How to Reset an Air Conditioner: Central, Window, Mini Split

By Ray Bennett · Updated 2 October 2026 · 6 min read · Checked against the makers’ own manuals

How to Reset an Air Conditioner: Central, Window, Mini Split

Short answer

The reset button most people look for is on the plug of a window unit. A central air conditioner and a mini split usually have none: they are reset at the breaker or the disconnect. Many stops are waits, not faults: a thermostat can hold the compressor off for about five minutes, and Carrier's control retries by itself after 15 minutes.

Search for an air conditioner’s reset button and the answer depends on the kind you have. A window unit has one, on its plug. A central system and a mini split rarely do: they are reset at their power, and often they reset themselves if you wait.

This page brings together what the makers’ own instructions say, as quoted on this site’s brand pages: the waits that look like faults, how each kind is reset, and when to stop resetting.

Before you start

What to carry: a torch and a pen. Ten minutes, longer if you choose to wait.

Gas or electric? Electric. A central system’s outside unit runs on 240 volts from its breaker and a disconnect box on the wall beside it. A window unit plugs into the wall.

Note any code first. A blinking light on the outside unit names the fault, and some controls lose it when the power goes off: the blinking yellow light.

Before you reset anything. 240 volts outside. Use the breaker and the disconnect. Leave the inside of the unit to a technician.

The fan can start by itself. Carrier says its outdoor fan can keep running up to 15 minutes after a trip, and the compressor restarts on its own. Keep hands out of the fan.

A plug that fails its test. Frigidaire says not to use a window unit if the test on its power cord fails.

The same fault twice. A reset that fails twice is hiding a fault. Stop and call a technician.

Where the reset is

Only a window unit has a reset button, and it is on the plug. A central system and a mini split are reset at the breaker.

The kind	How the makers reset it
Central air conditioner	The breaker and the disconnect off, then on. Carrier’s 4 hour lockouts also clear when the 24 volt power is recycled
Window unit	Unplug it for up to 30 seconds, a full minute if the display will not respond. The RESET button on the plug
Mini split	The breaker off, then on. MrCool gives 15 minutes for several of its codes

The waits that look like a fault

Four stops that clear themselves. Rule them out before any reset.

Check 1Free, fifteen minutes

Rule out the normal waits

The thermostat’s delay. Many thermostats hold the compressor off for about five minutes after a change: the five minute wait.

Cool On flashing. On a Honeywell T6 Pro, Honeywell says the compressor protection is engaged. Wait five minutes for the system to restart safely.

Carrier’s 15 minute retries. For pressure and thermal trips, Carrier says the control stops the compressor and tries again after 15 minutes if the demand is still there.

Comfort Alert. Copeland says its code turns off by itself if conditions return to normal.

Central air: the reset is the power

Check 2Free, ten minutes

Cycle the power

The breaker and the disconnect. Switch the outside unit off at its breaker, or pull the disconnect beside it, then back on.

Carrier’s lockouts. Carrier says codes 81 to 84 lock the unit out for 4 hours, or until the 24 volt power is recycled. Cycling the power clears it once: Carrier’s codes.

Copeland’s Comfort Alert. Copeland says to cycle the power to the module off and on. The last code flashes for 60 seconds, then clears.

The indoor half. The furnace or air handler has its own breaker and a switch like a light switch, and its door presses a safety switch: which half is dead.

A full drain pan. A float switch cuts the cooling when the pan fills. Once the drain runs, the cooling comes back on its own and nothing needs resetting: clearing the drain line.

Window units: the button on the plug

Check 3Free, five minutes

Unplug it, then test the plug

Unplug to reset. Frigidaire’s answer to most codes is to unplug the unit for up to 30 seconds. For a lit display that will not respond, it says one full minute. GE says a minute or two.

The reset button on the plug. Frigidaire says its air conditioners have a plug with a current leakage detection device. Press RESET on the plug head, plug the cord in, and press TEST: the reset button should pop up. Then press RESET to use the unit.

No power at all. Frigidaire’s list: try the outlet with a small appliance such as a radio or a hair dryer, reset a GFCI outlet if it has tripped, check the breaker, and check the reset button on the cord.

The filter light. Frigidaire says it comes on after 250 hours of running. Wash the filter, let it dry, refit it and press Filter Reset: window AC codes.

Mini splits: the breaker, not a button

Check 4Free, fifteen minutes

Power it off long enough

No reset button. Most mini splits have none. A reset is a power cycle at the breaker: what a mini split reset really is.

Long enough. For several of its codes, MrCool’s first step is the breaker off for 15 minutes, then back on.

The button under the flap. On most brands it is not a reset. Holding it down can put the unit into a forced or test mode, so press it, do not hold it.

The pinhole on the remote. The RESET pinhole clears the remote and nothing else. A code on the head names the fault: mini split codes.

When to stop resetting

Check 5A service call

Reset once, then stop

The same code again. Carrier says a lockout means the same fault happened several times in a row. A code that returns after a reset needs a technician.

The breaker trips again. Something is drawing too much current: what tripping is telling you.

A hum with no fan. Usually the capacitor, which no reset clears: the capacitor.

Never push the contactor in by hand. It forces the compressor on without its protections.

Questions people ask

Where is the reset button on my air conditioner?

On a window unit, it is on the plug at the end of the power cord. A central air conditioner and a mini split usually have none: they are reset at the breaker or the disconnect.

How long do I turn off my AC to reset it?

For a window unit, Frigidaire says up to 30 seconds, or a full minute if the display will not respond. For a mini split, MrCool gives 15 minutes for several of its codes.

Why won’t my AC start right after a reset?

Many thermostats hold the compressor off for about five minutes, and Honeywell’s T6 Pro flashes Cool On while it waits. Give it five minutes.

Why does the button on my window AC plug keep popping?

The plug has a current leakage detection device. Run Frigidaire’s test, and do not use the unit if the test fails.

Will my AC reset itself?

Often. Carrier’s control retries after 15 minutes for pressure and thermal trips, and a Comfort Alert code clears when conditions return to normal.

How many times should I reset my AC?

Once. If the same code or trip comes back, the fault is still there and needs a technician.

Sources: The makers' own instructions, as cited on this site's brand pages: Carrier, Copeland Comfort Alert, Resideo (Honeywell) T6 Pro, Frigidaire, GE and MrCool