Automatic door opening (door ajar)
The machine opens its own door a little during or after the drying phase so steam escapes and the dishes dry with fresh air.
What the manuals say to do
Leave the door as it is when it pops open; AEG warns not to try to close it within 2 minutes of the automatic opening, and Beko not to force it while the door shafts are moving. Steam can harm delicate worktop edges, so fit the protection foil the manual supplies (Hotpoint, Whirlpool). It can be switched off in the settings.
What it does not mean
It is not a fault or a broken latch — the door is meant to open by itself. It is not a child-safe feature either: AEG advises switching AirDry off if children have access to the machine.
Makes differ, check your dishwasher’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly what a light means and which programmes an option works with.
- What it looks like
- A dishwasher from the side with its door slightly open, sometimes with steam or an arrow — or no symbol at all, just a setting in the menu.
- Names makers use
- AirDry (AEG); AutoOpen (Miele); ActiveDry (Hotpoint); NaturalDry (Whirlpool); SelfDry (Beko)
Where makers differ
The door opens during drying on AEG, Hotpoint and Whirlpool, at the end of the cycle on Beko, and only in some programmes on Miele. Whirlpool keeps the door shut when Turbo is on; Hotpoint opens it only once the temperature is safe for furniture.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines dishwasher panel icons, so this meaning is taken from the manuals of 4 different maker groups (AEG, Hotpoint, Beko, Miele), each fetched and read on the date shown:
- AEG: AEG — User manual, dishwasher FSK52917Z (PDF, Electrolux media library) — “AirDry improves the drying results. The appliance door opens automatically during the drying phase and remains ajar”; “Do not try to close the appliance door within 2 minutes after automatic opening”; advise deactivating AirDry if children have access. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Hotpoint: Hotpoint — Dishwasher Daily Reference Guide, 15 place settings with 3D Zone Wash and ActiveDry (PDF, 05/2023) — “ActiveDry – It is a convection drying system which automatically opens the door during/after the drying phase … The door opens at a temperature that is safe to your kitchen furniture”; protection foil supplied; can be deactivated in the settings menu. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Beko: Beko — Dishwasher user’s manual, BDEN38640FG / BDEN38530FX (PDF) — SelfDry: “the door of your machine is opened automatically at the end of the washing cycle … This process takes about 2 minutes. Do not force to close the door … while the shafts are moving out.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Miele: Miele — Operating instructions, dishwashers with touch display, M.-Nr. 11 831 681 (PDF) — “AutoOpen: In some programmes the door automatically opens slightly to assist the drying process. This function can be deactivated”; warns that steam could damage delicate worktops. Checked 2026-09-26.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.