The **TE** display on a Samsung microwave points to **touch communication error**. Treat it as a diagnostic direction rather than a parts order: operating conditions, wiring, sensors, actuators, and control electronics can overlap. The exact stage when the code appears can be as important as the characters themselves. Note whether it happens at startup, during fill, heating, cooling, draining, spinning, drying, or after a power event. The recorded display form is **TE**. Search normalization stores it as **TE** while preserving the characters a homeowner actually sees.
Reviewed by Ethan Mercer · Last reviewed August 17, 2026
Written by
Ethan Mercer Appliance Repair Content SpecialistPublished August 17, 2026Updated August 22, 2026Technically reviewed August 17, 2026
Content status:
Verified
Error codeTE
ApplianceMicrowave
Quick answer
Touch communication error.
Model compatibility: Samsung can reuse or reformat codes across series and model years, so TE may mean something different on another appliance or generation. Confirm this against your model’s documentation and record your full model number before acting.
Plain language
What this code means
The **TE** display on a Samsung microwave points to **touch communication error**. Treat it as a diagnostic direction rather than a parts order: operating conditions, wiring, sensors, actuators, and control electronics can overlap. The exact stage when the code appears can be as important as the characters themselves. Note whether it happens at startup, during fill, heating, cooling, draining, spinning, drying, or after a power event. The recorded display form is **TE**. Search normalization stores it as **TE** while preserving the characters a homeowner actually sees.
Signs
Symptoms you may notice
While TE is active, the appliance may lose communication between control boards, display, inverter, or other electronic modules.
The TE display becomes more meaningful if controls can become unresponsive, a feature can stop, or the code may appear after power-up.
Depending on the exact model, intermittent operation can occur if a connection or power condition is unstable.
A symptom that fits TE is that tE appears and the microwave can stop or limit the function associated with touch communication error.
Why it happens
Possible causes
varies by model/region — cross-region baseline — Touch communication error
Before you call
Safe checks you can make
These are simple, non-hazardous checks only. If anything is unclear, stop and contact a technician.
As an external check for TE, power the appliance off once using the documented method, then restore power and see whether the code reappears.
The next non-invasive check is to record whether the issue followed an outage, update, move, or service event.
Before opening any service area, do not reseat internal live connectors unless qualified to follow the exact service procedure.
Before requesting service for TE, record the exact code and model number.
A safe owner-level check is to power the microwave off for 60 seconds only if Samsung's model guidance allows a reset.
With TE recorded, do not remove the outer cabinet or access internal high-voltage components.
Important safety warning. Do not remove the microwave outer cabinet. High-voltage components can retain dangerous energy even after the appliance is unplugged. If resolving TE would require energized internal access, that is the point to hand the diagnosis to a qualified technician.
Get help
When to request repair service
A returning communication/electronic-control code can require harness, connector, board power-supply, firmware, or module testing. In a service visit for TE, model-specific testing should follow the touch communication error circuit rather than treating the code as proof of one failed part.
Book your repair
Seeing this code on your Samsung appliance?
Book a specialist visit for a clear estimate and approval before any repair.
You can try the one reset Samsung documents for the model, but **TE** returning afterward means the condition still exists. Note the operating stage instead of cycling power repeatedly.
That depends on the accompanying symptom. A code with no safety hazard may allow a short diagnostic check, but **TE** should not be ignored if performance is deteriorating or the display keeps returning.
Not automatically. Samsung error codes are diagnostic indicators, not part numbers. Confirm the circuit around **TE** before replacing anything.
The same-looking code can be reused on another Samsung appliance family or reformatted by region/model year. Match the appliance type and exact model before applying a meaning. This page therefore keeps **Microwave TE** separate from same-looking codes used by other Samsung appliance families.
