Samsung Refrigerator Not Cooling?

When using a hair dryer to defrost, keep it away from plastic components and never use an open flame. Unplug the refrigerator before removing any internal panels.

Samsung fridges (especially French door models from 2014–2020) are notorious for ice forming around the evaporator. If the freezer works but the fridge is warm, this is very likely the cause. You'll need to remove the rear panel inside the freezer and manually defrost the ice with a hair dryer or a forced defrost cycle.

Press and hold the Energy Saver and Fridge buttons simultaneously for 8–10 seconds until the display goes blank. Press the Fridge button repeatedly to cycle through modes until you see "Fd" (forced defrost). This takes about 20 minutes and will melt the ice buildup.

On most Samsung models, the condenser coils are on the back of the unit or behind a bottom panel. Vacuum dust and pet hair off the coils. Dirty coils force the compressor to work harder and can cause it to overheat and shut off.

Open the freezer and press the door switch manually. You should hear the evaporator fan start. If it doesn’t spin, the motor may have failed or ice may be jamming the fan blade.

Samsung refrigerators have a showroom/demo mode that turns off cooling but keeps the lights and display on. This can be activated accidentally. Press and hold the Energy Saver and Power Freeze buttons for 3 seconds to toggle it off.