My Vizio Remote Won't Work

It can be extremely frustrating to try to turn the channel on your Vizio TV with your remote only for nothing to happen. A Vizio remote may stop working for a variety of reasons including problems with the device batteries and even the TV itself. You can typically get your Vizio remote working again with a bit of troubleshooting.

If your Vizio remote is not working, then you should first check the batteries in the remote. Remotes are generally low power drain devices, but your Vizio remote may burn through batteries at a quicker pace if you are using the remote a lot. You may be able to get additional use out of the existing batteries by taking them out and then putting them back in. If the remote still does not work then the batteries are most likely totally drained. Replace with a fresh set of compatible batteries and check to see if the remote works.

Your Vizio smart TV remote may not be working if the IR sensor on the TV is blocked. The IR sensor is typically found on either the bottom right or bottom left of the TV. Move anything that is in front of the right or left side of your TV and then try pointing the remote at each side and pressing the "Power" button. Make sure that you are no more than 10 feet away from the TV as IR signals only work over a limited distance. If the TV powers on or off then you can conclude that something was blocking your sensor and keeping the remote from working.

It is possible that your Vizio remote may not be working because the TV itself is not functioning correctly. A Vizio TV may become unresponsive to all actions including changing the channel with the remote. You can reset your Vizio TV by unplugging the power cable from the back of the TV and from the outlet. Leave it unplugged for a minute and then plug it back in. Press the "Power" button on the remote to turn the TV back on and then attempt to change channels with the remote. If the remote still does not work then try to turn the channel with the buttons on the Vizio TV. If the channel will not change then your TV may be the problem. Contact Vizio to see if the TV needs to be repaired.

There are other potential causes for why your Vizio remote is not working. Your remote may require a power cycle to reset it. You can perform a power cycle by removing the batteries from the remote, pressing every button on the remote once to drain all power from the remote, and then replacing the batteries. Try to use the remote again to see if it works. Your Vizio remote may have internal or external damage that is causing it to not function correctly. In this case you will need to replace the remote with either another Vizio remote or a universal remote.