Why does my ice maker and water dispenser work with filter removed but

Hi @thomasmo

A lot of refrigerators have an automatic filter bypass mechanism in the filter housing (example only) which activates when the filter is removed so that water is still supplied to the ice maker and the water dispenser.

When a filter is inserted it should cause the bypass mechanism to switch the water supply back so that it now goes through the filter. Make sure that the filter is fully inserted and locked into place

It may be that the housing (incl. the bypass) is faulty. Here's a video that shows how to replace it.

What is the model number of the refrigerator? Knowing the model number of the refrigerator will ensure that you can find the correct one for your model.