The five you'll use most
- Snowflake = Cool. Air conditioning mode.
- Sun = Heat. Heat-pump heating mode.
- Water drop = Dry. Dehumidify without heavy cooling.
- Fan blades = Fan. Circulate air only, no heating or cooling.
- "A" or two arrows = Auto. The unit picks heating or cooling to hold your target.
Those map to the operating modes explained in mini split modes. The Mode button cycles through them.
Airflow and fan controls
- Fan with bars / "Fan Speed": sets how hard the fan blows - low, medium, high, or auto. Auto lets the unit choose.
- Swing / oscillate (a curved arrow or moving louver icon): starts or stops the louver sweeping air up and down (and sometimes side to side) so it spreads across the room instead of blowing one spot.
The convenience buttons
- Clock / Timer: schedule the unit to turn on or off after a set time.
- Moon = Sleep mode: gently drifts the temperature overnight and quiets the unit for sleeping.
- Turbo / Powerful / "Hi": runs at maximum to heat or cool the room fast, then you return to normal.
- Up/Down arrows: raise or lower the set temperature.
- Display / Light: toggles the indoor unit's display or the remote backlight.
- Follow Me / "I Feel": on some remotes, the unit reads the temperature at the remote (near you) instead of at the wall unit.
A note on your specific remote
Brands vary a little in icon shapes and which extras they include, so your manual's remote diagram is the final word. But the five core mode icons - snowflake, sun, drop, fan, auto - are near-universal, so you can operate almost any mini split without hunting for the manual. To get the temperature dialed in, see best temperature settings.
FAQ
What does the snowflake symbol mean on a mini split? Cooling mode - it's running as an air conditioner to lower the room temperature.
What is the water drop symbol on my mini split remote? Dry (dehumidify) mode - it removes humidity from the air without strongly cooling the room.
What does the sun symbol mean? Heat mode - the heat pump is warming the room.
What is swing mode on a mini split? It sweeps the louver so air spreads across the room rather than blowing at one spot; the button often shows a curved arrow or a moving-louver icon.