--- title: "Find the microwave model plate on a hood combination, built-in, drawer or countertop" description: "Behind the door on the frame, on a side wall, on the floor behind a drawer or under a unit above the cooking surface: where the rating plate sits on each type…" url: "https://microwaverepair.center/guides/find-the-microwave-model-plate/" date_modified: "2026-09-26" --- Troubleshooting # Find the microwave model plate on a hood combination, built-in, drawer or countertop The microwave model number location is usually on a rating plate you see with the door open: on the front frame or an inside side wall for built-in and countertop models, on the cavity floor behind the drawer for drawer models, and often on the underside near the back for a hood combination. Photograph the plate, since the serial number also dates the unit. By [MicrowaveRepair.center technical team](https://microwaverepair.center/authors/technical-team/) Published September 26, 2026 ## At a glance. The microwave model number location depends less on the brand than on how the microwave is installed: behind the door on the frame, on a side wall of the cavity, on the floor of a drawer, or underneath a hood combination. Two minutes with a flashlight and a phone camera usually finds it. Read the whole guide ### Countertop and built-in (GE) Inside, on the left side wall Or on the back of a countertop unit. ### Hood combination (GE) Underneath, usually near the back Look up from below with a flashlight. ### Microwave drawer (Wolf) Floor of the cavity behind the drawer The drawer has to be open. ### A GE model number Letter first, letter last A quick test that you are reading the right line. In this guide 1. Why the rating plate outranks the badge 2. On a microwave hood combination 3. Built-in, convection and speed models 4. On a microwave drawer 5. On a countertop microwave 6. Making sense of what the plate says 7. Step by step 8. Questions ## Why the rating plate outranks the badge Two microwaves with the same badge and the same finish can take different doors, different trays and different control boards. The model number decides which parts fit, which manual applies and which service notes a technician reads before arriving. The serial number belongs to this one microwave and, on many makes, also records when it was built. The plate carries more than those two lines. Wolf describes its rating plate as showing the model number, serial number, manufacture date on most models, and the total amps, and other makers print similar electrical data. Keep the photograph with your home records; a plate in a hot, steamy cavity can fade over the years. - Model number: which parts, manual and trim kit fit. - Serial number: which unit, and often when it was made. - Electrical rating: what the circuit feeding it has to carry. Source: [Wolf — Serial tag locations](https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/wolf/common/wolf-serial-tag-locations) — The rating plate shows model number, serial number, manufacture date on most models and total amps; convection microwave on the lower left of the front face frame; speed oven on the left of the front face frame; standard microwave on the upper left side wall inside the cavity; drop-down door microwave at the front left of the bottom ledge; drawer microwave on the bottom of the cavity behind the drawer ## On a microwave hood combination GE's locator lists three places for its microwaves, and a hood combination can use any of them: the left side wall inside the cavity, the underside near the back, or the back. The underside is the awkward one, since the unit hangs above the cooking surface. Stand to one side rather than leaning over burners, shine a flashlight upward, and let the phone camera read the plate for you. Leave the grease filters where they are unless the plate turns out to be behind one; the metal filters come out easily, but you rarely need to remove anything to read the tag. Never loosen the mounting bolts on the top or the back to look; those hold the whole microwave to the wall and cabinet. Source: [GE Appliances — Model and serial number locator: microwaves](https://www.geappliances.com/ge/find-model-serial-number/microwaves.htm) — Tags are inside on the left side wall, on the bottom of over-the-range models near the back, or on the back; GE model numbers always begin and end with a letter Close on a small blank metal plate with no characters on the frame of a microwave, seen through its open door. ## Built-in, convection and speed models A built-in microwave sits in a trim kit or a cabinet, so its back and sides are out of reach and the plate is placed where you can see it with the door open. Wolf's list is a good illustration of how precise the spot can be: on its convection microwave the plate is on the lower left of the front face frame, on its speed oven the left side of the front face frame, and on its standard microwave the upper left side wall inside the cavity. ### Side-hinged doors Swing the door all the way open and scan the frame on the hinge side and the latch side, then along the inner walls near the front. The label is often small and silver, and bright cavity light makes it hard to read straight on; tilt the phone so the glare falls away. ### Drop-down doors Microwaves with a door that folds down like a small oven door often carry the plate low. On Wolf's drop-down door model it is at the front left of the bottom ledge, visible once the door is open. Source: [Wolf — Serial tag locations](https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/wolf/common/wolf-serial-tag-locations) — The rating plate shows model number, serial number, manufacture date on most models and total amps; convection microwave on the lower left of the front face frame; speed oven on the left of the front face frame; standard microwave on the upper left side wall inside the cavity; drop-down door microwave at the front left of the bottom ledge; drawer microwave on the bottom of the cavity behind the drawer ## On a microwave drawer A drawer model hides its plate where only an open drawer reveals it. Wolf puts it on the bottom of the oven cavity behind the drawer, so open the drawer fully and shine a light over the back of the drawer box into the space behind it. Lock the controls before you reach in. Sharp's drawer, for instance, lets you lock both the keypad and the motorized door by holding Stop/Clear for three seconds, and suggests doing so before cleaning, so the drawer cannot close on a hand. The display reads LOCK ON while it is active. Source: [Wolf — Serial tag locations](https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/wolf/common/wolf-serial-tag-locations) — The rating plate shows model number, serial number, manufacture date on most models and total amps; convection microwave on the lower left of the front face frame; speed oven on the left of the front face frame; standard microwave on the upper left side wall inside the cavity; drop-down door microwave at the front left of the bottom ledge; drawer microwave on the bottom of the cavity behind the drawer; [Sharp — Microwave Drawer SMD2470AS / SMD3070AS operation manual](https://files.sharpusa.com/Downloads/ForHome/HomeAppliances/MicrowaveOvens/Manuals/TINSEB546MRR5_SMD2470AS_SMD3070AS%20OM_AW%2010-19-17.pdf) — Holding Stop/Clear for 3 seconds locks the control pad and the automatic door mechanism, recommended before cleaning; the display shows LOCK ON ## On a countertop microwave Countertop models are the easiest. Open the door and look at the inner side walls first; GE names the left wall. If nothing is there, turn the unit carefully and look at the back panel, which is where many compact models carry their label. Unplug it before you turn it around, and do not remove any screws while you are looking. ### When there is no plate at all Labels come off when a cavity has been scrubbed hard for years. The original receipt, the owner's manual and the registration card usually carry the model number, and a maker's customer care line can sometimes trace a unit from its serial alone. Source: [GE Appliances — Model and serial number locator: microwaves](https://www.geappliances.com/ge/find-model-serial-number/microwaves.htm) — Tags are inside on the left side wall, on the bottom of over-the-range models near the back, or on the back; GE model numbers always begin and end with a letter ## Making sense of what the plate says Plates mix letters and numbers that look alike, especially O and 0, I and 1, S and 5. GE offers a quick sanity check for its own units: its microwave model numbers start with a letter and finish with one. Copy the number exactly, including any suffix after a dash or slash, since the suffix often marks a finish or a mid-run revision. The serial number can date the microwave. On GE units the first letter of the serial gives the month and the second the year, on a cycle that repeats about every twelve years, so the owner's manual print date helps confirm which decade you are in. Age is the first thing that frames any repair-or-replace conversation. - Check O against 0, I against 1 and S against 5. - Keep any suffix after a dash or slash. - Store the photo with the receipt and the manual. Source: [GE Appliances — Model and serial number locator: microwaves](https://www.geappliances.com/ge/find-model-serial-number/microwaves.htm) — Tags are inside on the left side wall, on the bottom of over-the-range models near the back, or on the back; GE model numbers always begin and end with a letter; [GE Appliances — How to determine the age or manufacture date](https://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=16195) — The first letter of the serial number gives the month and the second the year; the year letter repeats about every 12 years; the owner's manual print date helps confirm the year ## Where to stop Finding the plate never requires tools. If it seems to be behind a panel, under a mounting bracket or inside the cabinet, stop and use the manual or receipt instead: do not remove screws, trim or the outer cabinet, because the high-voltage capacitor inside a microwave can hold a dangerous charge even when it is unplugged. Written by [MicrowaveRepair.center technical team](https://microwaverepair.center/authors/technical-team/). Technicians who repair home microwaves, writing from what each service call showed and from the makers' own manuals. Sources: [GE Appliances — Model and serial number locator: microwaves](https://www.geappliances.com/ge/find-model-serial-number/microwaves.htm) · [GE Appliances — How to determine the age or manufacture date](https://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=16195) · [Wolf — Serial tag locations](https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/wolf/common/wolf-serial-tag-locations) · [Sharp — Microwave Drawer SMD2470AS / SMD3070AS operation manual](https://files.sharpusa.com/Downloads/ForHome/HomeAppliances/MicrowaveOvens/Manuals/TINSEB546MRR5_SMD2470AS_SMD3070AS%20OM_AW%2010-19-17.pdf) ## Step by step. Four steps, in the order worth doing them. 01 ### Open the door or drawer Lock the controls on a drawer model first, then open it fully. 02 ### Check the frame and side walls Look along the front frame and the inner walls near the opening with a flashlight. 03 ### Look underneath or behind On a hood combination look at the underside near the back; on a countertop model, the back panel. 04 ### Photograph and copy Take a sharp photo of the whole plate and write out the model and serial numbers exactly. For the heart of your home. ## Questions owners ask. ### Is the name on the front trim the model number? Rarely. The badge usually shows a brand or a series name. The full model number, the one that decides which parts fit, is on the rating plate. ### Why does the technician need the serial number as well? Makers change parts during a production run, and the serial number tells which version of a door, board or tray a particular unit was built with. It also dates the microwave. ### My built-in microwave came as part of a combination with an oven below. Which plate do I need? Each half usually has its own plate. For a microwave problem, read the plate on the microwave section; the lower section is a separate appliance with its own number. ## The problems behind it. Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://microwaverepair.center/problems/) Problem ### What a Microwave Error Code Is Telling You 7 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Microwave Runs but Food Stays Cold 7 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Glass Tray Not Turning in a Microwave 6 causes, cheapest first ## When it needs a technician. The repairs on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it. ### Microwave diagnostic visit A visit that times a cup of water against the clock, checks the door and its switches, then tests the high-voltage section, the controls and the moving parts one at a time until a single part is named. ### Speed and convection microwave repair Repairing the browning side of a microwave that also roasts and bakes: the convection element and its fan, the halogen lamps on some speed models, their sensors and relays, and how they share the cavity with the magnetron. ### Microwave drawer mechanism repair Freeing and repairing the motorized door of a microwave drawer: the drive motor, the gear and toothed rack, the slides and the switches that tell the board where the drawer is. ## More in troubleshooting. The checks a microwave owner can make without risk, from a timed cup of water and the breaker to the door latch, the plate and its roller ring, and exactly where to stop and book. [The whole section](https://microwaverepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) Checks you can make at the door ### Microwave checks before booking: breaker, locks, a cup of water and the door Fifteen minutes at the panel, the keypad and the door clears the problems that are not problems, and leaves a technician with notes instead of guesses. Checks you can make at the door ### Reading the microwave display: power-cut messages, locks, demo mode and service codes A blinking 8888, a LOCK message, a countdown that races or a dead 8 key are settings; a code about the control board is not. How to tell them apart and what to write down. Guides ### All 18 guides Six sections, by what you are trying to find out. --- **[Read on the site: Find the microwave model plate on a hood combination, built-in, drawer or countertop](https://microwaverepair.center/guides/find-the-microwave-model-plate/)** **[Book a visit with MicrowaveRepair.center](https://microwaverepair.center/schedule/)**