MicrowaveRepair.center (844) 393-5858Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm Book a visit
A stainless countertop microwave standing on a white quartz counter against a subway tile backsplash in a bright US kitchen, the microwave's side-hinged door open to show a glass turntable with a plain glass bowl of soup on it, a wooden cutting board and a bowl of lemons at the edge of the frame.

Countertop
Microwave Repair

A microwave that stands on the counter or a shelf and plugs into an outlet beside it, from a compact model for a dorm to a large inverter or convection unit in a busy family kitchen.

(844) 393-5858

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • 4 things that fail on it
  • 13 makes build it
  • 6 problems it shows

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Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 393-5858

Is yours
a countertop?

A countertop microwave is the most common microwave in American homes and the easiest to live with: it plugs into an ordinary outlet, sits on the counter or a cart, and needs only a few inches of clear air at the back and the top to stay cool. Inside it is built like every other microwave, with a magnetron that makes the heat, a high-voltage transformer, a diode and a capacitor that feed it, three door switches that stop it the instant the latch lifts, and a glass turntable spun by a small motor under the floor. Better models add an inverter board in place of the heavy transformer, a humidity sensor that stops cooking when steam rises from the food, or a convection element for roasting. Because it moves, gets bumped, pushed against a wall or shares an outlet with a kettle, many of its problems start outside it: a tripped breaker, a door that was slammed and now sits a little crooked, a vent pushed flush against tile. The repair question on a countertop unit is sharper than on any built-in model, since nothing about the kitchen has to change to replace it, and the visit is honest about that.

A close view of an opened microwave on a workbench in a US home garage, the outer metal cabinet of the microwave set aside, a technician's gloved hands lifting a new silver magnetron with cooling fins into place beside the microwave's cavity wall. What fails on a countertop microwave

How to tell

01

It stands on its own feet on a counter, a cart or a shelf, with a cord running to an outlet behind it or beside it.
02

Slots or grilles are visible on its sides, top or back, and the manual asks for open space around them.
03

You can lift it or slide it forward without removing a screw, trim or bracket.
04

The door swings open on a left-side hinge from a push button or a pull handle, and a glass tray turns on a roller ring inside.

Not yours?Microwave hood combinationBuilt-in microwaveMicrowave drawer

What fails
on this design.

On a countertop microwave: door switches that take every slam, a burned waveguide cover, the magnetron and its supply, turntable motor and roller ring.

The problems it shows

Door switches that take every slam

Each time the door closes, its latch hooks press three switches in a set order. Slammed doors wear them or knock the latch out of line, and the result ranges from a unit that will not start to one that blows its internal fuse the moment the door moves.

A burned waveguide cover

The small panel on the cavity wall covers the opening where the energy enters. Splatter soaks into it, carbonizes and starts to spark, and a spark left alone pits the metal behind it until the arcing moves into the magnetron's path.

The magnetron and its supply

When the light, the fan and the turntable all run but a cup of water stays cold, the heat source or the parts feeding it have quit. On a small, older unit that is the point where replacement often beats repair; on a large convection or inverter model it may still be worth fitting.

Turntable motor and roller ring

A cracked coupler, a roller ring clogged with baked-on spill, or a motor under the floor that has gone quiet leaves the plate still, and food comes out hot at one edge and cold in the middle.

Getting at it,
and whether to.

Most checks start with the unit where it stands: the outlet, the door and its latch, the cavity wall and the turntable parts.

What repairs cost

On the visit

  1. Internal work means the outer cabinet comes off on a clear table or counter, with the capacitor discharged by the technician before anything is touched.
  2. Leave the outer cabinet screws alone yourself; many countertop models use security screws exactly because the capacitor inside stays charged after unplugging.
  3. If the unit sparks or smells of burning, unplug it once it has stopped and leave it unplugged until the visit, with the door shut.

Repair or replace

This is the microwave where replacement comes up most often, because a new countertop unit needs no cabinetry, no trim and no installer. A glass tray, a roller ring, a turntable motor, a door switch, a latch or a fuse is still a sensible repair on a well-built or larger model. A magnetron, a transformer or a main board on a small, inexpensive unit usually is not, and the technician says so before any part is ordered. Convection and inverter countertop models sit between the two and are judged on age and parts.

Book a visit for a countertop microwave

The problems
it shows.

On a countertop microwave, most often sparks flashing inside a microwave.

All problems
A stainless microwave hood combination mounted under wall cabinets, seen straight on through its closed side-hinged door with a mesh window, one small bright blue spark flashing inside the dim microwave cavity near the side wall beside a plain glass bowl on the glass turntable. Stop using it

Sparks Flashing Inside a Microwave

6 causes, cheapest first

 A built-in stainless microwave in a trim kit set into a kitchen cabinet, its side-hinged door with a mesh window open and a plain glass measuring cup of water standing on the glass turntable inside the microwave cavity, the cavity lamp lit, a quiet kitchen around it.

Microwave Runs but Food Stays Cold

7 causes, cheapest first

 Inside view of a countertop microwave with its side-hinged door with a mesh window open, the round glass turntable lifted slightly off center with its plastic roller ring and small center coupler visible on the microwave cavity floor, a plain white plate set aside on the counter beside it.

Glass Tray Not Turning in a Microwave

6 causes, cheapest first

 A stainless microwave hood combination mounted under white wall cabinets with its display completely dark and its side-hinged door with a mesh window closed, the microwave cavity unlit behind the mesh, a quiet kitchen in daylight.

Microwave Won't Turn On at All

6 causes, cheapest first

 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. Stop using it

Burning Smell From a Microwave

6 causes, cheapest first

 A countertop stainless microwave on a kitchen counter with its side-hinged door with a mesh window standing half open, the microwave cavity lit and a plain glass mug on the glass turntable, a visible crack running across the door window glass. Stop using it

Microwave Runs With the Door Open

5 causes, cheapest first

Who builds
a countertop.

13 of the makes on this site build a countertop microwave. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 18 brands

Countertop microwave repair,
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
countertop microwaves.

Is it worth repairing a countertop microwave?
It depends on the part and the unit. A turntable motor, a door switch, a latch or a fuse costs little and restores a good microwave. A magnetron or a board on a small, low-cost model often costs close to a new one, and you hear that plainly before any work is done. Larger convection or inverter models are more often worth fixing.
My countertop microwave went completely dead after I closed the door hard. What happened?
A hard slam can fail one of the door switches, and on many microwaves a switch failure is designed to blow the internal fuse so the unit cannot run unsafely. Replacing only the fuse is not enough; the switch that caused it has to be found and replaced too, and both sit inside the cabinet, which is not for an owner to open.
How much space does a countertop microwave need around it?
Check the manual, but most want a few inches at the back and the sides and more on top, where the warm air leaves. Pushed against a backsplash, boxed under a low shelf or topped with a stack of cookbooks, it runs hot and can shut itself off partway through a cycle.
Why does my microwave spark with nothing metal inside?
Most often the small panel on the side wall, the waveguide cover, has soaked up grease and is burning, or a chip in the cavity paint exposes bare metal. Stop it at once and do not run it empty. A cover is an inexpensive part, but the metal behind a spark should be checked before the microwave goes back into use.

Back to your everyday

Is it a countertop microwave?

Say so when you book — it changes what the technician brings and how the visit is planned.

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