Remote lock (padlock)
The remote’s buttons are locked, so a child or a stray press cannot change the settings. The unit keeps running as it was.
What pressing it does
Usually a button pair held for a few seconds: Midea DIRECT + TIMER OFF for 5 s to lock and 2 s to unlock; Gree two buttons together; Airwell a LOCK button. If a remote seems dead but its screen works, look for the padlock first.
What it does not do
It does not lock the indoor unit or turn it off: on Gree the remote simply stops sending (the icon blinks three times), and Mitsubishi Electric’s OPERATION LOCK locks only the mode, leaving on/off and temperature working.
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 closed padlock on the remote’s display.
- Names makers use
- LOCK (Midea, Airwell); Remote lock-out (Gree); OPERATION LOCK (Mitsubishi Electric)
Where makers differ
Whole-remote lock (Midea, Airwell, Gree) versus mode-only lock (Mitsubishi Electric). The key drawing on a washing machine is a different child lock: it locks the machine’s own panel.
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:
- Midea: Midea — Remote controller owner’s manual, RG51A(2)/E and RG51B(2)/E (PDF) — LOCK: “Press together DIRECT & TIMER OFF buttons simultaneously for 5 seconds to lock the keyboard … 2 seconds to unlock”; padlock icon: “Indicated all the current settings are locked.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Airwell: Airwell — RC08W remote control manual (PDF) — LOCKING THE REMOTE CONTROL: “Pushing this button freezes the last operation setting. When is activated the remote control will not be able to control the air conditioner.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Gree: Gree Comfort — Vireo GEN3 indoor unit owner’s manual (PDF) — Remote lock-out: the icon is displayed; “If you operate the remote controller, the icon will blink three times without sending signal to the unit.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Mitsubishi Electric: Mitsubishi Electric — MSZ-LN indoor unit service manual OBH766 revised edition B (PDF, UK library) — 9-14 OPERATION LOCK: “This function locks operation mode only. Other functions, such as OFF/ON, temperature setting, or airflow direction adjustment, are available.” Checked 2026-09-26.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.