Best Window Air Conditioners of 2023

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These units are as efficient at cooling as they are painless to install.

In most cases, opening a window or running a fan is simply not enough to keep you cool, dry, and comfortable on a hot summer day. And this is to say nothing of the misery of trying to get a good night’s sleep in a stuffy and uncomfortable room.

The cure for these springtime and summer doldrums is the window air conditioner, a small box of an appliance that helps you keep your cool–night and day–even as summer throws its worst weather at you. But finding one that satisfies your cooling needs, fits your window, and won’t jack up your electric bill requires some research. We tested a range (and included promising models we haven’t tried yet) to help you select the right appliance.

Need more cooling solutions? Check out our picks for the best oscillating fans, portable air conditioners, and wearable air conditioners. Get a great one at a discount with the latest Memorial Day sales.

Window air conditioners use motor-driven fans to pull hot, moist indoor air over a metal tube coil with cold refrigerant gas inside. The heat energy in the room passes through the metal coil into the cold refrigerant inside.

The appliance’s compressor draws the heated gas to a coil on the back of the appliance, converting the gas into a liquid. Another motor-driven fan blows outdoor air over this hot, liquid-filled coil and discharges the heat to the outdoors. In exchange, you get cool and dry air pumped inside.

Equally important in the cooling process is dehumidification. In the summer, there’s a lot of moisture vapor suspended in the air, and in order for you to feel more comfortable, the air conditioner has to remove it.

The moisture vapor in the indoor air condenses on the coil’s cold surface. This water drips down to the back of the appliance and runs out through a drain. Alternatively, the fan on the back picks it up and throws it against the hot coil, where it’s converted back to moisture vapor and discharged outside with the hot air.

The cooling process is identical among various window air conditioners. However, the appliance’s cooling capacity, features, and controls differ.

Look for an AC unit with the highest Combined Energy-Efficiency Ratio possible. CEER is the efficiency rating that applies to window air conditioners.

The CEER number expresses the ratio of cooling capacity, measured in British Thermal Units, relative to how much electricity the appliance uses to cool the space. It includes the appliance’s efficiency when the compressor is energized and running and when it’s not running, in standby mode.

The AC unit you choose must have roughly 20 BTUs of cooling per square foot of room space. Measure the square feet of the room’s floor and multiply that by 20. For example, a 20-by-15-foot room would require a small, 6,000-BTU air conditioner.

Window air conditioners are no different from other appliances regarding programming and controls. Controls range from simple knobs to buttons to touch-activated electronic panels similar to microwaves or washing machines. Some window air conditioners have handheld remotes or employ smartphone apps for controls.

More expensive window air conditioners are typically more fully featured. Some are equipped with a dehumidification setting for dealing with extra moist air, a heater, a fan to use without cooling, and timers that allow you to slowly back off the cooling output at night as you fall asleep.

Some smarter appliances can even ramp back up, cooling your room again toward dawn. Others have smartphone features that allow you to control your unit from afar and geofencing that automatically turns the unit on when your phone comes within a radius of your home.

We surveyed the market for units with great construction quality, energy efficiency, noise reduction, simplicity of use, convenience, ease of maintenance, and versatility. We tested several of the window air conditioners we recommend by installing them in a 1,200-cubic-foot space with a high ceiling.

We ran each appliance at various settings and used an infrared thermometer to measure the AC’s effect on its surroundings, such as walls and nearby objects. Next, we measured how far away the cooling breeze could be felt, known as throw. Most models we recommend throw cool air six to eight feet.

For the appliances we haven’t tested, we consulted engineers at the manufacturers, scoured the specs, noted features, and considered user reviews. We also look for high CEER ratings and consulted guides from Wirecutter, the Spruce, and HGTV.

Scroll down to the bottom for some maintenance tips to help you keep your appliance running for as long as possible.

Shop More Window Air Conditioners on Sale at Amazon

This LG uses a multi-speed compressor to control cooling, speeding up and slowing down to maintain the desired temperature. While most window units don’t use this method, we found the adaptable dual-inverter design from LG a great way to keep the room temp steady.

It’s pretty quiet, too, with a sleep mode that quiets the motor at night so you can get better rest. This window unit won best overall compared to all of the other window and portable units we tested because of its ease of use, efficiency, and quiet operation.

Best of all, LG includes insulation for keeping cold air in and warm air out—a notorious drawback of most window units.

Read more about our test results for the LG LW1517IVSM air conditioner.

This high-performance, 6,000-BTU LG window air conditioner is designed to cool medium spaces quickly, ideal for rooms up to 10 by 25 feet. Its many features include an energy-saver mode, a 24-hour on/off timer, a full-function remote control, three cooling speeds, three fan speeds, and an auto reset that turns the unit back on once power is restored after a power outage.

When indoor air humidity is high, this air conditioner has powerful dehumidifying abilities to keep you from that sticky feeling.

The whisper-quiet operation of this quality AC unit isn’t it’s best feature, and that’s saying a lot since this was the quietest of the lot we tested. Even better than its hushed noise level is the U-shaped mounting, which lets you fully close your window between indoor and outdoor sections of the unit.

It’s the sort of design that makes you ask why all window AC units aren’t like this—but alas, this unit does require a special mounting bracket to work correctly.

This inverter compressor AC unit uses multi-speed, like the LG we deemed best overall, but this has automatically swinging louvers to distribute air even better.

Read more about our test results for the Midea MAW12V1QWT air conditioner.

The WHAW081BW is typical of this class of window air conditioner, a mid-priced appliance that does what the manufacturer claims without fuss or flash.

Although somewhat loud, it cools rapidly, with no annoying rattles and squeaks. It’s manufactured under license to Whirlpool by XLS, based in Philadelphia. Thus, it’s another small, white box sharing (as far as we can tell looking through its louvered sides) many of the components of other small air conditioners in this test.

But at the end of the day, it comes down to this: You can buy this on Amazon or from your nearest home center, put it in your trunk, and have a cool room a few minutes later without paying a lot. You also get features typical in this price range—various cooling outputs along with auto, sleep, and eco settings.

This Amana air conditioner is the very definition of low-cost cooling. (It seemed to us as much a time machine as a cooling machine—the two-knob simplicity and familiar hum was enough to transport me back to my first stuffy apartment and the simple little air conditioner in it—and that was more than 40 years ago.)

Call the little AMAP050BW a fancy version of an ice block and a fan. Turn its dial to the large snowflake setting and the dial to number seven (maximum chill and maximum fan speed) and you’ve got cold air filling the space in a couple of minutes.

We detected no rattles, but can we say this is whisper-quiet cooling? No. But it’s not annoying, either. If you’re a light sleeper, you might need earplugs. Then again, you may find comfort in the steady white noise it produces.

As for maintenance, the air filter slides out to the right—a simple and welcome feature that eases cleaning.

The AEG08LZ looks like another little white box that blows cold air, but appearances can be deceiving. It has a respectable efficiency rating of 11.2 CEER, which it accomplishes with various energy-conserving features, such as running on next-generation R32 refrigerant and employing a digital thermostat that more closely tracks and monitors cooling compared to electro-mechanical versions.

This GE operates via Wi-Fi or voice command, too. High-tech gizmos aside, you also get the battery of features that people expect at this price: an auto setting, three cooling speeds, an Eco mode, a fan-only mode, and programmable operation.

To maintain your AC, the best thing you can do is regularly vacuum the air filter. If it’s really grubby, give it a light scrubbing with water and dish detergent, and rinse it clean. Always let the filter dry before reinstalling it.

It’s not uncommon for a couple of fins on the air conditioner’s back to get mashed or bent as you’re handling the appliance. To straighten them, use the edge of a plastic putty knife or credit card. Insert the knife or card into a space above the bent fin, and slide it down to the bent area. If the fins are severely bent, use a fin straightener tool.

If your AC starts to let out a rattle, investigate. It could be anything from a rough window sill to a wobbly pane. Should the sound be too much, foam insulation strips and sound-dampening rubber sheeting can help quiet the noise.

Most of the air conditioners here will operate very comfortably on a 15-amp branch circuit (a branch circuit consists of all the wiring and devices that hook up to a single circuit breaker or fuse). These circuits will support up to, naturally, 15 amps of current draw. If the AC runs at 6 amps, the circuit will still support another 9 of current.

However, even an energy-efficient air conditioner draws a substantial amount of current–sometimes two or three times the amperage it usually runs at—when its condenser turns on to pump its refrigerant through its closed loop. This may cause the circuit breaker to trip.

If that happens, look around to see what other loads are operating on the circuit. Maybe somebody’s running a vacuum cleaner or other high-current appliance. Shutting down other loads will free up electrical capacity and allow the air conditioner to run as it should.

Roy Berendsohn has worked for more than 25 years at Popular Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn care, chainsaw use, and outdoor power equipment. When he’s not working on his own house, he volunteers with Sovereign Grace Church doing home repair for families in rural, suburban and urban locations throughout central and southern New Jersey.

Kevin Cortez is a Commerce Editor for Popular Mechanics, Bicycling, and Runner’s World. A culture and product journalist for over ten years, he’s an expert in men’s style, technology, gaming, coffee, e-bikes, hiking, gear, and all things outdoors. He was most recently the style editor for a leading product-recommendation site and previously covered music and podcasting at Mass Appeal, Genius, and The A.V. Club. His work can also be seen in WSJ, Leafly, Input, and Vulture. He enjoys reading graphic novels, birding, and taking long, meandering walks in his spare time.

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