9 Quick Fixes For A TCL TV That Won’t Turn On (2023)

You just woke up, got yourself coffee, and want to watch the morning news.

Sleepy as you are, you turn on your TCL TV.

Nothing happens…

You try again.

Still, nothing happens…

No worries, I’ll help you.

With that, you can fix your TCL TV before your coffee gets cold.

Keep reading to discover:

9 effective ways to fix your TCL TV that won’t turn on.
What Fast TV Start is and why disabling it can solve the issue.
To find out if your TCL TV won’t turn on because of the remote control.
How to Factory Reset your TCL TV via the reset button to turn it back on.
And that’s only the beginning…

Why is my TCL TV not turning on?

Your TCL TV won’t turn on because there’s a problem with the power. A faulty remote control, badly connected cables, or a wrong input can also be the issue. And in some cases, the issue is created because your TV gets overheated.

TCL TV won’t turn on: 9 fixes

#1: Check the TV for power

We need to start with the most important one: power.

Power cord and power outlet

Check the white LED light to see if your TCL TV receives power. You can find it on the front panel.

Now, when the TV is on standby, the LED light should be on.

And when you send signals from the remote control, it dims on and off.

But say that you tried to turn on the TV and the remote control…

However, the LED light stays completely off. When this happens, the TV doesn’t receive power.

With that, it’s time to inspect the power cord. Ensure it’s properly inserted into the power outlet and the TV.

If it doesn’t help, try a different power outlet.

Pro tip: If you’re using a power strip, remove it and plug the TV directly into a power outlet.

Power cycle

Next on the line is a power cycle.

“What does it do?”

Let me tell you: a power cycle drains the leftover electrical charge from your TCL TV.

And here’s how to do it in 3 simple steps:

Unplug the power from the TV for 2 minutes.
Press and hold the power button from the TCL TV for 15 seconds.
After that, plug the power back into the TV.

#2: Check the remote control

If you use the remote control to turn on the TV and nothing happens…

It might be that the remote control is faulty.

To know this for sure, turn the TV on with the power button on the TV itself.

It’s located underneath the TCL logo or behind the TV at the right edge.

If needed, check out your TV’s manual for the exact location.

Then try the power button and see if the TV turns on.

If your TCL TV turns on via the physical power button, but not via the remote control…

Then your remote control is faulty, and you need to proceed to…

Inspect the IR sensor

Inspect the IR sensor from the TV.

If it’s dirty, you can clean it with a soft cloth.

Also, look if there’s nothing in front of the IR sensor from the TV.

It could be a soundbar or cabinet that’s blocking the IR sensor from receiving signals.

If that’s the case, remove it and try turning the TV on with the remote control again.

Still no luck?

Then check the IR sensor from the remote control.

There’s an easy trick to see if it’s still working with your smartphone. Here’s how:

Activate the camera app from your smartphone.
Aim the IR sensor from the remote control to the camera.
Push a few buttons from the remote control.
See, via the camera app, if the IR sensor is flashing.

If nothing happens, it’s time to…

Reset the remote control

You can reset the remote control real easy by taking these 3 simple steps:

Take the batteries out.
Press and hold the power button for 20 seconds.
Put the batteries back in.

Note: When placing the batteries, ensure that the + and – symbol matches the battery compartment.

After doing this, try turning the TV on via the remote control again.

If it didn’t do the trick, replace the batteries with fresh new ones.

Moreover, don’t combine new batteries with old and used ones.

Additionally, you can push every button from the remote control twice. This helps to unjam buttons that are sticky or stuck.

For visual guidance on how to reset your remote control, you can check out this helpful video:

Replace the remote control

If your remote control still doesn’t work at this point, it’s time to replace it.

And there’s an easy way to do it: with the remote control app.

First, ensure your smartphone and TCL TV are connected to the same wifi.

Then you can try out the TCL TV Remote app. This one is only available in the Google Play Store.

And if you happen to have a TCL Roku TV…

There’s good news for you. You can use the official Roku remote control app. It’s available in the Google Play Store, as well as the Apple Appstore.

Try it out and see if it suits you.

If not, then you can always replace the old one with a new remote.

And for TCL Roku TVs, you can replace them with this remote control.

#3: Verify the cables & inputs

Cables and inputs are easily overlooked or forgotten. That’s why you should double-check them at this point.

In many cases, they’re why your TCL TV hasn’t turned on yet.

Warning: Make sure the TV is off before you connect or disconnect any cables.

Check the cables for cuts and cracks

Follow every cable from beginning to end and look for cuts or cracks.

Especially if they are bent in a sharp corner. This can wear on the cable.

Therefore making them faulty and the signal won’t reach your TV.

Most TVs are connected via HDMI cables, and if they’re faulty, it can lead to intermittent, fuzzy or worse…no picture at all.

If this is the case, it can look as if your TCL TV is off when it’s actually on.

So, check out yours and if the current one isn’t working, try it with a spare one or buy a new one.

Inputs

If you notice a lot of built-up dust around the inputs of your TV, try to clean it gently. And when you’re there, also look around the vents.

You can use compressed gas to clean these areas from built-up dust.

Warning: Unplug the TV from power while you clean it and do it gently.

Also, replug the cables from the inputs.

Why?

Well, it can look from the outside cables are fully plugged in, but actually, they’re not.

For instance, take a look at an HDMI cable.

It has a long plug, and it can appear fully in, but in fact, it’s halfway in.

Therefore replug the cables to be on the safe side.

Additionally, try a different input. For example, change the HDMI cable from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2.

#4: Change the input

This one is very common: it can appear that the TV is off because you only see a black screen. But in fact, you activated the wrong TV input, a.k.a. source.

For example, you’re staring at HDMI input 1, but the TV should be on HDMI input 2.

Seeing is believing, as they say, so change the input to the right one.

Changing the input on a TCL Android TV

Here’s how to do it on a TCL Android TV via the remote control:

Press the input button.
A drop-down list of the inputs should appear.
Press the up-and-down buttons to highlight the correct input.
Press OK to confirm.

And you can do it also with the physical button from the TV (mostly located under the TCL logo):

Press the button for 3 seconds.
A multi-function menu will appear.
Press the button shortly to change the options.
Then go to Source.
While you’re at Source, press and hold the button for 3 seconds to confirm.
Finally, choose and select the right source.

For visual guidance, you can check out this video:

Changing the input on a TCL Roku TV

If you have a TCL Roku TV, it goes like this via the remote control:

Press the home button.
Go to Settings.
Select TV inputs.
Select the correct input.

And a lot of TCL Roku TVs come with different versions of the panel buttons.

If needed, check your TCL Roku TV manual for more details.

But here’s how to do it on a TCL Roku TV with a single button:

Short press the button to turn the TV on.
Short press again.
An input list will appear.
Short press the button again until you select the right input.

With 3 buttons:

Short or long-press the middle button to turn the TV on.
Short press the middle button again.
An input list will appear.
Highlight the right input with the left or right button.
Confirm by short pressing the middle button or no press.

If you have a game-pad style joystick:

Press the power button (to turn the TV on).
Press left or right and an input list will appear.
Select the right input via the left or right button.
Pausing for a few moments will select the highlighted input.

With 4 buttons:

Press the power button (to turn the TV on).
Press the input button.
By pressing again, the input will go down one item.
Pausing for a few moments will select the highlighted input.

With 5 buttons:

Press the power button (to turn the TV on).
Press the input + or input – button.
By pressing the input + it’ll go up one item, and by pressing input – it’ll go down one item.
Highlight the correct input.
Pausing for a few moments will select the highlighted input.

With 7 buttons:

Press the input button.
Pressing channel + or channel – moves the highlight up and down.
Pausing for a few moments will select the highlighted input.

You might also like: TCL TV Screen Flickering: 9 Ways To Fix It ASAP

#5: Inspect the location of the TV

Make sure your TV is located in a well-ventilated area.

Reason: When your TV is often being used, it heats up. But, it also needs to cool down.

Otherwise, it‘ll get overheated and, as a result, not turn on.

So, inspect your TV location for good ventilation.

Also, don’t place it close to a heater or radiator. Plus, avoid direct sunlight.

Pro tip: Ensure your TV is placed at least 4 inches from other objects.

Additionally, you can place the TV on a solid TV stand to avoid tilting or falling over.

#6: Disconnect external devices

TCL TVs come with a lot of inputs.

That’s all cool because now you can add external devices like a soundbar or Fire TV 4K stick.

However, they can also be the reason why your TV won’t turn on.

To know this for sure, start from scratch and disconnect all the external devices.

After that, turn your TV on again.

You may also be interested in: 9 Ways To Fix The TCL TV No Sound Issue

#7: Disable Fast TV Start (TCL Roku TV)

While researching this topic…

There were some cases with TCL Roku TVs where disabling the Fast TV Start was the solution.

Fast TV Start means that the TV immediately turns on when it’s on standby mode.

However, in some cases, the TV gets issues with the power management.

And as a result, it doesn’t turn on because of it.

So it’s worth the try to disable your Fast TV start on a TCL Roku TV:

Push the Home button from the TCL Roku remote control.
Go to Settings.
Select System.
Then go to Power.
Go to Fast TV Start.
Disable Fast TV Start.

Then try it out for a couple of days and see if your TCL Roku TV turns on without any holdup.

You may also wonder: Does Roku Work On Any TV? 5 Surprising Answers

#8: Factory reset the TV

One of the last options is a factory reset.

That’s because, with a factory reset, your TV goes back to its default settings.

As a result, your TV’s data and settings will be deleted. Those are WiFi settings, installed apps, login credentials, etc.

In this way, you can start with a clean sheet.

Warning: A factory reset deletes all your personalized data and returns the TV to its default settings.

And when you’re done, you need to repeat the guided setup.

Pro tip: Write down your data, like account data and network settings. Because during the setup, you may need this information.

To find the factory reset button, check out the back of your TCL TV.

It’s labeled as Reset and is closely located at the HDMI inputs.

If you found it, then take these steps:

Get a paperclip and straighten it, or use a ball-point pen.
Press and hold the reset button with the paperclip or ball-pen for around 12 seconds.
Release the reset button.
Turn on the TV.

The TV goes on, and you can follow the guided setup.

For some visual guidance, you can check out this video:

#9. Contact TCL support

If your TV hasn’t turned on at this point, it’s time to contact TCL TV support.

Make sure you write down your exact TV model.

Also, proof of purchase is helpful as well.

And if you have questions about warranty, you can check out this link.

Furthermore, is that they have service centers across the United States. You can check that out as well.

Finally, if you can’t fix your TCL TV at all, consider replacing it.