Depending on your system type and thermostat model, your Google Nest thermostat can have up to 5 available modes: Heat, Cool, Heat • Cool, Off, and Eco. This article covers what each mode does and how to manually switch between them.
Important things to know:
- Your thermostat can automatically switch between modes, but you can also manually set the mode you want.
- Both your thermostat and system will behave differently, depending on what mode your thermostat is set to.
- Heat, Cool, and Heat • Cool modes each have their own temperature schedule.
Switch to Heat, Cool, Heat • Cool, or Off mode
Home app
- Open the Home app .
- Tap Favorites or Devices .
- Tap your thermostat.
- Tap the Temperature mode icon. The icon will be different, depending on what mode your thermostat is currently in.
- Choose the mode you want to use.
Nest app
- On the home screen, select your thermostat.
- Tap Mode .
- Choose the mode you want.
On the thermostat
Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen): Set to Heat, Cool, Heat • Cool or Off mode
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Nest Thermostat: Set to Heat, Cool, Heat • Cool or Eco mode
Set to Off mode
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Nest Thermostat E:
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Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd gen or earlier):
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Switch to Eco Temperatures
You can quickly switch your thermostat to Eco Temperatures much like you switch to other modes. For complete details on how Eco Temperatures work please go to Learn about Eco Temperatures.
Google Home app
Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen):
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Nest Thermostat E or Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd gen or earlier):
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Nest app
- On the home screen, select your thermostat.
- Select Eco .
- Tap Start Eco. If you have more than one thermostat, select whether you want to start Eco Temperatures only on the thermostat you’ve chosen or all thermostats.
On the thermostat
Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)
- Press the thermostat display toward the wall to open the menu.
- Rotate the dial to highlight Eco and press the thermostat toward the wall to select it.
- Press the thermostat toward the wall to confirm your selection.
To end an Eco hold:
- Press the thermostat display toward the wall to open the menu.
- Rotate the dial to highlight Eco and press the thermostat toward the wall to select it.
- Press the thermostat toward the wall to confirm you want to turn off Eco hold.
Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd gen or earlier) and Nest Thermostat E
- Press the thermostat ring to open the Quick View menu.
- Turn to Eco and press to select.
- Select Start Eco.
What each mode does
Important things to know
- Your thermostat can automatically switch between modes, but you can manually set the mode you want too.
- Both your thermostat and system will behave differently depending on what mode your thermostat is set to.
- You may not find all 5 modes in the app or on your thermostat. For instance, if your home only has a heating system, you won’t find Cool or Heat • Cool.
Home app | Nest app | |
Heat | ||
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Cool | ||
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Heat • Cool | ||
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Off | ||
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Eco | ||
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Preset | ||
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How Eco temperatures work
For the Nest Thermostat, use the Eco preset to quickly adjust to energy-saving temperatures manually or in its temperature schedule.
- When you manually set the Eco preset, it’ll be overridden by the next temperature set in the schedule.
- If you want to use Eco temperatures for longer without changing the temperature schedule, hold the Eco preset temperature.
For the Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat, switch to Eco the same way as other temperature modes. However, there are some key differences in how your thermostat will behave in Eco compared to other modes:
- When you manually switch to Eco, your thermostat will ignore all scheduled temperatures until you manually switch it back to heating or cooling.
- If your thermostat automatically switched to Eco Temperatures because everyone was away, it’ll switch back to your normal temperatures when someone comes home.
Learn about Eco Temperatures and how to change settings