home Fix label Video label_important Televisions category Samsung

Why has my remote for my Samsung tv stopped working?

The remote for my Samusng tv has stopped working. I've changed the batteries, even tried using a universal remote - nothing. I presume it's the tv, what can I do?

Rob Mammen, February 2008

home Fix label Video label_important Televisions category Samsungdone

Thanks to Chris B yours was the only method that worked for me. Wish I could buy you a pint

Alan, September 2017

taking out the batteries from the remote and unplugging the TV worked!!

paula, April 2017

Thanks Pam M. Your fix worked a treat....saved me hours of frustration.

Michael B, March 2017

WOW!!! My remote has a pointer that went crazy and was uncontrollable. After contacting Samsung support, reading and trying everything I could find online, and completely disassembling and reassembling my remote, the "7-step" method I found here actually worked!!! Hooray!!! (A new remote costs $70-$90!!!).

Mike, February 2017

My remote died, no response of infrared on camera, tried many of the suggestions here and finally ...holding down the power button while changing the batteries worked. Thanks to all.

Pam W, February 2017

I had this prob with samsung js9000 smart remote. It just needed re-pairing to tv by pressing the buttons labelled RETURN/EXIT and EXTRA on the remote together for 3 seconds!

Chris.B., October 2016

Thank you! Love being able to get answers quickly. Wish we understood WHY the dang thing freezes in the first place!

EE, September 2016

thanks Max worked a treat!!

My TV warranty just ran out on my Samsung yesterday! Only my power button on the remote was working so I held down the power button then pressed 0 twice, tried it 2 times and it worked! genius!

Andy, August 2016

Thankful that I found this site. Holding power button while entering 00 worked great. Strange thing is that using my camera to test infared remote light did not work on any of my working remotes.

Matt Shanahan, June 2016

I am adding to Lee's answer (March 2016) which worked for me. After testing the remote worked (pressing button while holding remote in front of cell phone camera and looking at cell phone's LCD)

1.Have TV set up on PC (or hdmi) with the source on and then unplugging the source so TV is still on but goes to standby after a few seconds.
2. Turn off TV
3. Unplug TV
4. Put in headphones to headphone jack for a few seconds then remove. Which should reset the IR receiver
5. Plug tv back in and turn on.

This made remote/receiving work!
For Samsung SyncMaster 2333HD
Thanks Lee

Bruce, June 2016

Silly as it sounds, Ryan's solution worked for me. Thanks Ryan...

ferjen, April 2016

We tried ALL of the suggestions with no results AND THEN discovered that the DVD player had been bumped and was partially blocking the tv 'eye' for the remote ~ bumped it back to where it belonged and SUCCESS!! We felt pretty silly but perhaps we aren't alone and this 'solution' may help others resolve this remote issue without having to try all of the others first.

Solved so simply ~ eventually!, March 2016

Resetting the TV infra red worked for me. turn off TV to standby, then unplug TV, then insert headphones (resets the infrared reader), remove headset, turn on TV and it works. My remote pointer before this fix was working but the pointer was drifting to the right. For now I'm back to normal. Great tip from someone on here.

Lee, March 2016

Thank you Ryan's answer worked perfectly!

Ann K, February 2016

Hold power button and press 00... Boom
But first to know if it's the TV problem, turn on your phone camera, face it to the remote IR sensor, and keep pressing any button you'll see the IR light blinking which you can't see with a naked eye. If this happens your remote control is fine and you can proceed with the above step.

Max, February 2016

Been struggling for a week, opened the whole damn tv, cleaned the sensor, looked at the remote sensor through my camera phone to see the IR light, untill this magic I read here "POWER BUTTON AND 00" thank you guys!

Max, February 2016

I power cycled my tv (J6300, 40 inch, 2015 model), and this is what fixed the problem for me. I changed the batteries, and that didnt work for me.

SIKS, December 2015

work for me too

j garcia, December 2015

Did what Don mentioned and it worked!

[The remote for my 1-year-old Samsung Smart TV would only turn the TV on and off. Using a combination of suggestions on this site, I changed the batteries after leaving battery compartment empty for 20 seconds in a room where the TV was not located. I returned to room where TV was on. While holding the power button down on the remote, I disconnected TV by pulling the power cord out of the hole in the back of the TV and returned it after 10 seconds. Voila! The remote is working again! This is my one of my most satisfying uses of the Internet yet. Thank you, howtomendit.com!]

Matt, October 2015

Nothing worked try all

Yexi, October 2015

The remote for my 1-year-old Samsung Smart TV would only turn the TV on and off. Using a combination of suggestions on this site, I changed the batteries after leaving battery compartment empty for 20 seconds in a room where the TV was not located. I returned to room where TV was on. While holding the power button down on the remote, I disconnected TV by pulling the power cord out of the hole in the back of the TV and returned it after 10 seconds. Voila! The remote is working again! This is my one of my most satisfying uses of the Internet yet. Thank you, howtomendit.com!

Determined Don in VA, October 2015

I followed Paul's instruction but did not work for me..
THANKS TO FI for the codes she provided..
JUST HOLD THE POWER BUTTON WHILE PRESSING ANY OF THESE CODES FOR SAMSUNG: 00, 15, 16, 17, 40. Once ur tv turned off then u got the correct code. Dont worry anymore as ur tv will open coz the remote control is now working.

REBEL09, October 2015

Ryan's answer worked a treat! Thank you 😀

Dhru, September 2015

Phenomenol. Paul's tip worked for me too !
Many thanks Paul and howtomendit.

Krishna, September 2015

This worked for me - thanks!!

MagpieDom, September 2015

- this worked ! thanks

After many try's this is what worked.
1.(Leave room TV is in or point remote away from TV)
2.(Hold power button on remote *never release*)
3.(Remove batteries)
4.(Wait 10 sec.)
5.(Replace batteries)
6.(Remove finger from power button)
7.(FIXED *May need to pair again*)

No need to un-power TV

Ryan Vorsham
August 2015

Cindy loo hoo, September 2015

I have a (4K SUHD JS7000 Series Smart TV - 60" Class)
My smart remote worked fine except the pointer could not be controlled, it just "shook" uncontrollably.

I couldn't move the pointer in a controlled manner and I couldn't select anything, also the pointer would stay visible in center of tv permanently.

After many try's this is what worked.
1.(Leave room TV is in or point remote away from TV)
2.(Hold power button on remote *never release*)
3.(Remove batteries)
4.(Wait 10 sec.)
5.(Replace batteries)
6.(Remove finger from power button)
7.(FIXED *May need to pair again*)

No need to un-power TV

Ryan Vorsham, August 2015

none of these work for me at all its fault is intermittent .... :( :( :( :(

Maya, August 2015

Paul's advice works 😃 thanks Paul saved me weeks of frustration !

Linda, June 2015

I took the batteries out of the remote for five seconds and it fixed it. Good thing too coz the TV was stuck on the news Chanel.

Andrew, May 2015

Tried all the tips here and nothing works for me. Guess I will be calling Samsung.

Jase, May 2015

I had similar problems and simply held the power button for about 10 seconds and the light on the TV flickered. When I let up the light went off. I pressed the power again and the TV came on and the remote worked properly

Kevin, April 2015

[Samsung Smart] Mine has a ''Pairing'' button at the back which can be accessed by taking off the battery cover. Press this for about 10 seconds and you will see it pairing with the tv on the screen.
Hope this helps!

Zwe, March 2015

My red button on my tv is flashing constantly and my remote won't work...HELP!!!!!!!

Donna, February 2015

Everything on my tv remote works except my menu button when pressed . I need to retune my tv because have lost a few channels. Please help me

Lawson, January 2015

this worked for me! turn off power at socket insert headphones into socket on tv turn on tv remove headphones and thats it. apparently it resets the infra red receiver!

gerry, January 2015

I have the same problem with a Sony tv. Will it work on a Sony tv or just Samsung

Linda cannon, January 2015

Well. I tried this power button, did not work for me. I called Samsung, they told me take the batteries out, hold the power button for 25 sec with the batteries out, releas the power button and put batteris on. It did not work for me. Then

2nd option is to check the remote control. On your camera phone, so turn the camera on, direct ur remote and press any button but NOT the power button, if you dont see anyting, like a light or anything going out ur remote, then the remote is broken.

They got my address, they are going to ship a new remote for me, free of charge, in about 5 business days.

Ardian, December 2014

Indeed the simultaneous depression of the power button on the remote unit for 10 seconds while switching main power back on at wall has restored my former lifeless and unresponsive remote....
I can't thank this thread and its responders enough
Keep up the good work!

Dunga, December 2014

I found you don't need to press a button just simply change batteries, the issue is my remote is using batteries at a rate of 1 set every 4-5 days! There is a design floor with this remote control....

Mark, November 2014

My problem started with the remote battery low warning on the tv. Changed the batteries and the remote started to work intermittently, even after pairing it with the tv. After a few weeks of this nonsensical behavior, and me giving it a few spanking, I gave up and left it for dead. I just tried the suggested fix and the remote came to life again!
I will monitor its performance and report back here ONLY if the remote fails again.
Hope this helps, and I hope not to return here. :-)

Garfield M, September 2014

Holding down the power button after changing the battery worked for me. I held it down for about 20 seconds and the remote then synced with the television

Ritesh Kachhwaha, September 2014

Thanks everyone. We havent used the remote for months and holding the power button on worked. I was researching cost of a new one.

Clare, August 2014

I do not know but nothing works for me.

The set is only 5 months old.. 60inch Model..Nuisance..Some days it works others it does not..

Peter, August 2014

Thank you. Holding power button worked

Liz a, August 2014

Holding the power button down while changing the batteries worked for me. Many thanks.

Brenda, July 2014

It does not works for my Samsung smart tv UA40ES6220 :(

Awan, July 2014

Didnt work for me

andong, June 2014

Holding the power button down while putting the battery's in worked perfect!
Thanks

Mike, June 2014

It did not work for me remote still not responding.

Lori, May 2014

Amazing! It worked for me too. I thought I was going to have to replace the infra red receiver in my TV. Thanks for all those who discovered and shared this info.

Don Wiggins, April 2014

I tried the same thing - new batteries, held down power while putting them in and it worked. I also tried it with the old batteries "rocket" made in Thailand. That didn't work. So I'm left with the question: were the batteries just no good? We've only had the TV for four months. Again, thanks a lot!

Martin Wilson, April 2014

i did not know.. but your idea was great i just hold my power button down facing the wall, then i just changed the batteries and puff.. Magic!!
Thanks!!!

Daniel Zheng, March 2014

The solution provided by Jyothi work wonder. My remote control now works perfectly as before. Thanks.

GbengA Nigeria, February 2014

+1 for thanks to Paul Hayward - my Samsung Smart TV had stopped responding to the remote even with the new batteries. Tried his trick of holding the power button down on the remote while changing the batteries, now it's good as new! Thanks Paul.

Guy in Cambridge, February 2014

the infra red not responding to any remote what his the problem

gary, January 2014

I am very much thankful to the answers given here. I hit the remote unknowingly to the tea table and it stopped working. My husband was angry at me for this and told me to repair it. I was much disappointed of doing this. I searched google and i found this page. Its amazing that my remote is working now. I pressed the power button and removed the battering, after holding it for 20secs then I inserted the batteries still holding the power button. And atlast its working good. My tv is Samsung smart. Thank you once again and I hope my experience will surely help someone.

Jyothi, November 2013

I had this problem ,the remote didn't work and neither did the side buttons on the tv . I read lots of reviews and decided to take the back off the tv , which is very easy , just a few screws . The remote sensor and the side buttons are connected , I disconnected the side button lead , it just clipped off , then I tried the remote again and hey presto , worked perfectly . I just use the tv without the use of the side buttons which I never used anyway . Works perfectly !

C15dvd, November 2013

Thanks for the advice about holding the power button in whilst removing and replacing the batteries. Worked like a charm.
A tip - make sure that the TV is off when doing this and also TURN IT OFF AT THE WALL. Then, whilst keeping the power button held in, turn the wall socket back on.
TV came on straight away - problem solved.

Don Pringle, November 2013

Thanks helped me a lot

kee, September 2013

I tried holding the red power button down while changing the remote and it didn't work. I also tried the codes and that didn't work either.

I have tried putting it in the refrigerator for an hour and after I take it out, it'll work for 5 minutes and then it won't work again. And I did use new batteries too.

Does this mean my remote is broken?

Alina, July 2013

Pressing Code after holding Power button works for ME..

Thanks for your help..

Ritesh Aggarwal, June 2013

You Da Man Paul !!!! Worked like a charm on the first try!!!! Thanks Bro!

Pete, May 2013

Scroll down to the advice given by Paul. I have a Samsung plasma TV, and suddenly I could not control the volume or mute buttons on my Verizon TV remote control device. Then I discovered that even the Samsung remote control didn't work. The buttons on the TV didn't work either! Every time I pushed a button (remote or TV), a blue "LOCKED" display showed up on the TV. After removing the batteries to the Samsung remote and replacing them while holding down the red power button, the TV went off. When I turned it back on, lo and behold, both remotes worked again! Breathed a big sigh of relief that I did not have to schlep my TV in for a repair. This was a Sunday afternoon and I had not yet tried calling Samsung for advice, so maybe they know this, but a search brought me here first and I'm glad to have found it. Hope it works for you as well.

Jim in Virginia Beach, March 2013

I have the same problem as Charly. The problem manifests after the TV has been on for 30mins. Even a universal remote doesn't work at this stage. Using the remote within a few inches of the sensor works. The TV needs to be switched off for about 30mins and then back on before it all starts working at distance again. And yes, I have changed the batteries.
Seems Samsung's remote control circuitry is not the best...

Pat, July 2012

I've got the same problem with my remote and tv :(, I've had the tv for over a year now and suddenly the remote stopped working, I've tried it on other tvs and it works. I've also tried the idea that worked for everyone but unfortunately it hasn't worked with mine, the tv still doesn't recognise the remote. Any other suggestions would be great? thank you

Charly, April 2012

another thanks, it worked perfectly!!

Peter, April 2012

Thank you Paul! Worked perfectly!

Kim, January 2012

That didnt quite work for me... but after checking out remotes.com(great diagrams)
Hold POWER button whilst pressing for Samsung TV codes: (either one which ever works) 00,15,16,17,40.
If the tv turns off we u have success =)

Fi, November 2011

I followed Paul Hayward's directions to remove and reload the new batteries with the TV on, while holding down the red POWER button. Worked like a charm. Thanks Paul.

Eddie Shortsleeves, October 2011

Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!!! Awesome tip, finally have the remote back after months not working:)

KarlieF, June 2011

Another thanks from me for the original answer - remote stopped working today for no reason. Fixed now!

Iain, December 2010

Thanks for the great tip Paul! Worked for me.

Ben, November 2010

Worked perfect! This is the Web working at it's best! Thanks

Steve, November 2010

Worked for me too!!! Thank you

frustrated tv user, August 2010

This worked for me too!...top tip!

G-Funk, August 2010

Wow worked for me too. Thanks a lot. Neither the remote that came with the TV or my DirecTV remote worked all of a sudden. The green light on the TV would blink like it was getting a signal but no response. Resetting remote with the TV off worked on my samsung. again thanks.

Nick, May 2010

Top tip thanks, worked for me! Suddenly after 5 years the remote stopped, only volume was responding. This fix has returned it to normal!

Stu, April 2010

I just did that and it worked - brilliant - many many thanks

Len, February 2010

absolutely brilliant. i noticed the same thing on my tv, but even the buttons on the tv itself also stopped working. did as you suggested and it all works again. that's saved me returning it.

bill oddie, May 2009

Something that has worked for me is to with the TV on take the batteries out and put them back in with the red POWER button held down.

It should turn your TV off if it does not try it with the TV off it works for me. It sems as though the TV forgets the remote is is associated with and needs a gentle reminder sometimes.

Hope thi helps

Paul Hayward, May 2008

link Click here to see other fixes for Samsung.