How to Reset a Bosch Dishwasher In 3 Easy Steps

Is your Bosch dishwasher acting up, and you’re trying to come up with creative ways to reset it?

You’re not alone! Although Bosch is a great brand, it’s not unheard of for it to give people who own their dishwashers a hard time now and then.

Having your trusty Bosch dishwasher fail can be very annoying, especially when there’s a lot to do around the house and dozens of dishes to clean.

But don’t worry; you came to the right place for answers. Below, I’ve prepared a quick Bosch dishwasher reset guide touching on the easiest ways to go about resetting and fixing your Bosch dishwasher. I’m sure your appliance will be back up and running like it’s brand new by the end of it.

Sounds good? Let’s get started!

Quick Bosch Dishwasher Reset Tips

To reset a Bosch dishwasher, press and hold the “CANCEL” and “DRAIN” buttons. If you have a Bosch Ascenta dishwasher, you can press and hold “START RESET” and then press and hold “ON/OFF” to reset it.

If you have already tried this quick reset tip and are still having trouble, that’s ok. There are many more ways to reset your Bosch dishwasher, so don’t be discouraged. Here are some additional tips.

Finding Dishwasher Reset Instructions

As much as I’d like, I can’t provide one set of instructions to reset every type of Bosch dishwasher. The quickest and easiest way to reset your Bosch dishwasher is to find the specific instructions for your model.

Even among appliances made by a single manufacturer, there can be big differences in the resetting process.

Luckily, finding the right manual is simple.

Recommended:

Find Your Product Manual Online

How to Reset A Bosch Dishwasher – 3 Common Methods

In my experience, performing a Bosch dishwasher reset can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. However, in my opinion, there are generally straightforward methods everyone should stick to.

Here are my 3 favorite ones.

Method #1 Press and Hold “CANCEL” and “DRAIN” 

Holding down the “CANCEL” and “DRAIN” buttons can help reset your Bosch dishwasher. It’s a pretty straightforward process – here’s what you should do:

1. *Open the dishwasher door ajar
   1. *NOTE: To open the dishwasher door, you may first need to turn off the child lock. To do so, press the “<” symbol.
2. Press and hold the “CANCEL” and “DRAIN” buttons for 3 seconds. (You can find these buttons on the control panel.).
3. Close the dishwasher door.
4. Wait for one minute.
5. Open the dishwasher door ajar.
6. Press and hold the “ON/OFF” for 3 seconds. After you press these buttons, the dishwasher will reset itself. 

Method #2 Press and Hold “START” and “RESET” 

Do you have an Ascenta Bosch dishwasher? The reset method for an Ascenta Bosch dishwasher differs slightly from other models. Here are the step-by-step instructions you will need to reset your Ascenta dishwasher:

1. *Open the dishwasher door ajar.
   1. *NOTE: To open the dishwasher door, you may first need to turn off the child lock. To do so, press the “<” symbol.
2. Press and hold the buttons “START” and “RESET.” You should continue to press and hold these buttons until the “ACTIVE” LED light turns off. 
3. Close the dishwasher door.
4. Wait for one minute.
5. Open the dishwasher door ajar.
6. Press and hold the “ON/OFF” for 3 seconds. After you press these buttons, the dishwasher will reset itself. 

Method #3 How to Reset a SHE5AM Dishwasher

Do you have a SHE5AM Bosch dishwasher? The reset method for a SHE5AM Bosch type of dishwasher varies slightly from other Bosch models. Here are the step-by-step instructions you will need to reset your SHE5AM Bosch dishwasher:

1. *Open the dishwasher door ajar
   1. *NOTE: To open the dishwasher door, you may first need to turn off the child lock. To do so, press the “<” symbol.
2. Press and hold the buttons “START” and “RESET”. You should continue to press and hold these buttons until the clock timer displays the number “0:01”.
3. Close the dishwasher door.
4. Wait until the clock timer displays the number “0:00”.
5. Open the dishwasher door ajar.
6. Press and hold the “ON/OFF” for 3 seconds. After you press these buttons, the dishwasher will reset itself. 

Tips for Resetting Any Dishwasher

There are a few things you can try to reset any dishwasher. Most smart dishwashers have a few standard reset methods that can be used.

Tip #1 Check for Error Codes

If holding down buttons doesn’t work, I recommend moving on to looking out for specific issues. Check the display for error codes. If there’s an error code, you can look it up to find the right way to reset the dishwasher.

Smart dishwashers can self-diagnose their problems in most cases. If you see an error code, you can check the issue in Bosch’s dishwasher error codes database. Here you will find a list of the most common Bosch error codes. You’ll also see some handy instructions to help you fix the problems. 

Here are the most common error codes that you may see on your Bosch dishwasher.

Tip #2 Hard Reset

If there’s one thing that works across just about every technology, it’s the hard reset. Just about everything with a computer chip inside can benefit from some time turned off. And that’s the case for dishwashers too.

A hard reset will fix just about everything a soft reset can. Just be careful because hard resets can sometimes erase your settings. 

Here’s how you can perform a hard Bosch dishwasher reset:

1. Turn off the dishwasher. If there’s a power button on the dishwasher, press and hold it until it turns off.
2. Unplug the dishwasher. Reach behind the unit and remove the plug from the wall. Look for a plug under the sink if it’s a built-in dishwasher. If unplugging the dishwasher fails, you can always switch off the power via your circuit breaker.
3. Wait at least ten minutes.
4. Plug the dishwasher back in and turn it back on. Your dishwasher should now be back in working order!

*TIP: If you cannot reach behind the dishwasher to unplug it, turn it off at the circuit breaker. Leave the circuit breaker off for at least 10 minutes before attempting to turn it back on again.

Why Do Dishwashers Need a Reset?

Everything with computer chips in it is vulnerable to computer bugs. The smarter your dishwasher, the more parts there are that can freeze up.

Sometimes, programs can get caught in a loop. If a program is given too many commands at once, commands that conflict, or commands that make no sense, it can freeze. Basically, the program gets confused and stops responding to anything.

In your computer, freezing typically looks like a Blue Screen of Death. But in your dishwasher, it can appear like an unresponsive rinsing cycle or a flashing control panel.

In my experience, resetting is a quick solution to counteract the freezing problem, as the reset terminates the program that’s having problems and lets it restart. As long as the problem was a temporary glitch, you’ll be good to go after a quick reset.

What If It Still Isn’t Working?

If your dishwasher is still throwing its toys out of the pram, don’t worry. Try searching our site for additional symptoms (is it beeping, making strange noises, or not turning on?).

We’ve got a large collection of dishwasher troubleshooting guides, which grows every week. If you can’t find your issue, please let us know via our contact page and we’ll be in touch to help!

Conclusion

That about covers it!

When trying to perform a Bosch dishwasher reset, you need to have all the right information and tools at your disposal to make the process easier.

Luckily, I hope this article has helped you better understand why your Bosch dishwasher needs a reset and how simple it can be. In most cases, you’ll find the specific steps for your dishwasher model on your User Manual, and if that’s not the case, try the methods I provided above, as more than one should work.

Thanks for reading. If this article was informational and useful, please check out our other incredible resources below and consider subscribing to our newsletter!

I wish you all the best.

-Craig.