How do I use a washer’s favorite-cycle or custom-cycle setting?

Find the washer’s exact model number and consult its owner’s manual. Search for terms such as “Custom,” “Favorite,” “Memory,” or “Downloaded cycle.” Don’t assume a button with a familiar name works like the same button on another washer: the controls and steps can differ.

Decide which cycle and options you want to reuse, and note them before saving. Then follow the instructions for your model. The LG WT5101HV manual, for instance, describes saving a selected cycle with its chosen modifiers and options. That procedure applies to that model; it is not a universal washer setting. [S1]

For the LG WT5101HV specifically, the manual says to select a cycle, adjust its modifiers and options, then hold Custom Program for three seconds. To recall the saved program, press Custom Program and then Start/Pause. The manual says only one custom program can be stored; holding the button again to save another overwrites the stored program. [S1]

For example, choose the cycle and options you want to save, then hold Custom Program for three seconds. Later, press Custom Program and check the controls against your intended settings before pressing Start/Pause. This example explains the button sequence; it does not recommend particular settings for a load. Follow your washer’s instructions when choosing a cycle and options.

Not necessarily. An LG ThinQ guide for supported top-load washers describes adding cycles to an app’s favorites list and accessing them from the app’s cycle-selection area. It describes downloaded cycles separately: download a cycle in the app, then select Download Cycle on the washer and press Start. The guide says only one downloaded cycle is stored at a time, and downloading another replaces it. These features depend on washer and ThinQ support; they are not universal steps for saving a custom cycle. [S2]

Check your washer’s manual and app instructions to find out whether “favorite” means an app list, a downloaded cycle, or a custom setting stored on the washer. If you can’t confirm that your model supports a feature, don’t assume a similarly named control means a cycle was saved.

Use the manual’s recall steps, then check the controls against the cycle and options you meant to save before starting. If they don’t match, consult the manual and repeat the model-specific saving steps. Don’t assume the washer saved every modifier or option unless its instructions say so.

For a useful record, note the model number, the feature name on the controls, the manual’s save and recall steps, and the cycle and options you selected. Include any stated limit, such as one stored program or overwriting when saving another. The cited instructions establish steps and limits for the LG WT5101HV and describe particular ThinQ features; they don’t establish how other models save settings or whether a particular washer supports custom cycles. Use your model’s documentation to confirm those details.