A Hard Reset

The easiest way to reset your Samsung refrigerator (and fix most problems) is through a hard reset. 

This is done by turning off the appliance at the mains power for 30 minutes, then turning it back on. 

Tip: Remember to keep your refrigerator doors closed for the duration to keep your contents fresh!

If this hasn’t resolved your issue, don’t worry – just run through the troubleshooting below.

Samsung Ice Maker Reset Not Working

If you’ve tried to reset your Samsung ice maker with the instructions above and completed a hard reset, but there’s still no ice, it could be for a number of reasons. 

We’ll go into these below with some suggestions on how to fix it or where it may be a better idea to call an appliance technician.

Your Samsung Refrigerator is New, or Has Just Been Turned on

Although your Samsung refrigerator should produce around 120 ice cubes a day, it does need some time to bring itself to life. 

If your refrigerator is new, it might just need a while longer to settle in.

How to fix

Try to give your ice maker 6-12 hours to start generating ice. This will give it time to pull in the water and cool itself down enough to freeze the ice. 

You should throw away the first 3 batches/30 cubes as this will ensure the ice cubes are made from clean and filtered water.

The Ice Maker is Turned Off

If you’re struggling to get the ice maker to produce ice or reset, it may be that it’s been turned off on the settings menu or control panel.

How to fix

For refrigerators with a home screen, navigate to the fridge manager, then fridge settings. Once there, press ‘Ice Making’ to toggle it from OFF to ON.

For other models, press the lock button twice – but be careful not to press and hold, as this can turn your control lock on. If you have an ‘ice maker’ or an ‘ice maker off’ button instead, press and hold this for 3 seconds to toggle between OFF and ON.

The Refrigerator Doors Aren’t Closed Properly

If the doors to the refrigerator aren’t closed properly, the ice maker may not make or dispense ice. 

How to fix

It might not be obvious that the doors aren’t shut right, so double-check these things:

1. Make sure there’s nothing resting against the side walls of the refrigerator at the front that may be preventing the doors from closing
2. Check the door seal is closing properly all the way around – you can do this just by running your finger along, or try trapping a bit of paper in the seal to make sure it’s closed

The Refrigerator is Overfilled

If your fridge or freezer compartments are filled to maximum capacity, this can restrict airflow within the appliance and have a few undesirable consequences. It will be harder for the refrigerator to stay at the set temperature, and this can cause slow ice production.

How to fix

Make sure that there’s some space between items in your refrigerator and freezer, that it isn’t full to the brim, and that there’s no obvious ice or frost build-up. 

This can not only help your ice maker to produce more ice, but it will also lower your energy bills as well as improve the lifespan of your refrigerator.

The Refrigerator Isn’t Level

This may seem pedantic, but if your fridge isn’t leveled, it can cause all sorts of problems – including lack of or deformed ice.

How to fix

You’ll need to look out for a spirit level and a Phillips screwdriver for this one, but it’s not too technical. 

Your fridge will have leveling feet at the front, potentially tucked behind a cover that will need to be unscrewed and removed. If you’re struggling to find them, look for your owner’s manual. 

There will be one foot on each side, which is adjusted using a flat-head screwdriver. It doesn’t matter which side you start with but turn clockwise to lower or anticlockwise to raise that corner of your fridge. 

Check back with your spirit level and adjust until the fridge is level side-to-side and front-to-back.

Your Samsung Dispenser Lock is on

If your Samsung has a water and ice dispenser, it’s likely it will also have a dispenser lock. This disables the dispenser from producing water or ice but leaves the rest of the control panel working as normal.

How to fix

If you have a Family Hub Fridge, go to your control panel and click ‘Apps’ then ‘Fridge Manager’. Within this, you’ll find ‘Fridge Settings’ and an ‘Unlock’ button (next to the Dispenser Lock). 

Note: If you have ‘Lock’ displayed instead, this means the Lock is already turned off.

If you have a non-Family Hub model, you should find a ‘Water/Ice’ button just above your ‘Door Alarm’ – press and hold this button for 3-5 seconds or until the fridge chimes.

If these options don’t work, you can check your user manual. If you’ve lost it, take note of the model number and search for it here.

For more details on Samsung refrigerator lock functions, read: How to Unlock Samsung Refrigerator

The Water Filter Has Expired and Needs Replacing

To identify whether the water filter is the main culprit for your problems, you can first remove it – and test whether the ice maker works without the filter in place. 

If ice is made without the filter, then this is most definitely the problem – and you’ll need to replace the filter. 

How to fix

If the water filter is faulty, you’ll need to source a new one and look to have it replaced. This is a task you’ll have to repeat every 6 months to keep your refrigerator from developing error codes.

You’ll need to source the part, and it’s recommended that you use a genuine one. These can be purchased directly from Samsung, and you can even set up a subscription, so you don’t forget when it needs replacing. 

There are 3 types of filters available, so check on the filter or in your owner’s manual to make sure you get the right one.

To replace the filter:

1. Turn off the water supply
2. Locate and open the water filter cover
3. Remove the old filter by twisting it to the left and then gently pulling it straight up
4. Take off the protection cap from the top of the new filter and gently push it straight in, then screw it in by twisting it to the right
5. To check it’s in place – line up the lock symbol on the filter with the indicator line built into the refrigerator. If you have a HAFCU1 filter type, this will be a notch on the filter, which lines up with an arrow built into the refrigerator
6. Turn the water supply back on

Your Freezer Temperature is Set Too Low

If your freezer temperature is too low (or too high), it can affect the production of ice and cause problems with the functioning of your ice maker.

How to fix

If your freezer temperature is set lower than -18°C / 0°F, you should change the settings. 

To do this:

1. Click the ‘0’ to select the freezer section
2. When your freezer temperature is flashing, toggle through the temperature settings (clicking < for lower and > for higher) until you reach -18°C / 0°F
3. Wait for 5-10 seconds until the temperature stops flashing

For models without arrows, simply click the ‘freezer’ button multiple times to cycle through the different temperature settings and stop once you reach -18°C / 0°F.

It can take 2-3 hours for the new settings to take effect, or longer if you have an older model. 

Once your refrigerator and freezer report the new temperatures, you can test your water dispenser to see if this has fixed the problem.

When to Call a Technician

As promised, we’re now at that part of the article. If you’ve tried all the above and everything is in order, you may have a deeper, routed electrical or mechanical problem that needs expert assistance from an appliance technician. 

If your Samsung refrigerator is still under warranty, then you can contact your retailer or Samsung directly and arrange the repair through them.

Related: How to Reset LG Refrigerator Ice Maker