Cool mode (snowflake)
The unit cools the room towards the temperature you set, by moving heat from indoors to the outdoor unit.
What pressing it does
Select it with the MODE button, then set the temperature and fan speed. Daikin explains that the unit “cools the room by releasing the heat in the room outside”, so cooling can weaken when it is very hot outdoors. Typical set ranges in these manuals: 16–30 °C (Midea), 16–31 °C (Mitsubishi Electric), 16–32 °C (Daikin).
What it does not do
It does not start cooling if the room is already colder than the set temperature: Fujitsu’s manual says the setting must be lower than the room temperature or the mode does not start.
Makes differ, check your unit’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly what a button does and which modes it works in.
- What it looks like
- A six-armed snowflake, usually beside or instead of the word COOL. Samsung’s remote prints the word Cool with no drawing.
- Names makers use
- COOL (Midea, Daikin, Fujitsu, Panasonic); Cooling (Airwell); Cool (Samsung)
Where makers differ
Midea and Airwell draw a snowflake; Samsung prints the word Cool; Daikin and Fujitsu print COOL next to the button. Samsung adds that the compressor slows down as the room approaches the set temperature.
Often confused with
The unit takes moisture out of the air with gentle cooling at a low fan speed, trying not to drop the room temperature much.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines air-conditioner remote icons, so this meaning is taken from 5 makers’ own manuals, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Midea: Midea — Remote controller owner’s manual, RG51A(2)/E and RG51B(2)/E (PDF) — Mode display shows AUTO, COOL, DRY, HEAT and FAN; COOL mode: press MODE, set the temperature, pick AUTO/LOW/MED/HIGH fan speed. Set range 16–30 °C (60–86 °F). Checked 2026-09-26.
- Airwell: Airwell — RC08W remote control manual (PDF) — Display legend: snowflake icon = “Cooling”; mode selector: “(cooling) The air conditioner makes the room cooler.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Daikin: Daikin web operation manual — COOL · DRY · FAN operation — “[COOL] To lower the temperature in the room … This air conditioner cools the room by releasing the heat in the room outside.” COOL set range 16.0–32.0 °C. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Fujitsu General: Fujitsu General — Operating manual, wall-mounted 18/24RLB and 30/36RLXB (US, PDF) — “In COOL/DRY mode, the value needs to be set at lower temperature than current room temperature … Otherwise, corresponding operation mode does not start to work.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Samsung: Samsung — Wind-Free 2.0 air conditioner user manual, AR**TSFA*** (PDF on Samsung HVAC’s document store) — Remote display prints “Cool”; Cool mode notes: “As the room temperature nears the set temperature, the compressor motor will slow down to save energy.” Checked 2026-09-26.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.