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Vizio TV Remote Not Working: 9 Ways To Fix It ASAP (2023)

Vizio TV Remote Not Working

Time to watch the show you’ve been waiting for all week.

But there’s a problem. 

Your TV turns ON, but your remote isn’t working.

Now, is this the end of your beloved Vizio controller?

Let me confidently say: NO

So stick around, and…

Continue reading to find out:

  • 9 effortless solutions you can try to fix your remote ASAP.
  • The different reasons why your TV isn’t responding to your remote.
  • How you can use the Vizio SmartCast app as a virtual remote for your TV.
  • And this is just the beginning…

Why isn’t my Vizio TV responding to the remote?

Your Vizio TV isn’t responding to the remote because your remote’s batteries are loose. Sometimes, this happens because your TV’s IR sensor is blocked. And in other cases, your TV doesn’t respond to its remote because it’s glitching. 


Vizio TV remote not working: 9 ways to fix it


#1: Reset your Vizio TV remote

Most people try to replace the batteries right away when their remote stops working. 

But really, the 1st fix you should do in this situation is to reset your remote. 

How?

By removing its batteries temporarily. 

Now, if you’re wondering…

“How can that fix the problem?”

See, resetting your Vizio remote allows it to:

  • Refresh its configurations. 
  • Ensure that your battery isn’t loose.
  • Free up stuck buttons that are wedged down. 

And honestly, ever since I knew this fix…

I’ve saved tons of money from buying new batteries. 

Because as this process proves, they’re not always the problem.

On that note… 

Here’s how you can reset your Vizio TV remote:

  1. Flip your remote over.
  2. Take off the cover of its battery compartment.
  3. Remove the batteries. 
  4. Press and hold the power button on the remote. 
  5. After 5 seconds, let go of the button. 
  6. Press each button on the remote once. 
  7. Return the batteries to their compartment.
  8. Place back the cover of your remote.

After doing this, turn your TV ON and see if it’s now responding to your remote. 

You might also be interested in: Is Vizio A Good TV Brand? 3 Problems & 6 Reasons

#2: Power cycle your Vizio TV

Power Cycle If Vizio TV Remote Is Not Working

If your TV itself is stuck or unresponsive…

It won’t receive any input signals from your remote.

And in cases like this, it’ll seem like your remote is the problem, but in reality, it’s your TV.

Now, if you’re wondering why this happens to your device, here are…

The most common reasons why Vizio TVs become unresponsive: 

  • It’s doing too many tasks at once.
  • Your TV’s firmware isn’t up to date.
  • It’s glitching or has a bug in its system. 

But don’t worry even if your TV isn’t in its best condition. 

Because you’ll be glad to know that…

Just a simple power cycle will get your TV working properly again. 

“I don’t know what that is.”

Don’t worry. I’ll explain.

Power cycling is unplugging and replugging a device from its power source.

And as this process allows your TV to drain all of its power…

It reboots your TV system and removes any minor glitches that were in it before. 

With that in mind, here are the…

Steps to power cycle your Vizio TV:

  1. Unplug your TV from the outlet. 
  2. Press and hold the power button on your TV for 30 seconds.
  3. After letting go, wait for 1 minute.
  4. Plug your TV into its power source again. 
  5. Turn it ON.

After this, check if your TV is now responding to your remote control. 

Still having problems? Then… 

#3: Remove any obstacles between your TV and remote

Have you ever heard of Infrared (IR) light? 

If so, did you know that it’s what your TV and remote use to communicate with each other? 

See, unlike modern connections like Wifi and Bluetooth…

IR connections require a direct line of sight to send signals from 1 device to another. 

That’s why you need to point your remote to your TV whenever you press a button.

Because if you’re not directly pointing the IR light from your remote to the sensor on your TV…

The signals won’t go through. And as a result, your TV won’t receive your remote’s commands.  

And on that note, if your Vizio remote isn’t working, you need to…

Remove any obstacles between your TV and remote: 

  1. Locate your TV’s IR sensor. 
  2. Clean it. 
  3. Remove any barriers in front of it. 

Now, if your TV is still not responding…

Try to look at the IR LED of your remote. This is usually located at the tip of your controller. 

Now, try pressing a few buttons on your remote while observing the IR LED.

Does it light up?

If it doesn’t, then that’s a sign that you need to… 

#4: Replace your remote’s batteries

At this point, it’s safe to assume that your remote’s batteries are drained or dead. 

But fortunately, battery replacements are cheap and easy to get.

See, you can easily grab new ones from your local stores.

Or, if you want, you can also buy new high-quality batteries from Amazon. 

Now, it’s worth noting that Vizio remotes use either AA or AAA batteries. 

So ensure that you check which 1 your remote model uses before buying a new pair. 

And once you have new ones… 

Here’s how you can replace the batteries of your Vizio Remote:

  1. Open the cover of your remote’s battery compartment. 
  2. Remove the batteries from your remote. 
  3. Ensure that the connection points inside your remote are in good condition. 
  4. Insert the new batteries.
  5. Make sure that you’re aligning them properly.

Finding it hard to remove the cover of your Vizio remote? This video might help: 

#5: Clear your remote’s memory (for the universal models only)

Some Vizio universal remotes encounter a common error where…

The remote’s memory gets stuck to using only 1 device.

And as a result, when you try to use it with another Vizio TV, it doesn’t work. 

So to fix this type of problem, you have to…

Clear your remote’s memory:

  1. Press and hold the set or setup button on your remote. 
  2. Let go when the LED light on the tip of your remote blinks twice. 
  3. Type the reset code “981” on your remote.
  4. The LED light should flash twice again.
  5. If it doesn’t, repeat steps 1-2 once more, and on the 3rd step, type “977” instead. 
  6. Once you see the 2 light flashes, your remote’s memory is cleared. 
  7. Pair the remote to your TV again. 

“I forgot how to pair my remote to the TV.”

In that case…

Here are the steps to pair your universal Vizio remote to your TV:

  1. Turn On your TV using its physical power button. 
  2. On your remote, find that button that states TV or Device.
  3. Press and hold that button for 5 seconds. 
  4. Wait for the LED light to flash twice. 
  5. Find the programming code for your TV on page 2 of this manual
  6. Type the code using the number keys.
  7. The LED light will flash twice again after the last digit. 
  8. Point your remote to the TV and press the power button. 

Check if your TV is now recognizing your remote. 

You might also want to know: (9 Fixes) YouTube App Not Working On Vizio TV

#6: Turn OFF devices that might interfere with your remote

There are a lot of invisible signals always floating around you.

And while these are generally harmless to us, humans. 

Signals from different devices can sometimes interfere with each other. 

See, if any electronic gadgets or lights are near your TV and remote…

They can prevent your remote’s IR signals from being received by your TV.

So to check or stop this problem… 

Turn OFF gadgets and devices within a 2-meter distance from your TV, such as:

  • Laptops. 
  • Wifi routers. 
  • Microwaves.
  • Bluetooth speakers. 

After doing so, try to use your remote to control your TV again.

If it works, you should place the devices you turned OFF elsewhere.  

So they won’t interfere with your TV even while you’re using them next time.

However, if turning OFF nearby gadgets didn’t fix this problem for you, try to… 

#7: Plug your device into a different power source

See, there’s such a thing as an outlet that doesn’t have stable electricity.

And in formal terms, this is called dirty power.

“What’s that?”

A dirty power means that the electricity from your power source has an abnormality. 

Or in other words, it has an insufficient power or unstable voltage. 

And when devices are plugged into an outlet like this, they can:

  • Malfunction.
  • Stop working.
  • Prematurely fail.

Now, your TV may be currently using dirty power. 

And in that case, you should plug it into a different outlet inside your house. 

However, before you do so, I highly recommend…

Checking the voltage of the outlet you’re going to plug your TV into:

  1. Grab a multimeter. 
  2. Set it to measure voltage.
  3. Insert 1 probe to each of the 2 slots on your outlet. 
  4. Observe the number showing on your screen. 

Warning: Electric shocks can be life-threatening. So wear safety gloves while doing this process. And never touch the metal part of the multimeter.

Note: A stable outlet should have a voltage reading ranging from 110 to 120. 

So if your multimeter gets a number within that range…

You can proceed with plugging your TV into the outlet that you tested. 

But if it doesn’t, you should contact your electricity provider or local technicians around you.

So they can get a closer look and fix the problem. 

#8: Try using the Vizio SmartCast Mobile app as a remote

If none of the previous fixes were able to solve this problem…

Then you should try using Vizio’s official app as your virtual remote. 

However, it’s worth noting that this app is more than just a remote replacement.

Because Vizio SmartCast also allows you to:

  1. Use a keyboard to type words on your TV.
  2. Control your TV even when your IR sensor is blocked.
  3. Access apps on your Vizio TV directly from your phone. 

And these features aren’t available on regular Vizio remotes like the 1 you have. 

So if you’re interested in trying it out…

Here’s how you can use the Vizio SmartCast Mobile App as your virtual remote:

Step 1: Download the app to your device

It’s compatible with both iOS and Android

Step 2: Open the Vizio Smartcast app

Once you do, you’ll be prompted to create an account.

But if you don’t want to make 1… 

Simply tap the Sign in as Guest option at the bottom of your screen. 

Step 3: Connect your TV to the app

To do this:

  1. Turn ON your Vizio TV. 
  2. On your Vizio app, tap the Add Device option at the bottom of your screen.
  3. Click Setup New Device.
  4. Follow the app’s instructions. 

Once you see the confirmation screen saying your app is now paired to the TV…

Step 4: Tap the Remote option at the lower-left corner of your screen

You can now use the buttons you see on the app to control your TV.

So try using each 1 and experiment with the new options you can see on your screen. 

#9: Buy a new remote

Now, of course, not everyone is comfortable with using virtual remotes.

So if you don’t want to install the Vizio Smartcast app, that’s totally fine. 

And in that case, the last thing you can do is buy a new Vizio remote instead. 

See, if none of the 1st 7 solutions fixed this issue… 

It means your remote no longer works, and you need a replacement. 

Now, several factors can cause your remote to be permanently damaged.

And some of them are:

  • Old age. 
  • Physical damages.
  • Malfunctioning IR sensors.

Now, you can try to figure out the exact reason why your remote is broken.

But honestly, it’s not worth it. 

Because you see, you can easily find new Vizio remotes in local or online stores. 

And in fact, you can even buy universal Vizio remotes for as cheap as $13 on Amazon. 

So at this point…

I highly recommend just grabbing yourself a new Vizio remote.

And if you’re lucky, you may even have it on your door in just a day.