Owner's manual

An owner's manual (also called an instruction manual or a user guide) is an instructional <a href="/facts/Book/Yylgt4AC">book</a> or booklet that is supplied with almost all technologically advanced consumer products such as <a href="/facts/Vehicles/jSIEqANL">vehicles</a>, <a href="/facts/Home_appliances/JYKalzw6">home appliances</a> and <a href="/facts/Computer_peripheral/3lEBPE14">computer peripherals</a>.
Information contained in the owner's manual typically includes:

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Safety/jyH5HLSg">Safety</a> instructions; for <a href="/facts/Legal_liability/GKRNLqIY">liability</a> reasons these can be extensive, often including warnings against performing operations that are ill-advised for product longevity or overall user safety reasons.</li>
<li>Assembly instructions; for products that arrive in pieces for easier shipping.</li>
<li>Installation instructions; for products that need to be installed in a home or workplace.</li>
<li>Setup instructions; for devices that keep track of time or which maintain user accessible state.</li>
<li>Instructions for normal or intended operations.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Computer_programming/QmSsFnu0">Programming</a> instructions; for <a href="/facts/Microprocessor/Fx9CaQht">microprocessor</a> controlled products such as <a href="/facts/VCR/vNXMylt5">VCRs</a>, <a href="/facts/Programmable_calculator/5UHx9nIg">programmable calculators</a>, and <a href="/facts/Synthesizer/NrmdVrPa">synthesizers</a>.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Preventive_maintenance/oBDB9khj">Maintenance</a> instructions.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Troubleshooting/XtjnV5XF">Troubleshooting</a> instructions; for when the product does not work as expected.</li>
<li>Service locations; for when the product requires <a href="/facts/Repair/oBDB9khj">repair</a> by a factory authorized <a href="/facts/Technician/FogdL14W">technician</a>.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Regulation/eFR0l2x9">Regulatory code</a> compliance information; for example with respect to safety or <a href="/facts/Electromagnetic_interference/gv3DlKNr">electromagnetic interference</a>.</li>
<li>Product <a href="/facts/Technical_specifications/xEMUsktp">technical specifications</a>.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Warranty/kr9BLQFf">Warranty</a> information; sometimes provided as a separate sheet.</li></ul>
Until the last decade or two of the twentieth century it was common for an owner's manual to include detailed <a href="/facts/Repair/oBDB9khj">repair</a> information, such as a <a href="/facts/Circuit_diagram/Vqk3udN0">circuit diagram</a>; however as products became more complex this information was gradually relegated to specialized <a href="/facts/Service_manual/dyQBKo9B">service manuals</a>, or dispensed with entirely, as devices became too inexpensive to be economically repaired.
Owner's manuals for simpler devices are often <a href="/facts/Multilingual/WgzhSW6h">multilingual</a> so that the same boxed product can be sold in many different markets. Sometimes the same manual is shipped with a range of related products so the manual will contain a number of sections that apply only to some particular model in the product range.
With the increasing complexity of modern devices, many owner's manuals have become so large that a separate <a href="/facts/Quickstart_guide/GCBlC8pp">quickstart guide</a> is provided. Some owner's manuals for computer equipment are supplied on <a href="/facts/CD-ROM/JwuaYLJv">CD-ROM</a> to cut down on manufacturing costs, since the owner is assumed to have a computer able to read the CD-ROM. Another trend is to supply instructional video material with the product, such as a <a href="/facts/Videotape/fNekHd5Y">videotape</a> or <a href="/facts/DVD/7fJsHJrN">DVD</a>, along with the owner's manual.
Many businesses offer <a href="/facts/PDF/C9Mn1vYL">PDF</a> copies of manuals that can be accessed or downloaded free of charge from their websites.

Owner's manual open-in-new

Owner's manual