As my neighbor’s Smart TV did not work, he came to my house to watch his favorite show on my Vizio TV. As the show was about to begin, I looked for the remote to switch to the channel that he wanted to watch. Unfortunately, my Vizio TV remote control is not working properly like before, leaving us disappointed. We patiently sat down and discussed what could be the issue with the Vizio TV remote control. To identify the cause, we tried out different workarounds, and at last, I reset my Smart TV remote, and it started working.
If you are experiencing the same issue while using your Vizio TV remote control, you can try out the troubleshooting methods mentioned below to fix the issue quickly. This will also let you identify the reason behind the remote issue. I have shared my experience and learnings on how to resolve the issue with remote devices rapidly. You can have a quick look at this article to learn all the possible workarounds.
Causes of Vizio TV Remote Not Working
At times, you may face difficulties while operating your Vizio TV remote control. The most common reasons behind the failure of the remote control are given below. You can just have a glance at it to identify the problem with your remote control.
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- Depleted Batteries: If you have been using the remote control for a long time, the batteries might be dead.
- Obstacles blocking the way: There might be some obstacles between the Smart TV and the remote control.
- Unwanted Interference: If there are electronic devices near the Smart TV, it might cause interference.
- Dust accumulation: There might be too much dirt and dust formation in the battery section of your remote.
- Stuck buttons: The buttons on the remote might be stuck from too much pressing.
- Damaged IR emitter: The Infrared emitter on the remote control would have been damaged.
- Liquid Damage: Your Vizio TV remote might be affected by the liquid spilling.
How to Fix Vizio TV Remote Not Working
There might be various reasons for your Vizio TV remote control not to work. However, the troubleshooting techniques I have described below will definitely aid you in fixing the issue. You can execute the workarounds in a sequential manner to fix the issue swiftly.
Check for Interference
If there are electronic devices in the area surrounding your Vizio Smart TV, it might likely cause interference. The radiation from electronic devices like microwave ovens, cellular phones, and Bluetooth devices will interfere with the IR signals from your remote. As a result, you will face trouble while using it to control your Smart TV. You can remove the interference causing devices out of reach to fix this issue.
Check the Infrared Sensor and Emitter
Sometimes, the IR sensor on your Vizio TV might be damaged. Or, you can look for the IR sensor on your TV and see if some obstacles are blocking its way. If there is anything placed before your TV, it will hinder you from controlling your TV with the remote. It would be better to remove the objects that are blocking your TV from the IR emitter. Clean the IR sensor with some ethanol and try turning on your Smart TV to check if it works. Also, check if there are any visible damages on your remote’s IR emitter. If you have dropped your remote down, the IR sensor might be broken. Fix the IR emitter and see if the issue has been resolved.
Check the Remote Buttons
If you have been used to pressing the buttons on your Vizio TV remote control too hard, it will get stuck. When a button is stuck, other buttons will not work for your actions. You can press all the buttons on the remote one by one, and the position of the buttons will go back to normal. Also, there are a few buttons that are content-dependent. You can use the buttons like Play and Pause only when you are streaming apps. The Channel Up and Down buttons will also work only while watching particular content. If that is the case, you need not worry.
Clean the Vizio TV Remote Control
The internal components of your Vizio TV remote control might have stopped working if there had been any liquid damage. In this case, you need to disassemble the internal components of your remote control and let it dry for some time.
You can use alcohol to remove the liquid and the debris in your remote control. Clean the internal components like the remote buttons, battery section, panels, and circuit board pad using isopropyl alcohol to remove the liquid residue on the remote control quickly.
Re-Pair your Vizo TV Remote
If your Vizio TV is not reacting to the remote control buttons, you will have to re-pair the remote again with the Vizio Smart TV. The re-pairing process is easier to do, and it does not consume much of your time. You can just find your Vizio TV manual to learn how to use the remote codes for the pairing process. Otherwise, you can refer to the Vizio support website to get full instructions on how to program your Vizio TV remote control. Once the re-pairing process is over, you can press the Power button on your remote to see if it has resolved the issue.
Reset the Remote
If the remote control of your Vizio TV is not working properly, then resetting it would be a viable method. To reset your remote, try out the following steps consecutively.
1. Pull out the batteries from your Vizio TV remote control.
2. Press all the buttons one after the other and wait for a few seconds.
3. Finally, put the batteries back into the remote.
Now that you have reset the remote control, you can perform any action on your remote and see if it helps.
Replace the Remote Batteries
The batteries on your Vizio TV remote control might be dead due to over usage. To check if the batteries are depleted, you can get a pair of new batteries and replace them with the old ones. Make sure to get 2 AAA batteries, as the Vizio TV remote works with them. Insert the batteries correctly in the respective positive and negative terminal positions.
Before inserting the batteries, dip a cotton swab with ethanol and use it to clean the battery section of your remote control. If the remote fails to work even after a new battery change, head over to the next step.
Soft Reset Vizio TV
In some cases, your Vizio TV might not get a proper power supply from the power outlet. If your remote control is not working after an update, you can try changing the power source, or you can perform a power cycle on your Vizio TV to overcome the issue. Proceeding a soft reset on your Vizio TV is one of the easiest yet most efficient methods. Here is how to perform a soft reset on your Vizio Smart TV.
1. Turn off your Vizio Smart TV and remove the power cord from the outlet.
2. Let it remain without power for a few minutes.
3. Press and hold the Power button on your Smart TV panel for about 30 seconds.
4. Then, insert the power cord back into the wall outlet.
Now, perform any action with your remote, like turning on your TV, and see if the problem is still there. If this does not fix the issue, then you can try connecting your Smart TV to a different power outlet and see if it works. The issues with circuit wiring in the wall outlet will lead to a lack of power supply to the Smart TV. You can also restart your Vizio TV to fix the issue instantly.
Hard Reset Vizio TV
If your remote control fails to work with your Vizio TV, then the problem might sometimes be with your Smart TV. Performing a hard reset will instantly fix every issue that your TV has. As your remote controls do not work, you can reset your TV just by using the manual buttons present on the TV unit. Just know that a hard reset on your TV will erase all the data.
1. Use the Power button on the TV bezel to power your Vizio TV.
2. Press and hold the Volume Down and Input buttons for about 20 seconds.
3. Now, just press the Input button for a few seconds to start the factory reset process.
Now, your Vizio TV will reset to the default settings, clearing all the TV data.
Use the Official Remote App
Alternatively, you can use the official remote app of the Vizio TV to control your Smart TV in a much simpler way. You can find the Vizio remote app, VIZIO Mobile, on the respective app stores. Once you have set up the Vizio Mobile app, you can use the app as a virtual remote to control your Vizio TV. Use the Power button on the TV unit to turn on your Smart TV. Then, install the Vizio Mobile app on your smartphone and pair your Vizio TV to the app by confirming the activation code. You need to make sure that your smartphone and the Vizio TV are connected to the same WiFi network. Make use of the controls on the virtual remote interface to control and operate your TV for the time being.
Purchase a New Remote
If your Vizio TV remote control is not working right, even after all the troubleshooting steps, you can try purchasing a new remote to control your Vizio TV. You can either use a Vizio TV remote or a universal remote that works with your Vizio Smart TV.
Vizio TV Remote
If you have an additional Vizio TV remote at your place, you can use it to control your Smart TV. If you do not have one, you can buy a remote control based on your Vizio TV model from the Vizio TV website. This is one of the best options to do if you are looking for an exact replacement for your Vizio TV remote. You can use the remote in the same way you used the previous remote, and it is much more convenient than the other alternatives. Sometimes, the original remote may be hard to find for purchase. In that case, you can move on to the next step to find the other alternative.
Universal Remote
If you are not able to get the actual remote for your Vizio TV model, you can opt for a universal remote. This is also a good alternative that can replace your original Vizio TV remote. Also, it comes with advantages like the capability to control multiple devices simultaneously, cost-efficient and user-friendly. The universal remote is easily available in online stores, and you can purchase one of them that fits perfectly with your Vizo TV. The universal remote works just like your original remote. You can use it to operate your Smart TV in an effortless manner.
Contact Customer Support
If none of the techniques mentioned above fixes the issue with the Vizio TV remote control, there is only one solution. It is none other than contacting Vizio TV customer support. You can contact the team via chat, mail, or call. They will respond to you and assist you in resolving the remote control issue quickly. While reaching out to customer support, make sure to check if there are any active warranties for your Vizio TV and get your remote control issue fixed without any additional charges. For more info, you can visit Vizio’s official website.
Frequently Asked Questions
If the Volume and OK buttons on your Vizio remote control do not work, it means that those buttons are stuck. You can pull out the batteries from the remote and press each of the buttons once to fix the issue.
Yes, you can use the physical buttons present on the TV panel to control the Vizio Smart TV.
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