The short answer
A compact dryer that does nothing when you press start is usually missing a permission, and most often this one: the door switch is not making. Next on the list: the machine is not getting the supply it needs. Everything at the top of this list is free to check.
What you observe
- Nothing happens when start is pressed — Note whether the panel lights up — that splits the list in two.
- Nothing at all happens when start is pressed — The machine is not being given permission to run.
- No display, no drum light, nothing — A completely dead machine is usually a supply question.
- It hums or tries and stops the moment you let go — The circuit holds while the button does and not after.
- NEAR MISS — the motor runs and the drum does not turn — That is a broken belt, not a no-start, and it is a different fault.
Causes, most likely first on this machine
- The door switch is not making — First on any dryer. The switch is a small plunger the door strikes several times a day, it is the last thing in the start circuit, and a worn one leaves the machine completely dead with the door apparently shut.
- The machine is not getting the supply it needs — Ranked here because proving the supply first avoids dismantling a machine that was never at fault.
- The start switch or the motor relay is not making — Ranked here because it is distinguished by one observation: does it try to turn at all when the button is held?
- The belt has broken — Last, and a service job, but the hand test is conclusive.
Check in this order, and why
- Push the door shut slowly and listen for the click — No click means the start circuit never completes.
- Test the outlet and check the breaker — Prove the supply before any panel comes off.
- Hold the start button in and note whether the drum tries to turn — A drum that tries and stops is a switch or relay story.
- Turn the drum by hand and feel for belt resistance — A free-spinning drum with a running motor is a broken belt.
What an owner can safely check
- Check whether the panel or the drum light responds at all — A dead machine and a lit one that will not run are two different faults.
About 5 min
- Close the door slowly and listen at the latch for a click — Never tape or bridge the switch to keep it running.
About 5 min
- Check the breaker and test the outlet with another appliance — A repeating trip is a fault to report, not to reset.
Tools: lampAbout 10 min
- STOP HERE before opening the console or bridging a switch — Never bridge a door switch or a thermal fuse to prove a point.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the machine or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and a dryer that has just cut out on temperature is hot inside long after it is silent. Never run the machine with the duct disconnected for longer than the few seconds a test takes — exhaust indoors carries lint and moisture into the room. And never restart a machine that has cut out on temperature until it is fully cold.
When to call a technician
Call once the supply is proven, the door clicks shut, any tank is empty and the machine still does nothing. What is left is inside the console. Call immediately if the breaker trips again on reset, or if you saw or smelled anything scorch — a repeating trip is a fault to leave alone.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page is written for the brand and the machine class, not for one family or model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists for your machine, that page is the more specific answer. Deliberately absent: duct diameters, capacity figures, glide and belt part identifiers and wiring colours, which differ between the wall-vented and window-vented families.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
