TCL Roku TV Not Responding To Remote – Try These Solutions

Wondering why your TCL Roku TV not responding to remote? Let’s find out together!

While Roku TCL TV is very affordable and has many great features, the frustrating situation for homeowners comes when their TV stops responding to the remote.

If your Roku TCL TV is unresponsive, check for obstructions blocking the IR receiver on the TV or the IR transmitter. Ensure the batteries are not low, and troubleshoot software-related issues with the TV.

Without further ado, let’s troubleshoot your TV remote!

How to Fix When TCL Roku TV Not Responding to Remote?

Tip: Follow the solutions below in consecutive order!

1. Verify the Infrared Line of Sight

If your Roku TCL TV is not responding to the remote, first ensure that you are not using the remote from a great distance and nothing is blocking the sensors.

On the TCL TV, there is an IR receiver and on the remote, there is an IR transmitter that must have a clear line of sight.

• First, clean both “IR bulbs” and test the remote from as close as possible!

In case there is absolutely no indication that the remote is functional, press the buttons with a bit more force and make sure to press them all the way down.

In case nothing helps, keep reading!

Tip: It’s also important to check and verify that there are no physical obstructions in-between the TV’s IR receiver and the Roku remote’s IR transmitter.

2. Hard-Reset TCL TV & Remote!

Sometimes temporary electrical or system problems with the device cause the TV to stop responding to the remote and even to other paired devices.

The only thing that will help you in this situation is to restart your Roku TCL TV and remote by using the “hard-reset” method.

How to Hard-Reset Roku TCL TV?

1. First, press the “Home” button on the TV remote.
2. Scroll down from the menu and choose “Settings”.
3. Using the remote’s right arrow, go to “System”.
4. Select “Power”, then the “System Restart” option.
5. Wait until your TV is restarted and turn the TV off.
6. Unplug the TV from the power outlet for 60 seconds.

How to Hard-Reset TCL TV Remote?

1. Open the TCL TV remote battery compartment.
2. Gently eject the batteries out of your TCL remote.
3. Hold down the “1” button for about 60 seconds.
4. Re-embed the batteries back into the TV remote.

When both your Roku TCL TV and remote are ready to use, place the remote in front of your TV and press any buttons to test.

In case this method didn’t help either, continue with the next step!

3. Reinstall, Test & Verify Batteries!

As your TCL Roku TV not responding to the remote, it could be due to dead or weak batteries so it’s necessary to exclude this possibility as soon as possible.

Follow the steps below as listed:

#1 Reinstall the Batteries in the Remote

1. Open the TV remote battery compartment. 
2. Take out the batteries from the TV remote. 
3. After 2 minutes, reinsert the batteries back.

#2 Test the Batteries in a Different Device

1. Remove the batteries from your TV remote. 
2. Install those batteries in a different device. 
3. Check the results:

✅ If the batteries are functional in a different device, batteries have no issue. 

✅ If the batteries in a different device are not working, they are probably faulty. 

#3 Replace your TCL Remote Batteries

In case the batteries are not good, the TCL Roku remote uses 2 x AAA alkaline batteries so make sure to replace them with a fresh pair.

In case the Roku TCL TV is now working even with fresh batteries, then you’re probably facing a more-complex issue so continue reading further!

4. Perform an Infrared Emitter Test

The Roku TCL TV communicates with the remote using a beam of IR (infrared) signals!

If the receiver on your TV or remote is dirty or malfunctioning, the devices will be unable to respond and communicate with one another.

In this case, all you need to do is run a quick IR test to determine whether the remote or the IR receiver is defective. 

How to Perform an IR Emitter Test on TV Remote?

1. Move into a darker or less bright room.
2. Open the camera app on your mobile.
3. Point the remote towards the mobile camera.
4. Press the power button on your Roku remote.

The camera should show a purplish light when you press buttons, which is the IR signal light that the naked human eye can’t see.

Well, the camera can, and if you can see the purplish IR signals in the recorded footage, remote IR is working.

If not, then the remote is not working… 

5. Reset and Re-Pair Roku TV Remote!

Another excellent troubleshooting step is to reset your Roku TCL TV remote and then try pairing it with the TV again.

We have both methods described in the steps below so let’s now jump in!

Step #1 Reset the Roku TCL TV Remote

1. Disconnect the Roku TCL TV from the electrical outlet.
2. Open the Roku TCL TV remote battery compartment.
3. Take out the batteries from the TV remote control.
4. Wait for 5 seconds and plug the TV into the outlet.
5. When the logo shows, reinstall the remote batteries.

Step #2 Re-Pair the Roku TCL TV Remote

1. Open the remote battery compartment.
2. Find where the pairing button is located.
3. Long-press the pairing button for 5 seconds.
4. Wait for up to 30 seconds for the process.
5. A pairing dialog will appear on your TV screen.

When your Roku TCL TV successfully detects and pairs the remote, a pairing confirmation message will appear. When everything is in order and set up, test the TCL TV remote control.

Note: The reset on the remote control only unpairs the remote and doesn’t delete anything from the Roku app or Roku TCL TV.

6. Use the Roku Digital App Remote

Note: If you’re unable to connect your Roku TCL TV to the WiFi, skip this step!

If your Roku TCL TV is not responding to the physical remote, you can control it with the Roku mobile app.

The app provides users with a digital (WiFi) remote, which includes all buttons like on the physical Roku remote.

• The only requirement is for your Roku TCL TV to be connected to the WiFi.

Here’s how to use the Roku TCL TV Roku mobile app:

How to Enable Control From Roku App?

1. Press the Home button on the Roku remote.
2. Open the TV Settings and go to System.
3. Choose the Advanced system settings option.
4. Click on Control by mobile apps and choose Network Access.
5. Select the “Permissive” option to allow the apps to control your TV.

How to Pair the App with the Roku TV?

1. Open the Play Store or App Store and install the “Roku” app.
2. Connect your mobile to the same Wi-Fi as your Roku TCL TV.
3. Open the Roku app, sign in, and connect to the Roku TCL TV.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts to start using the digital remote.

Note: The Roku digital remote is dependent on the WiFi connection on both your mobile and the Roku TCL TV.

7. Factory Reset the Roku TCL TV

If you have tried everything else and your TCL TV still is not responding to the remote control, then the final step is to perform a factory reset.

This is a last resort method because the factory reset will erase all settings, data, and configuration on your TCL TV, restoring the TV to default. 

Here’s how to factory reset the Roku TCL TV in easy steps:

1. Press the Home button on your TCL TV remote control.
2. Head over to the Settings menu from the main screen.
3. Scroll down from the list and select the System option.
4. Click on Advanced System Settings > Factory reset.
5. Choose the option Factory Reset Everything to begin.

Note: You can also contact TCL Support or Roku Support for more guidance and help!

Quick Recap:

Whenever the TCL Roku TV not responding to remote, test from a very close proximity and replace the remote’s batteries. In case that doesn’t help, reset the remote and re-pair the unit to the Roku TCL TV before ultimately performing a factory restoration process!

Follow our blog for more Roku TCL TV troubleshooting guides!

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