Look at the panel. Do not take the cover off. Labels that say AC, HVAC, furnace, or condenser — middle position is tripped.
One reset, on purpose
If you choose to reset it: all the way Off, then On. If Cool comes back and stays, tell us it tripped once. That still matters. Capacitors and contactors fail. So do dirty filters that make motors pull high. One trip is a clue.
Twice is the end of DIY
If it trips again, stop. Repeated resets are how you turn a bad winding into a smell. We will not tell you to keep flipping it “until the weekend.”
What it is often not
It is often not “the power company.” It is often not low refrigerant. A breaker is heat and current. We start at the disconnect, the contactor, the capacitor, and whether the outdoor fan can spin.
Burning smell or smoke: leave. Do not reset anything.
The Toolbox asks you to look, not to experiment. Book if it will not stay on.