Every few months, your Dyson air purifier will show an F code with three blinking lights next to it.
The “F” code stands for “Filter” and signals you to replace your air purifier’s filter.
Dyson recommends to do this every 6-12 months. Based on the time passed since you last replaced the filter (or since you bought the air purifier), and the filter’s airflow resistance, Dyson can determine when a filter replacement is due.
Unfortunately, the “F” code does not clear by itself and waits to be manually reset.
In this quick guide, I’ll shed some light on how to reset the “F” code on your Dyson air purifier.
To sum it up, here’s a quick outline of what we will cover:
- How to Reset the “F” Code: You’ll first learn how to reset the F code according to Dyson. That is, buy a new filter, replace it, and reset the code using the remote.
- How to Reset the “F” Code without Replacing Filters: We’ll also cover how to clear the F without an expensive filter replacement.
- Workarounds when the Reset Doesn’t Work: And, of course, we’ll also look at some workarounds, for example, what to do if you don’t have your remote anymore (which is required for a reset according to the manual), and what to do when the fan turns off when you try to reset it.
How to Remove the F Code (According to Dyson)
Let’s first have a look at how to properly clear the F code on a Dyson air purifier.
1. Replace the Filter
The “F” code signals a due filter replacement. Before clearing the “F” code, you should, therefore, replace the filter first.
Dyson recommends buying original Dyson replacement filters. These are, however, comparably expensive.
To save money, you can also buy unbranded replacement filters for your particular model online.
Just search for your Dyson model + “replacement filter” and look for a reasonably priced filter.
Only pick HEPA filters. Other filters are not capable of purifying the air to the same degree.
For filter replacement, unmount the bottom part of your Dyson fan, take out the old filter, and insert the new filter.
Refer to a YouTube video or your Dyson manual for filter replacement instructions.
2. Reset the F Code
Once the air filter is replaced, you need to signal your Dyson air purifier to remove the F code.
To do that, press and hold the power button on your Dyson remote control.
The small screen on your Dyson air purifier should after a few seconds show a countdown animation.
Wait for the countdown to finish. After that, the regular display content should show again. In most cases, it’s a number for the air speed setting (e.g. “01” or “05”).
How to Clear the F Code Without Filter Replacement
If the “F” code keeps showing or you prefer to not replace filters as often as Dyson recommends, of course, you can also clear the F code without a filter replacement.
Obviously, Dyson wants to sell you as many filters as possible. So, it’s in their best interest to show you the “F” as much as possible.
Of course, occasional filter replacements are necessary. Air purifier filters degrade significantly after 6-12 months and pick up fewer and fewer particles from the air the more they age.
But you know better!
There are two reasons to ignore the F code and reset it without replacing filters:
- you don’t care about air purification and want to use your Dyson as a fan only
- you prefer to replace filters on your own schedule
In these cases, it’s absolutely valid to ignore Dyson’s filter replacement recommendation and reset the F code regardless.
To reset it, press and hold the power-off button on your remote control and wait for the F code and the countdown animation to disappear.
What to do if the “F” Code Reset doesn’t work?
The F code reset doesn’t always work as planned. Here are some additional troubleshooting steps.
What to do if the “F” comes back?
The “F” code tends to return when you reset your Dyson air purifier without actually replacing filters.
Your Dyson fan notices the increased airflow resistance and displays the “F” again in this case.
To fix it take out your old filter and replace it (recommended), or remove the dust manually.
Replace or Clean the Filter
I recommend doing the filter replacement since it ensures that the air purification works.
If you want to use your Dyson air purifier as a fan only, you can also remove the layers of dust from the old filter manually.
To do this, pull off the thicker layers of dust with your bare hands. After that, use a compressed air gun, a vacuum, or a hairdryer to remove finer dust particles.
After that, reinsert the filter and reset the F code as described earlier.
Run the Fan Without a Filter
You can also run your Dyson fan without the air filter if you don’t need the air purification. But attention: This voids the warranty.
However, over time, dust will accumulate inside your Dyson fan over time (instead of on the air filter). In 1 or 2 years, you’ll have to open and dust your Dyson fan.
What to do when the fan turns off when you hold the power button?
Some Dyson models, especially the Dyson Hot+Cool models HP01 and HP02 (but possibly others as well), are known to shut off when you reset the “F” code by holding the power button on the remote.
This is a known issue and Dyson customer support does not provide an easy solution for this.
It’s either an issue with the software or the electronics of your particular unit.
The issue effectively prevents the “F” code reset.
If your Dyson fan is still within warranty, I recommend contacting Dyson customer support (or the shop you bought it from) to request a replacement.
If your Dyson fan is not under warranty anymore, you can:
- Try to reset the “F” code without the remote. That is described in the next section.
- Try running it without the filter and see if that does anything.
- Sell your Dyson air purifier as defective online and buy a new unit. Some people like to fix and flip defective Dyson fans. This way, you can get some of your money back.
I recommend getting the Dyson TP07 air purifier (click here to view it on amazon).
What to do when you don’t have the remote to reset your Dyson fan?
For the reset according to Dyson user manuals, you need a remote control.
In many cases, however, you can reset the “F” code without a remote by pressing and holding the power button on the device for 6 seconds.
If that doesn’t work, I recommend getting a replacement remote control for Dyson fans.
I recommend the following replacement remote controls:
- HP00 / HP01 remote control
- HP02 / HP02 remote control
- AM09 remote control
- AM06 / AM07 / AM08 remote control
With the replacement remote, you should be able to reset the “F” code by holding the power button and waiting for the countdown animation to disappear.
Conclusion
Resetting the “F” code on a Dyson fan and air purifier is as simple as replacing the filter and holding the power button for a few seconds.
Sometimes, however, clearing the “F” code doesn’t work as intended. For example, the “F” comes back, the fan shuts off completely when you hold the remote control’s power button, or you have no remote control to reset it.
In these cases, you need workarounds. With the workarounds in this guide, you should be able to get clear of the “F” code, even without a remote.