How to Turn off a Samsung Refrigerator [Quick and Easy Guide]

How to Turn off a Samsung Refrigerator [Quick and Easy Guide]

Do you need to go on a week-long trip and are wondering if you can safely leave your Samsung refrigerator plugged in?

Or maybe the display screen isn’t responding, and you need to shut off the appliance for a while?

No matter the question you have regarding turning off your refrigerator, this article can guide you through it.

From all the ways you can turn off the unit, to alternative methods to turn its cooling system off and conserve energy — and even solutions to issues such as the appliance suddenly turning off — we’ve detailed it for you below!

How to Turn off a Samsung Refrigerator

To turn off your Samsung refrigerator, unplug it from its power outlet or cut the power off at the circuit breaker.

To turn off only the cooling function, you can put it on Cooling Off mode by pressing the Freezer and Power Freeze buttons together, or via the Family Hub App.

When you turn off the refrigerator, the other compartments will shut off their cooling as well.

Samsung refrigerators are equipped with a twin cooling system that allows you to set different temperatures for the fridge and freezer compartments. 

However, this cooling system is interdependent on a single power source, therefore, they power off together.

Demo or Cooling Off Mode

There can be instances where you only want your fridge to pause operations without going through the trouble of powering it off and resetting its settings. 

In this case, Samsung’s Cooling Off Mode is perfect for you.

This setting, otherwise known as Demo Mode, disables the fridge’s cooling system without you needing to unplug the unit.

It’s called Demo Mode because this is what the unit is on while it’s being showcased in stores.

To enter Cooling Off or Demo Mode, you can do either of two methods:

  1. Manually activate Cooling Off mode via the control panel. To do this, you need to locate the two buttons that can trigger this setting.

The combination of buttons varies for each model, but generally, they’re the first two buttons on the left side of the control panel.

In most models, these are the Freezer and Power Freeze buttons. If your model doesn’t have these labels, or if they have these labels in a different location, refer to your user manual for more precise instructions.

Afterward, follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Press Freezer and Power Freeze for at least 3 seconds or until you hear a chime. 
  • Step 2: Check to see if the display screen reads “O FF” or “OF OF”. If it does, your fridge is now in Cooling Off Mode.

If it doesn’t, continue on to the step.

  • Step 3: Press the Freezer, Power Freeze, and Fridge buttons at the same time for at least 3 seconds or until a chime sounds. The display should change as described above.
  1. Activate Cooling Off mode via Family Hub. If you have a smart fridge model, you can activate Demo Mode via the Family Hub screen or its corresponding application.

To do this via the Family Hub screen, follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Go to Apps and open Fridge Manager.
  • Step 2: Select Fridge Settings, and then Cooling Off.
  • Step 3: You can choose between Deactivate or Activate. Once you’ve chosen a setting, tap Proceed.

Your Fridge Manager app should flash the text “OFF” to indicate that the Cooling Off Mode is activated.

Keep in mind that activating this setting isn’t an alternative to turning off your fridge or defrosting it. 

While the cooling system is turned off in this mode, your fridge is still technically running, though at a lower energy cost.

Tips for Cooling Off Mode

• Remove all perishable foods while Cooling Off Mode is active.
• Don’t leave the door open. Cooling Off Mode lowers the risk of unnecessary ice buildup, but because your fridge’s motor is still running regularly in this mode, some features may not function unless you close the door.

Reasons to Turn Off a Samsung Refrigerator

Reasons to Turn Off a Samsung Refrigerator

Refrigerators are designed to be plugged in for a long time in order to chill your food continuously. You can even say that they’re meant to stay on for months.

Nevertheless, turning the fridge off — and unplugging it — once in a while is actually good for maintaining its condition.

Here are a few reasons why turning off your fridge is essential:

Cleaning the Fridge

While your Samsung fridge is equipped with autonomous features such as the auto-defrost, which automatically melts off ice buildup once it meets a certain requirement, it’s yet to include a self-cleaning function.

If you want to keep your fridge shining like brand new, you’ll have to power it off, unplug it, and scrub it down from front to back manually.

Moreover, cleaning your fridge isn’t exclusively for wiping down spilled-over condiments or stray juice drops. It also helps with thawing out ice buildup inside the compartments, as well as dust buildup on its rear exterior.

Doing this can protect your fridge’s cooling system from running into heating problems or other mechanical errors that might require you to repair or replace internal components.

We recommend cleaning the unit once every month, taking extra care to remove ice or dust buildup around the coils inside and outside the unit.

During a Power Outage

A general rule with electronic appliances is that power surges are their Achilles’ heel. No matter how durable they’re built, any appliance will sustain damage from an excessive amount of incoming energy.

In worst cases, the most important part of your fridge — the control board — can take the hit from power surges. When this part gets damaged, it cannot be repaired, and your only option will be to replace it.

When a power outage occurs, immediately unplug the fridge from its power source. Once the power returns and you turn the unit back on, you’ll likely get a couple of errors.

This is when you should turn off your fridge for a couple of minutes before restarting it. What’s usually causing those errors are communication issues between the internal parts of the refrigerator.

In the case of a blackout, where electricity is suddenly cut before you can turn off the fridge, the transmission of the power supply from one internal part to another gets interrupted.

When power returns, your fridge will try to resume the last setting it was processing. Having lost that connection, however, the control board will send out errors instead.

Powering off your fridge properly in order to reset the commands is usually enough to fix the errors.

Troubleshooting Error Codes

The first step in every troubleshooting method, regardless of what kind of error it is, is to restart the unit.

As mentioned above, doing so will reset any interrupted commands and eliminate incorrect error codes.

Moreover, should you need to disassemble the unit, turning it off will ensure your safety as you inspect internal wiring or repair internal components.

Moving the Fridge

If you’re looking to move your refrigerator somewhere else, turning the unit off and unplugging it can ensure that no internal communication is interrupted and that your safety is guaranteed.

The kitchen is the conventional location for a refrigerator, but some people might prefer to have one in the garage or other more personal rooms in their homes as well.

Aside from preferences, a couple of reasons why you need to move your fridge to another area is either because its initial one isn’t level or because the room temperature isn’t ideal.

Both of these scenarios can result in numerous issues.

In the case of a fridge installed on an unlevel foundation, for example, you’ll likely have a difficult time closing its door, which is the primary cause of too much frost buildup or other cooling issues.

In the worst-case scenario, an overlooked gap in the fridge door can overwork your fridge’s defrost system and blow some of its components.

An area with inappropriate room temperature can bring the same errors as well, particularly during seasons when it can get too cold or too hot.

Going on a Long Trip

When you spend your holidays away from home for a long time, you’d want to turn the circuit breaker off for safety. 

For your refrigerator, this means preventing thick ice formation while you’re away.

If you’re leaving for a month or less, you can leave your refrigerator running on normal settings. Though if you won’t be returning in 2 weeks or more, we recommend shutting off the ice maker’s water supply to save energy.

It’s also essential to put your fridge’s temperature settings at a warmer setting than usual over the colder seasons, especially if the unit is placed in a room that’s easily affected by changes in room temperature.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking to be gone for more than a month, this is when it’s mandatory to power off the appliance and unplug it. 

Afterward, you should leave its doors open to prevent bad odor from developing.

Furthermore, once you’ve turned the unit off, you have to clean it thoroughly. Do not leave any perishable items inside.

Quick Tip:

If you’re leaving home for no more than a week and don’t plan on turning off the main circuit breaker, you can put your fridge on Cooling Off Mode instead.

It won’t consume as much power as when the cooling system is in operation, and you can easily switch to regular cooling when you’re back.

Different Methods to Turn Off a Samsung Refrigerator

Different Methods to Turn Off a Samsung Refrigerator

Now that you know when it’s necessary to turn off your refrigerator, we’ll be listing out different ways for you to do so.

Each model varies in ways to turn off the unit. Not to mention, there are also different modes like the Cooling Off mentioned above that can affect how you power off the fridge.

There are three ways to turn off your Samsung fridge. They’re as follows:

MethodDirections
Power ButtonLocate the Power Button on your refrigerator. This is typically found on the top of the doors.

Check if Child Lock is enabled. On the display panel, a lock symbol will be lit up if this setting is on.

If it’s activated, press and hold the Child Lock button for at least 3 seconds.

If it’s not, you may press and hold the Power Button to turn off the refrigerator.
Power PlugUnplug the refrigerator from its outlet.

Leave it alone for about 10 minutes before plugging it back in.

Ensure that it’s using a separate outlet and not an extension cord.
Circuit BreakerIf your fridge is connected to its own circuit breaker, you may choose to cut off its power from there instead of just unplugging it.

We recommend removing the ice maker first before following this method to reduce the risk of damaging this part.

Cut off the power at the refrigerator’s circuit breaker and leave it alone for at least 10 minutes.

1. Power Button

This is the go-to way of turning off the appliance. However, restarting your fridge via this method doesn’t automatically reset your fridge settings, unless you wait for a couple of minutes before turning it back on again.

In French door models, the power button is usually located on top of the door. If you don’t know where the power button of your model is, you may refer to your user manual for its location.

If you find yourself pressing and holding the power button for a long time but the unit still refuses to turn off, this could be because Child Lock is enabled.

When this setting is activated, all other buttons on your fridge except for the Child Lock button itself will not work. In newer models, this also means that the water and ice dispenser will stop functioning.

To deactivate this, locate the Child Lock button on the display and press it for at least 3 seconds. If your model doesn’t have a dedicated Child Lock button, refer to your user manual for instructions.

Once deactivated, you’ll be able to turn off the unit via the power button without a hitch.

2. Power Cord

The surefire way to hard reset your fridge is to power it off, then unplug it afterward. This reboots special settings like the Power Cool.

In troubleshooting some errors, you’ll have to keep the unit unplugged for at least 10 minutes. This is also a necessary step in cleaning the appliance or accessing the internal parts.

As a recommendation, we also advise plugging the appliance into a separate outlet and not into an extension cord. This is to ensure that your fridge can receive enough power supply and avoid voltage errors.

3. Circuit Breaker

If your fridge doesn’t share a circuit breaker with other appliances that need to be running while you’re troubleshooting the fridge, you can choose to cut off the power at the circuit breaker instead.

This is almost the same as unplugging the unit, though by cutting off power at the breaker, you’re making sure that there aren’t any other power sources near your fridge.

With most errors, unplugging the unit is enough. Errors pertaining to voltage or power supply, however, will require you to shut off the supply at the breaker and then reset the unit.

When resorting to this method, make sure to remove the ice maker from its compartment first before cutting off the power. This will reduce the risk of damaging it.

Keep in mind that this method requires you to have some technical knowledge about how breakers work.

A household circuit breaker has numerous switches and wiring around it, so you need to be familiar with these first in order to turn off the corresponding power supply for your fridge.

How to Check if the Refrigerator Is Turned Off

How to Check if the Refrigerator Is Turned Off

Your Samsung fridge has two primary indicators that it’s running. If you’re wondering if the unit has shut down properly, do the following:

  1. Check the lights inside the refrigerator. When the unit is running, the light inside will turn on when you open the door.

A fridge that has successfully been powered off will have the light out no matter how many times you open the door.

Conversely, if the light won’t come on even after powering on the fridge and closing the door, this might indicate a door issue. Either it’s because the door switch or lock is busted, or because the door seal is damaged.

  1. Listen for the sound of the compressor. The constant humming noise that you’ll hear from your fridge if you stand close enough to it is the most obvious indicator that it’s running.

That’s the sound of the compressor in action. While this is a constant element, it also should be faint enough that you won’t need to mind it unless necessary.

Occasionally, you might hear it rumbling, especially if you changed a couple of settings. 

Nevertheless, as long as the machine isn’t too loud, this means that your fridge is still in good condition.

Turning off the appliance means that neither of these two should be in operation. If either of them is present even after you’ve powered off the unit via the power button, this might mean that it didn’t shut down properly.

Meanwhile, if you turn the fridge back on but notice that either of these two is absent, you’ll have to troubleshoot the part(s) in question.

Quick Tip: Some Samsung fridge models are equipped with Sabbath mode. This setting lets your fridge operate normally without turning the interior lights on.

When this mode is active, the lights on your fridge won’t turn on even if you’ve closed the door properly or you can hear the compressor running.

Sabbath mode can stay active for up to 85 hours since it’s enabled.

To turn this off, press the Door Alarm and Water/Ice buttons simultaneously for 5 seconds or until the lights come back on.

Other possible button combinations are as follows:

• Freezer and Door Alarm
• Power Freeze and Power Cool

Refer to your user manual for information on whether Sabbath mode is available on your fridge model, and which combination of buttons to press.

What To Do With a Fridge That Won’t Turn Off

What To Do With a Fridge That Won’t Turn Off

If you have difficulty turning off your fridge no matter how many times you press and hold the power button, this might be because of a defunct power button, a problem with its connection to the control board, or an issue with the power supply.

When you can’t turn off the unit via the power button, do it via the remaining two methods we mentioned above: by removing the plug or turning off the circuit breaker. 

It’s important to do both to crack down more accurately on what’s possibly causing this error.

If none of the methods work properly, take your appliance to the nearest Samsung care center.

Why did my Samsung fridge suddenly turn off?

Why did my Samsung fridge suddenly turn off

You’re loading your groceries into the fridge, when all of a sudden, it just shuts off unprompted — what happened?

The first thing you should check in this scenario is whether a power outage just occurred. 

As mentioned above, outages can be dangerous for your appliance because of the power surge that can happen when the electricity comes back on.

But power outages are just one thing you should watch out for. If your fridge abruptly shuts down even without a sign of a blackout happening, here are possible reasons for it:

1. Damaged Power Cord

The first thing you should check when you experience your fridge turning off on its own is its power cord. It might be plugged in loosely; for safety measures, immediately unplug the unit.

Inspect the cord for damages and the outlet for any signs of burning. If there are damages to the cord, you’ll have to call a professional to check on it.

If there are burn marks or a faint smell of burning near the outlet, this means you’ll have to plug the fridge somewhere else.

Plug the fridge back in and power it on. If it doesn’t, call for service.

2. Power Surges

As mentioned, it’s not so much the power outage itself that can lead to errors but the power surge that happens afterward, especially if you left your fridge plugged in.

But did you know that power surges can happen even without a blackout?

A much more typical culprit to why your fridge might be experiencing a power surge is faulty wiring. 

Your fridge’s control board is made up of countless wire connections, so it’s always at risk of sustaining a trip in one of its wires.

Wires can be repaired via soldering, but if your fridge’s control board is damaged along with the wires, you’ll have to replace the entire board. Here’s a step-by-step on how to do that:

  • Step 1: Access the board on the back panel of the fridge. Once you unscrew the cover from the back, you’ll get a full view of the board with all its wirings attached.
  • Step 2: Take a photo of these connections as a reference for when you have to reconnect them again later.
  • Step 3: Inspect the wires for any loose or damaged connections. Then disconnect the wires carefully to inspect the board for damages.
  • Step 4: Lift the board from its housing and check for any burn marks on the surface or any sign of short-circuiting. If there aren’t any, you’ll only have to solder the damaged wires.

But if there are signs of electrical wear in the control board, you’ll have to purchase a replacement.

If this is all too technical for you, don’t hesitate to call for service.

Aside from faulty wiring, electrical overload is also a common cause of power surges. This can happen when you plug the fridge into an extension cord along with several other appliances.

Extension cord connections don’t always fulfill the voltage requirement of an appliance, which is why it’s important to plug those that have higher electrical requirements into an outlet of their own.

The power surge then comes from the circuit the extension cord is connected to. The more devices are plugged into an extension cord, the more likely it’ll overwhelm the circuit.

In turn, the cord will likely try to draw more power supply from the circuit, resulting in sudden and irregular voltage spikes, which can damage your fridge’s power supply. 

To avoid this, we recommend plugging the unit into its own outlet instead.

3. Shut-Off Circuit Breaker

Speaking of circuit breakers, it’s another place you’ll want to check if you experience your fridge suddenly turning off.

Circuit breakers are designed to automatically shut off when it detects a large amount of current being drawn or passing through. This is to prevent itself from overheating or burning out.

When you go to check your fridge’s circuit breaker and find it shut off even though you didn’t do this manually, it means you have to lessen the appliance load connected to that circuit.

In this case, if you have no perishables inside your fridge, it might be wise to let it cool off for a couple of hours. 

Make sure to check on your other appliances as well; unplug everything that doesn’t have to constantly be running.


Turning off your Samsung fridge might seem like a pretty straightforward thing to do, but knowing when and how to do it can also spare you the hassle of agonizing over lost settings.

With this guide, we hoped you gained more insight regarding other special modes in your appliance as well.

Remember, turning off the fridge is a necessary first step to troubleshooting the unit. When this step fails, it’s always safer to call in some professional help on the matter.

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