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Washer door won’t open or unlock

A washer keeps its door locked on purpose while there’s water inside, while the drum is hot, or while it’s still spinning down. Most stuck doors open once that’s dealt with. Never force the door.

6 checks, quickest firstAbout 59 minutes if you do them allLast checked against its sources on

Fix Finder

Fix Finder: washer door won’t open or unlock

Work through the checks below, in order.

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Before you start

  • Anything beyond the quick checks: unplug the washer first.
  • Touching hoses: turn off both water valves behind the washer.
  • After a hot cycle, give the water time to cool. Samsung suggests about an hour.
  • Have towels and a shallow tray ready whenever a step may release water.

More in appliance repair safety basics.

All the checks, in order

  1. Let it finish and wait for the click

    Safe to tryAbout 5 min

    The door stays locked while the washer is spinning or draining, and Whirlpool says that can take up to five minutes.

    1. If a cycle is still running, pause or cancel it: Pause/Cancel on Whirlpool, Start/Pause on Samsung, Pause on LG.
    2. Wait up to five minutes and listen for the lock to click open.
    3. On Samsung washers, the door lock light goes off once it has drained.

  2. Turn off Child Lock

    Safe to tryAbout 1 min

    Samsung says Child Lock can lock the door on some models, such as front-loaders.

    1. Look for a Child Lock or Control Lock light and turn it off, usually by holding the lock button, or the pair of buttons your model uses, for about 3 seconds. Your manual shows which.

  3. Let a hot wash cool

    Safe to tryAbout 10 min

    LG keeps the door locked until the drum has cooled after a high-temperature cycle.

    1. Leave it for a while, then try again. LG says the door opens once the drum has cooled and it’s safe.

  4. Turn the washer on

    Safe to tryAbout 6 min

    The door can stay locked after a power cut, or if the washer was unplugged mid-cycle.

    1. Make sure the washer is plugged in, then turn it on and wait. Samsung says it should click and unlock.
    2. Top-loaders: after losing power mid-cycle, Samsung says the lid can take up to 5 minutes to unlock.

  5. Wait out a low-water lockout

    Safe to tryAbout 12 minFront-load only

    On Whirlpool front-loaders, an F8 E1 or LO FL code keeps the door locked and the controls unresponsive.

    1. Press Power. The washer runs a drain routine of about 8 to 10 minutes and won’t accept any input meanwhile.
    2. Wait 10 minutes before trying anything else, then check the water supply is turned on.

  6. Drain the water out

    Take careAbout 25 min

    Front-loaders keep the door locked while they detect water inside.

    1. Try a drain or spin-only cycle. On LG washers with a touch screen, press Pause, then Cancel and confirm, then choose Spin Only (under Download Cycle) and press Start.
    2. If it won’t drain itself, front-loaders with a pump filter have a small emergency drain hose beside it. Lay down towels and a shallow pan, and let the water out through that hose a little at a time.
    3. When no more water comes out, turn the washer off and back on. The door should unlock.

    Open the guide: Washer won’t drain

When to call a technician

  • The door stays locked with no water inside and the washer switched on.
  • You’d have to force the door to open it. Don’t: the lock is there because of water, heat or a spinning drum.

Error codes that point here

If your washer shows one of these, open it for the brand’s exact meaning.

Samsung dEDoor not closed or lockedLG dEDoor not lockingWhirlpool F5 E2Door won’t lock (front-load)Whirlpool LdLLid won’t lock or unlock (top-load HE)Whirlpool F8 E1Low water flow (slow fill)Maytag F5 E2Door won’t lock (front-load)Maytag LdLLid won’t lock or unlock (top-load HE)Maytag F8 E1Low water flow (slow fill)

Questions

Why does the door stay locked after the cycle ends?

The reasons the makers give are water still inside, a drum that’s still hot, or a drum still spinning down. Whirlpool says it can take up to five minutes after a cycle for the door to unlock.

Can I force the door open?

No. Samsung says the lock is there to stop water spilling out, so drain the washer first. If it still won’t open with no water inside, request service.

Sources

  1. Front Load Washer Door Will Not Open (opens in a new tab), Whirlpool Product Help
  2. Samsung washer door is locked (opens in a new tab), Samsung US Support
  3. [LG Front Load Washing Machine] Door won’t open (opens in a new tab), LG USA Support
Last checked against its sources on