Use this fast checklist to fix an Instant Pot that won’t pressurize—most issues are solved in 10 minutes.

If your Instant Pot won’t come to pressure, you’re not alone—and in most cases it’s something simple like the valve position, sealing ring, or not enough thin liquid. Follow the steps in this exact order to find the cause quickly (this order catches the majority of issues fast).

Before you start (quick safety)

  • Let the cooker cool down before touching the valve, float pin, or lid parts.

  • Never force the lid open. Wait until the float pin drops and pressure is fully released.

1) The basics (most common user setup issues)

These are the top “it won’t pressure” causes—check them first.

✅ Minimum thin liquid

  • Use at least 250 ml / 1 cup of thin liquid (water, broth).

  • If you have less than this, the pot may not generate enough steam to seal.

✅ Thick recipes can block pressure building

Very thick foods can prevent steam flow and cause scorching:

  • Tomato-heavy sauces, curry paste, oats, thick stews, creamy sauces
    Fix: Add water/broth, stir well, or use pot-in-pot (food in a separate bowl on a trivet with water underneath).

✅ Don’t overfill

  • Keep food below the MAX line.

  • For beans, rice, pasta, or foamy foods: stay well below MAX (follow your manual’s limits). Overfilling can block the steam path and stop sealing.

✅ Correct lid

  • Make sure you’re using the pressure cooking lid, not an air fryer/crisp lid.

✅ Steam release valve set correctly

  • Valve must be on Sealing, not Venting.

✅ Float pin must move freely

  • The float pin needs to pop up to seal the cooker.

  • If it’s stuck down, pressure can’t build.

✅ Normal warm-up time

  • Big batches can take 10–25 minutes to preheat before pressure shows. That can be completely normal.

2) Sealing ring issues (top hardware cause)

The sealing ring is the #1 hardware reason an Instant Pot won’t seal.

✅ Ring present

  • It happens: people clean the lid and forget to put the ring back.

✅ Correct ring size for your model

  • A 6 qt ring on an 8 qt (or vice versa) may leak and fail to pressurize.

✅ Ring seated properly

  • Press the ring fully into the metal rack all the way around.
    If any section is loose or twisted, steam escapes and the float may never rise.

✅ Ring condition

Replace the ring if it’s:

  • Torn, cracked, hardened, stretched/loose, or permanently deformed
    Also consider replacing if it strongly smells like detergent or grease (odors can linger and the ring may not seal as well).

✅ Ring and lid cleanliness

  • Remove ring and wash it.

  • Clean the groove where it sits and the underside of the lid. A thin film of grease or starch can cause tiny leaks.

3) Lid, valve, and anti-block shield (clogs or misassembly)

If steam can’t vent correctly during preheat, the pot may never seal properly.

✅ Steam release valve installed correctly

  • It should sit fully down and not look warped.

✅ Vent pipe clear

  • Remove the steam release valve and check the metal vent/pipe isn’t blocked by starch, fat, or residue.

✅ Anti-block shield clean

  • Remove the anti-block shield (small cover under the lid) and wash it.
    Food residue here can interfere with sealing and steam flow.

✅ Float valve area clean

  • If your model has a small silicone cap on the float valve, remove it and clean:

    • the float pin

    • the float channel

    • the silicone cap

4) Inner pot, rim, and alignment (invisible leaks)

These issues can create leaks that are hard to see but stop pressure from building.

✅ Inner pot seated flat

  • Make sure there’s no food under the pot.

  • Check the pot bottom isn’t dented.

  • It must sit fully down on the heater plate.

✅ Rim and sealing surfaces clean

  • Wipe:

    • the top rim of the inner pot

    • the lid’s sealing surface
      Even a few rice grains or sauce film can cause leaks.

✅ Lid fully locked and aligned

  • Close until it’s fully in the locked position and handles align properly.

✅ Quick “gasket + rim” feel test

During heat-up, you shouldn’t feel obvious steam blasting out around the rim.
A tiny wisp early on can be normal—constant steam is not.

5) “False pressure” symptoms (what they usually mean)

Use these symptoms to narrow the cause.

  • A little steam from the valve during preheat: normal

  • Constant heavy steam from the valve: usually not sealing (valve position, valve fit, or dirty valve)

  • Burn/food burning warning or scorching smell: often not enough thin liquid or thick food on the bottom
    Fix: deglaze (scrape browned bits), add water, or use pot-in-pot

  • Stays on “On” forever: commonly a sealing ring not seated, valve not sealing, or float pin stuck

6) Quick isolation tests (fast diagnosis)

The best test: Water-only pressure test

  1. Add 500 ml water to the inner pot

  2. Close lid, valve on Sealing

  3. Cook High Pressure for 5 minutes

If the water test fails: it’s almost always hardware/assembly, not your recipe.

Find the leak location during preheat

  • Steam at the rim: sealing ring not seated/worn, lid not fully closed, or dirty rim

  • Steam at the valve: valve dirty, misaligned, or not fully seated

  • Steam at the float: float pin dirty/sticky, silicone cap issue, or float seal problem

7) When to stop troubleshooting and treat it as defective

It’s time to stop and seek replacement/repair if you see:

  • Cracked lid

  • Warped valve parts

  • Damaged float pin

  • Persistent rim leak even with a known-good sealing ring

  • Unit won’t heat consistently (takes unusually long, doesn’t get hot)

If your Instant Pot is under warranty, it’s often better to start a claim or replace the faulty part instead of spending days troubleshooting.

8) Send us these 3 details (so we can pinpoint it fast)

Reply with:

  1. Exact model name (Duo, Duo Plus, Pro, WhisperQuiet, etc.) and size (3L / 5.7L / 7.6L)

  2. During preheat, does steam come from the rim, valve, or float?

  3. What happened in the 500 ml water test (did the float rise, did it reach pressure, any error/burn message)?

If you share those, we can usually identify the exact fix in one message.