MicrowaveRepair.center (844) 393-5858Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm Book a visit
A countertop stainless microwave on a kitchen counter, seen through its closed side-hinged door with a mesh window, a thin wisp of haze drifting from the vent slots on its side and a darkened brown patch on the cover panel inside the microwave cavity, a plain glass dish on the glass turntable.

Burning Smell From a Microwave

A microwave burning smell can be sharp and electrical, like hot plastic or an overheated cord, or smoky and food-like, and the kind of smell, where it comes out and whether it lingers after the cycle stops tell very different stories.

(844) 393-5858

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Stop using it
  • 5 questions that narrow it
  • 6 causes, cheapest first

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 393-5858

Door shut, stop pressed, power off at the breaker

An electrical burning smell comes before a fire, so switch the breaker off and keep it off until the unit is checked. A food smell that fades with cleaning can wait for an ordinary visit if it returns, but a brown patch on the waveguide cover should be replaced before it starts to spark.

What it
usually means.

Most burning smells from a microwave start with food: a spill under the turntable that is reheated with every cycle, residue baked onto the waveguide cover, or grease in the filters of a hood combination warmed by the pans below. Those smell like scorched food and fade when the unit is cleaned. The smell to take seriously is electrical: acrid, like hot plastic or a wire, and often strongest at the vents on the top, side or back rather than at the door. Inside the outer case the magnetron, the high-voltage transformer, the fan motors and the wiring all run warm, and a loose connector or a motor that has seized can overheat until its insulation cooks. A new speed or convection model is a third case: its browning element and insulation give off a brief smell during the first few browning cycles, which the maker's manual describes. Because an electrical smell comes before a fire, it is urgent until the unit is off at the breaker.

A technician in a plain gray work shirt stands at a stainless countertop microwave on a kitchen counter in a US home, reading a digital probe thermometer in a clear glass measuring cup of water he has just taken out of the open microwave, the microwave's glass turntable visible inside. The 6 causes, cheapest first

Answer these first

01

Does it smell like scorched food, or sharp and chemical like hot plastic or wire?
02

Is the smell strongest at the door, at the vents on the top or sides, or behind the unit?
03

Does it come only while the microwave heats, only while the fan runs, or even while it sits idle?
04

Is there a brown or black mark on the cover sheet on the side wall, under the turntable or near the vents?
05

Is this a new speed or convection model in its first few browning cycles?

Check these
before you book.

Microwave burning smell: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.

01

If the smell is electrical, sharp or chemical, stop the microwave, switch it off at the breaker, and leave it off.

02

If you see smoke in the cavity, keep the door closed; the page on smoke or flames inside covers that case.

03

Once it is off and cool, lift out the tray and roller ring and look for burned spills and a brown patch on the side wall cover.

Also worth checking

  • On a hood combination, slide out the grease filters and look at how much grease they hold.
  • Tell us what the smell is like, where it is strongest, and the model number from the label inside the door frame.

The causes,
cheapest first.

6 things burning smell from a microwave turns out to be, from a spill under the turntable reheated each cycle to connector, transformer or magnetron overheating.

The cost guide
  1. 01 no repair

    A spill under the turntable reheated each cycle

    Soup or sauce that ran under the glass tray bakes onto the cavity floor and the roller ring and smells a little stronger each time. Once the unit is cool, lift out the tray and ring, wash them, and wipe the floor with warm soapy water.

    No repair: check it yourself
  2. 02 no repair

    Browning element burning off on a new model

    Speed and convection microwaves have a heating element and insulation for browning. The first few runs in convection or broil mode give off a light smell; many manuals describe a short first run in convection mode to clear it, which applies to the element only and never to plain microwave mode.

    No repair: check it yourself On a built-in microwave
  3. 03 low

    Charred splatter on the waveguide cover

    A brown patch on the cover sheet is food that has begun to char. Left there, it sparks and then burns through; replacing the cover is a small job next to what follows.

    Fixed by microwave magnetron repair
  4. 04 low

    Grease in the filters warmed from below

    The mesh filters under a hood combination catch grease from the pans. Packed filters warm up and smell each time the burners run, and they are a fire risk; they slide out by hand for a soak in hot soapy water.

    Fixed by microwave vent fan and filter repair On a microwave hood combination
  5. 05 low to moderate

    A fan or turntable motor running hot

    A cooling or vent fan motor with dry bearings slows, heats up and smells of warm varnish. The small turntable motor under the floor does the same when the tray is jammed.

    Fixed by microwave vent fan and filter repair
  6. 06 moderate to highest

    Connector, transformer or magnetron overheating

    An acrid smell with no food to explain it, often with a harsher hum or a flicker of the light, points to a loose connector, the transformer or the magnetron. They sit behind the outer case beside a capacitor that stays charged after the power is off, and are checked on a visit.

    Fixed by microwave high-voltage diode and capacitor repair

The makes
it happens on.

18 makes on this site; burning smell from a microwave can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 18 brands

Burning Smell From a Microwave,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A family warming plates of food at a built-in microwave in a bright kitchen
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
burning smell from a microwave.

My new microwave smells hot the first few times. Is that normal?
On a convection or speed model, a short smell from the browning element in its first runs is common and fades. A new microwave-only unit should not smell of burning; if it does, stop using it and contact the seller.
The smell only comes when the fan runs. Which part is behind it?
A fan motor that is overheating, or filters over the burners holding grease that the airflow warms. Clean or replace the filters first; if the smell stays, the motor needs a look.
How do I clear a smell after food burned inside?
Air the room, wipe the cavity with warm water and a little baking soda, and leave the door open for a few hours. On a hood combination that recirculates, a new charcoal filter removes what the cavity cleaning cannot.
Can a microwave smell of burning when it is switched off?
Make sure it really is off at the breaker, since the clock and board draw a little power. A smell that continues with the breaker off is coming from something nearby, often wiring in the wall, and is a job for an electrician.

Back to your everyday

Still seeing burning smell from a microwave?

Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 393-5858
(844) 393-5858 Schedule a repair