Samsung dishwasher symbols
14 lights, programmes and buttons that Samsung shows in its own manual or support pages, each in our own drawing, with the maker’s own name for it next to ours. Tap a symbol for what it does, what to do, where makes differ and every source.
Check your manual — models differ. Two Samsung dishwashers can carry different programmes, options and lights, and the same drawing can mean different things on different brands; only your model’s manual says exactly what a light or button does on your machine.
Read this first
Two Samsung support pages are the sources here: Samsung Canada’s guide to cycles, options and icons, and Samsung Australia’s panel layout for its freestanding machines. Samsung names differ by market: the North American panels say Sanitize, Heavy and Lower Rack where the Australian ones say Hygiene Plus and Half Load. Samsung says the rinse-aid icon “may look like a star, snowflake, or sparkle”, and that the Self Clean indicator blinks when the tub needs its cleaning cycle. Samsung also says “the availability of cycles, options, and settings may vary by model”.
The 14 symbols
Rinse aid refill light (starburst)
Maker’s name: Rinse Aid icon
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: Dishwasher icons: “Rinse Aid … This icon indicates low rinse aid and may look like a star, snowflake, or sparkle.”
Auto programme (sensor, 45–65°)
Maker’s name: Auto (Smart Auto on older models)
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: “Auto (Smart Auto on older models): Detects soil level and automatically selects the optimal cycle.”
Intensive programme (pot or pan)
Maker’s name: Heavy; Pots & Pans
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: “Heavy: For heavily soiled dishes.” and “Pots & Pans: For hard-to-clean, heavily soiled items.”
Glass or delicate programme (wine glass)
Maker’s name: Delicate
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: “Delicate: Designed for fragile items like fine glassware. Avoid using for regular glassware to prevent clouding or etching.”
Half load (½ or half a rack)
Maker’s name: Half Load or Lower Rack
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: Dishwasher icons: “Half Load … This icon indicates that the Lower Rack or Half Load option is used”; “Lower Rack (Half Load on older models): Activates only the lower rack nozzle for small loads.”
- Samsung Australia — Samsung Freestanding Dishwasher Panel Layout (support page, two panel types), checked 2026-09-29: Panel item “Half Load: For small amount of loading items, use either the upper or lower basket to save energy.”
Extra dry option (heat waves)
Maker’s name: Dry+
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: “Dry+: Increases water temperature in the final rinse and extends drying time.”
Hygiene or sanitise option (plus or shield)
Maker’s name: Sanitize; Hygiene Plus (Australia)
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: “Sanitize: Increases water temperature in the final rinse for sanitation. The light indicates when the temperature is reached”; its icon “indicates that the Sanitize option is used.”
- Samsung Australia — Samsung Freestanding Dishwasher Panel Layout (support page, two panel types), checked 2026-09-29: “Hygiene Plus: Press to increase the water temperature up to 75 °C in the final rinse process for high temperature sanitization.” Older panel: Hygiene heats the final rinse to 70 °C.
Machine care light (the dishwasher itself)
Maker’s name: Self Clean indicator and cycle
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: “Self Clean: Cleans the dishwasher tub. Use when the Self Clean indicator blinks. Run the cycle with the dishwasher empty.”
Quick or rapid programme (stopwatch)
Maker’s name: Express 60 (Quick+ on older models)
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: “Express 60 (Quick+ on older models): A quick cycle for lightly soiled dishes, approximately 60 minutes without drying time.”
Pre-rinse or soak programme (drops over a plate)
Maker’s name: Rinse Only
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: “Rinse Only: For rinsing items not immediately washed. Do not use detergent.”
Speed option (double arrow)
Maker’s name: Speed Booster
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: “Speed Booster: Reduces washing time.”
- Samsung Australia — Samsung Freestanding Dishwasher Panel Layout (support page, two panel types), checked 2026-09-29: “Speed Booster: Select this option to reduce the cycle time.”
Tablet or all-in-one option (tablet)
Maker’s name: Multi Tab (Australia)
Shown in:
- Samsung Australia — Samsung Freestanding Dishwasher Panel Layout (support page, two panel types), checked 2026-09-29: “Multi Tab: Select the Multi tab option, which needs salt and rinse aid. This option can be selected on Intensive, Auto or ECO programs only.”
Child lock or key lock (key)
Maker’s name: Lock
Shown in:
- Samsung Australia — Samsung Freestanding Dishwasher Panel Layout (support page, two panel types), checked 2026-09-29: Panel item “Lock: This option allows you to lock the buttons on the control panel so children cannot accidentally start the dishwasher”; hold for three seconds to lock or unlock.
Delay start (clock or hourglass)
Maker’s name: Delay Start
Shown in:
- Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model), checked 2026-09-29: Dishwasher icons: “Delay Start … This icon indicates that the Delay Start option is used”; up to 24 hours in one-hour steps, or up to 9 hours in three-hour steps, by model.
Not listed for Samsung
The Samsung documents checked here do not show these dishwasher symbols from this site, so they are left off this page: Salt refill light, Water supply light, Eco programme, Automatic door opening, Light on the floor. That does not mean no Samsung dishwasher has them — only that no Samsung manual or support page cited here shows the symbol. If your machine shows one, see all dishwasher symbols by shape.
Other brands
Sources
A symbol is listed here only when one of these Samsung documents shows it. Each was fetched and read on the date shown; the maker’s names and quotations are the maker’s wording, everything else is ours.
- Samsung: Samsung Canada — The essential guide to Samsung dishwasher cycles and settings (support page, all models; availability varies by model) Checked 2026-09-29.
- Samsung: Samsung Australia — Samsung Freestanding Dishwasher Panel Layout (support page, two panel types) Checked 2026-09-29.