Fan only mode
Only the indoor fan runs: the air is moved around the room at room temperature, with no cooling or heating.
What pressing it does
To stir the air, or — as Samsung suggests — to run for 3 to 4 hours to dry the inside of the unit before leaving it unused. You choose the fan speed; there is no temperature to set (Midea’s remote hides the temperature in this mode).
What it does not do
It does not cool or heat: Samsung and Mitsubishi Electric say the outdoor unit does not operate in fan mode, so the air comes out at room temperature.
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 fan with three or four curved blades around a hub, as a mode icon or beside the word FAN.
- Names makers use
- FAN (Midea, Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic); Fan only (Airwell); Fan (Samsung)
Where makers differ
The fan drawing is also used for fan speed on most remotes; the mode is the one reached by the MODE button. Mitsubishi Electric runs AUTO fan speed as Low in this mode.
Often confused with
Sets how fast the indoor fan blows: automatic, or a fixed step from silent or low up to high.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines air-conditioner remote icons, so this meaning is taken from 4 makers’ own manuals, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Samsung: Samsung — Wind-Free 2.0 air conditioner user manual, AR**TSFA*** (PDF on Samsung HVAC’s document store) — Fan mode: “run the air conditioner like a floor fan, providing a breeze without heating or cooling … The outdoor unit does not operate in Fan mode. This is normal.” Also: run in Fan mode 3 to 4 hours to dry internal components. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Mitsubishi Electric: Mitsubishi Electric — MSZ-LN indoor unit service manual OBH766 revised edition B (PDF, UK library) — 9-3 FAN operation: “Only indoor fan operates. Outdoor unit does not operate.” When AUTO fan speed is selected it becomes Low. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Midea: Midea — Remote controller owner’s manual, RG51A(2)/E and RG51B(2)/E (PDF) — FAN mode: “You can’t set temperature in FAN mode. As a result, your remote control’s LCD screen will not display temperature.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Airwell: Airwell — RC08W remote control manual (PDF) — Fan icon = “Fan only”; mode selector: “(fan) The air conditioner circulate the air.” Checked 2026-09-26.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.