Hotpoint F fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
The letter F and a number, with no explanation attached. Hotpoint call it a software fault and ask you to read the number out to them.
Take care
What F means
This is the row Hotpoint use for everything they have not documented, and it is worth reading exactly as written: the display shows the letter F followed by a number, the cause is given as a software fault, and the remedy is to contact your nearest client after-sales service centre and state the number following the letter F. Then a second instruction, which is the one to be careful with — press the settings control, tap Info, select Factory Reset, and all saved settings will be deleted.
So the number on your display is doing real work. It identifies the fault, Hotpoint’s own procedure depends on you relaying it accurately, and yet no Hotpoint document tells you what any of the numbers mean. Write it down before you clear anything, because a factory reset takes the code with it. Software fault is Hotpoint’s description rather than a diagnosis, and it should not be read as meaning nothing is physically wrong. The same appliance family is built on the Whirlpool group’s F-and-E code space, where those numbers correspond to specific sensors, relays and boards, and F3E3 — the one code Hotpoint do document — is a probe rather than anything to do with software.
One oddity is worth knowing about because it looks like a trail and is not. A second Hotpoint manual words this row as covering any F code "different from F4E1", which implies F4E1 is an exception with its own explanation somewhere. F4E1 appears exactly once in that entire manual, in that sentence, and is defined nowhere in it. Whirlpool document F4E1 as the cavity temperature sensor, and that is where a reader with that code should go.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| A specific fault Hotpoint have not published | The honest reading of this row. The number identifies something definite, and the meaning exists in the group’s Whirlpool documentation rather than in any Hotpoint one. | Common |
| Control board or firmware fault | What Hotpoint’s phrase "software fault" points at, and why their remedy runs to a factory reset rather than a part. | Occasional |
| A sensor or switch reporting out of range | In the group’s wider code space these numbers map to thermistors, latches and relays, so the fault is often mechanical rather than digital. | Occasional |
| A transient after a supply interruption | Codes that appear once after a power cut or a brownout and never return belong here, which is why a power cycle is worth trying before anything else. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
Write down the whole code exactly as displayed, including any second letter and digit. Hotpoint’s own procedure depends on you reading it back to them, and the factory reset they suggest will erase it.
Switch the appliance off at its isolator or breaker for a full minute and restore it. On a built-in there is usually no plug to pull, and a minute is what the group’s own documents ask for.
Try a short ordinary cycle. If the code has gone and stays gone, it was a transient and there is nothing to repair.
If it returns, consider Hotpoint’s factory reset — settings, Info, Factory Reset — knowing what it costs you.
Hotpoint state plainly that all saved settings will be deleted. Clock, language, preferences and any network pairing go with it, so record the code first and expect to set the appliance up again.If it still returns, book it and quote the number. A code that survives both a power cycle and a factory reset is hardware, whatever the table calls it.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your Hotpoint F
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. When you book a qualified appliance engineer, tell them the make, the model and the exact code or message on the display, and ask whether they carry parts for this make — that is what turns one visit into a repair rather than a quote.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0–£250
Time on site
20 minutes
Nothing if a power cycle or the factory reset holds. Beyond that the range is wide because the code is unspecified: a sensor or switch with a visit is around £100 to £180, a control board on a built-in £180 to £250.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Own this appliance and had this code? . Nothing is published until a person has read it.
Related Hotpoint fault codes
- F3E3Usually simple to fixThe food probe is not connected properly, or not making contact. The one fault code Hotpoint publish for a microwave in their own documentation.Related: same brand
- Fan running when offUsually simple to fixNot a fault. Hotpoint publish this as normal: the cooling fan can run for up to thirty minutes after the appliance is switched off.Related: same brand
Own a Hotpoint microwave? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about Hotpoint F
What does my particular F number mean?
Hotpoint do not publish it, and we are not going to invent it. The one number they do document is F3E3, the food probe. For the rest, the group’s Whirlpool material covers the same F-and-E code space and is the most defensible place to look — with the caution that a good deal of what Whirlpool publish under a microwave heading is actually about an oven.
Is there really nothing on Hotpoint’s website?
Their integrated microwave troubleshooting page says how much is there in its own filter: two articles. One explains that the cooling fan can run for up to thirty minutes after the oven is switched off, the other is about adjusting temperatures for a fan-assisted oven. Neither is about a microwave, and the page’s response to anything else is an apology and a phone number.
Does "software fault" mean it can be fixed with a reset?
Sometimes, and that is why the reset is worth trying second. But the phrase is Hotpoint’s label for the row rather than a diagnosis, and in the same code space these numbers point at physical parts. A code that comes back after a factory reset is not a software problem.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
- Manufacturer support portal
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.