What do the symbols on a microwave mean?
Find it by its shape. 1. Pick what you see on the panel or the dial. 2. Match the drawing. Each of the symbols here is backed by at least two makers’ own manuals or support pages.
Tap a shape — the symbols that use it appear here.
Wavy lines — 2 symbols
Snowflake — 2 symbols
Zigzag — 2 symbols
Bowl with steam — 2 symbols
Round plate — 1 symbol
Numbers — 2 symbols
Before you trust any chart, including this one
No published standard we could check defines microwave control icons. IEC 60417 (the international catalogue of equipment symbols) is a paid database, and none of the manuals cited here quotes an IEC number for these keys, so every meaning on these pages is taken from makers’ own manuals and support pages.
- Wavy lines mean microwaves; a zigzag means the grill element; a fan means hot air (convection). Two of them together is a combination setting that runs both at once.
- Power levels are watts, and the same word is not the same power everywhere. The Panasonic manual cited calls 270 W “Defrost” and 1000 W “High”; the Whirlpool guide lists 90, 160, 350, 500, 650 and 750 W below its full “JET” power. A recipe that says “800 W for 3 minutes” needs longer on a 700 W oven and less on a 1000 W one.
- Anything with a grill or combination setting makes the walls, the door glass and the accessories hot, which a microwave-only setting does not.
Related pages
What these pages cannot do
- They do not identify a specific microwave model. They say what a symbol means on the makes cited (Bosch, Dacor, Panasonic, Teka, Whirlpool); your model’s manual gives the exact times, limits and key presses.
- Left out: Crisp (Whirlpool) and air fry (Teka). Each is one maker’s own function with its own drawing and accessory; no second maker’s document shows the same drawing with the same meaning.
- Left out: Steam programmes. Makers draw steam as clouds, drops or a steamer basket and tie it to their own accessory; the drawings do not match from make to make.
- Left out: Popcorn, pizza, beverage and other one-touch food buttons. They are labelled with words or pictures of the food, and their times differ by model, so the label on the key is the whole answer.
- Left out: Error codes such as E-3 or F1. They differ by make and model and need that maker’s own fault table.
Sources
Every document below is a maker’s own manual or support page, fetched and read on the date shown. Each symbol page quotes what its sources show.
- Panasonic: Panasonic — Operating instructions and cookbook, convection/grill/microwave oven NN-CD58JS Checked 2026-09-28.
- Whirlpool: Whirlpool — JT469 control panel quick guide (GB) Checked 2026-09-28.
- Dacor: Dacor (Samsung) — Use and care manual, over-the-range convection microwave oven PCOR30S Checked 2026-09-28.
- Bosch: Bosch Ireland — Microwave symbols and settings Checked 2026-09-28.
- Teka: Teka — Microwave symbols and functions explained Checked 2026-09-28.
- Panasonic: Panasonic — Owner’s manual, grill/microwave oven NN-GN68KS Checked 2026-09-28.
- Whirlpool: Whirlpool product help — Turntable not working, over-the-range microwave Checked 2026-09-28.