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How to Reset a Bosch Dishwasher: 4-Second Cancel and Breaker

Published 2026-10-21 · Last reviewed 2026-10-21 · Checked against manufacturer sources

Quick answer

To reset a Bosch dishwasher, press and hold Start (or the button marked Reset 4 sec, or On/Off on newer models) for about 4 seconds. The dishwasher pumps out the leftover water in roughly a minute and the cycle is canceled. If the panel is frozen or every light is flashing, Bosch's manuals call for switching off the breaker or unplugging it for at least 2 minutes.

Safety first: Unplug the dishwasher or switch off its breaker before you lift out the filter or touch the pump cover, and use the breaker whenever water has reached the floor or the cabinet under the sink. Never try to dry out or trip the leak sensor in the base yourself to make an E15 go away.

What to check before you reset anything

Plenty of Bosch dishwashers that seem stuck are doing exactly what they were told. Recent Bosch US models such as the SHP78CM5N and SHP65CM5N expect the door to be shut within 4 seconds of pressing Start. Leave it open longer and the dishwasher pauses, and it stays paused until you close the door and start it again. Bosch says this protection can't be switched off.

A delay can fool you too. An H01 or H02 on the display is a delay start counting down in hours, and the dishwasher will start by itself when it reaches zero. On Wi-Fi models such as the SHP78CM5N, the delay is set from the Home Connect app instead of the panel, so it's worth opening the app before you reach for the breaker.

Write down any code before you do a reset. The reset clears it, and a service tech will want to know what the dishwasher reported.

Cancel the cycle with a 4-second press

This is the reset Bosch's US support site describes, and the first one to try. Look for a button printed with Reset 4 sec., or use Start. Hold it for about 4 seconds. The dishwasher drains whatever is in the tub, which Bosch says takes about a minute, and then the cycle is canceled.

Newer Wi-Fi models move the job to the power button. The use and care manuals for the SHP78CM5N and SHP65CM5N both say to hold On/Off for about 4 seconds, after which the residual water is pumped out and the program ends in roughly a minute. The SHV41DB3N manual adds a door step: open the door, hold On/Off for 4 seconds, then close the door again.

  1. If water is still running, open the door a little and wait until the noise stops and the steam settles before opening it fully.

  2. Hold Reset 4 sec., Start or On/Off (whichever your manual names) for about 4 seconds.

  3. Close the door and give it about a minute while the pump empties the tub.

  4. Open the door and press On/Off to finish, then pick a new cycle if you want one.

Pause a cycle without losing it

Sometimes you only need to add a forgotten pan. On the SHP78CM5N and similar models, a short press of On/Off saves the program and switches the dishwasher off. Press On/Off again, then Start, and it picks up where it stopped. Front-control models want the door closed before you press Start, while top-control models let you press Start and then close the door.

Keep the 4-second hold for when you really want the cycle gone. A quick tap pauses, and a long press cancels and drains.

Buttons that won't respond: child lock and the door

Bosch's US troubleshooting page says an active child lock can make both the controls and the door seem dead, and that finding the child lock button and holding it usually clears it. Bosch doesn't publish one hold time for every model, so look up the lock in your own manual.

Some current US models don't have a lockable panel at all. The use and care manuals for the SHP78CM5N, SHP65CM5N and SHV41DB3N describe no child or control lock. On those, a panel that ignores you is more often a door that isn't fully latched. Bosch suggests checking for anything blocking the door and making sure the machine sits level.

Cut the power at the breaker or plug for 2 minutes

Cutting power is the reset Bosch gives for a technical error, a dishwasher that can't be switched on or operated, and a panel where every LED lights up or flashes. Its manuals ask for at least 2 minutes with the power off. The web troubleshooting page mentions 5 seconds for a dishwasher that won't start, but the longer wait covers every case, so use 2 minutes.

On the SHP78CM5N, technical errors show as codes from E:01-00 up to E:90-10. The SHP65CM5N has no code display and flashes four vertical LEDs instead. The fix is the same for both.

  1. Hold On/Off for about 4 seconds first, in case the electronics just need a soft reset.

  2. If that doesn't work, switch the dishwasher off, then unplug it or flip its breaker off. Use the breaker if there's any water near the outlet under the sink.

  3. Wait at least 2 minutes.

  4. Restore power, switch the dishwasher on and run a short cycle while you watch the display.

Clear E24 or E25 after fixing the drain

Both are drain codes, and resetting them without fixing the cause gets you the same code on the next load. E24 means water isn't draining. Bosch's E24 page points to a kinked hose, an unsealed siphon connection, a loose pump cover or a new garbage disposer that still has its knockout plug in place. E25 means the pump is blocked or its cover is loose or missing. On the SHP78CM5N the matching codes are E:61-03 (water not draining) and E:61-02 (pump cover loose or pump blocked).

The pump sits under the filter in the bottom of the tub. Bosch's steps for getting at it look like this:

  1. Cut the power first, at the plug or the breaker.

  2. Take out both racks and lift out the filter system.

  3. Sponge or scoop the standing water out of the sump.

  4. Lever the pump cover loose with a spoon until it clicks, hold it by the crosspiece, then tip it diagonally inward and lift it out.

  5. Wearing gloves, pick out glass, seeds or labels from around the impeller. Bosch warns that some of that debris can be sharp.

  6. Press the cover back down until it snaps in, refit the filters and racks, restore power and run the 4-second cancel so the dishwasher drains and the code clears.

E15 and the water protection codes: shut the water, don't keep resetting

E15 is a different kind of code. Water has reached the base pan below the tub and tripped a safety switch there, so the leak protection system has kicked in. Bosch's US instructions are short: turn off the water supply to the dishwasher and contact Bosch support. The SHP78CM5N reports an activated water protection system as E:30-00 or E:31-00, and its manual gives the same two steps. E:34-00, water running in nonstop, gets the same treatment.

Bosch doesn't give homeowners a reset sequence for E15, and a breaker reset won't fix whatever let the water into the base. Close the supply valve, usually under the sink, and leave it closed until the dishwasher has been looked at.

Factory reset and Home Connect settings

A factory reset puts the dishwasher's own settings back to default: rinse aid level, Extra Dry, signal volume, Wi-Fi and the rest. It won't touch a hardware fault. On the SHP78CM5N, you hold the basic-settings button shown in your manual for about 3 seconds, step through them until rE appears, choose Y:ES and confirm. Holding the button for 3 seconds again stores the change. On the SHP65CM5N, which has LEDs instead of a display, you step through the settings until the Clean, Rinse Aid and Sanitize LEDs flash, then press the button. The SHP78CM5N manual warns that the first-use settings then have to be entered again.

For Wi-Fi, the basic setting Cn:00 turns the wireless connection off and Cn:01 turns it back on. If the WLAN symbol flashes, Bosch's fix is to check that the wireless network is switched on at your router. The basic settings in these manuals have no separate network reset, and the Wi-Fi setting only shows up once the dishwasher has been connected to Home Connect.

When the code comes back

Do the power reset once. If a technical code or flashing LEDs return afterward, Bosch's manuals say to switch the dishwasher off, close the water faucet, unplug it and contact customer service with the code. More resets won't help, and they wipe the code a technician could use.

The same goes for a drain code that keeps returning after a clean filter, a seated pump cover and a straight hose. At that point the pump itself or a blockage deeper in the drain path is the likely cause, and both are behind panels you shouldn't remove.

When to call a professional

Book a repair for E15, E:30-00, E:31-00 or E:34-00, for any technical code that returns after a 2-minute power reset, and for a drain code that keeps coming back once the filter, pump cover and hose are clear. Have the E-Nr and FD numbers ready. Both are printed on the rating plate inside the door.

Parts involved

Error codes for this problem

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Manufacturer resources

The official pages we checked for this guide. Your owner's manual is still the final word for your exact model.

Other sources we checked