What to Do If Fire Stick Won’t Load Home Screen? [6 Solutions]

Upgrading a traditional television to a smart one can be achieved in different workarounds, and plugging a Firestick into the TV’s HDMI port could be the most popular workaround. Firestick covers a wide range of streaming services, including Netflix, YouTube TV, and more. However, the Amazon Fire Stick home screen not loading issue has been a headache for many Amazon users. Therefore, this post is compiled to help you fix “Fire Stick won’t load home screen” with several useful solutions.

Fire Stick Won’t Load Home Screen

Firestcik boots up successfully, but it refuses to display home screen. This often happens with an error message: “Home is currently not unavailable”.

What two Amazon Firestick users experienced is displayed below:

Home screen is currently unavailable: From last 2 years I am using fireTV stick, now from last 2 weeks fireTV stick is not working, and support from Amazon is very bad. The fire stick showing the message as “How screen is currently unavailable”. (from Amazon Forum)

My Fire TV Stick will not load the Home Screen. It says my Router is not connected to the internet but it is because all other devices in my house with internet connections are working. (from Amazon Forum)

Reasons for Amazon Fire Stick Home Screen Not Loading

Before you dive into the troubleshooting steps, spend one or more minutes exploring the potential causes of the issue with me.

As the Amazon user reported, “Firestick not loading home screen” may be blamed for the internet connectivity issue. Besides, inadequate power source, HDMI port issues, pending software update, build-up cache files, limited internal space, outdated software, and more shouldn’t be neglected when your Firestick home screen refuses to load.

• Internet connectivity: Firestick is a powerful streaming device only when it is connected to a wired or wireless network. Without a network connection, there will be a series of issues with Firestick, including the one we discussed here.
• Inadequate power source: Only when your Firestick receives enough electricity, the streaming device is able to start working smoothly. Otherwise, many Firestick issues emerge, and Firestick black screen is the typical one.
• HDMI port issues: Firestick is designed to be plugged into an HDMI port of a TV. Therefore, a corrupted HDMI port may impede your Firestick from loading the home screen. Wait a while. There is another HDMI-related reason: the connection between your Firestick and TV becomes loose.
• Pending software update: Firestick won’t show its home screen while the device is downloading or installing a software update. The process might take up to 5-15 minutes, depending on the speed of your internet connection.
• Build-up cache files: Cache files include corrupted system files that trigger the issue home screen not loading on Firestick.
• Low internal space: Firestick comes with 8GB of internal storage space, which can easily be eaten up by a certain number of apps. If there is less than 500MB of storage space, the Firestick will run slowly and you will be greeted with the error message “Home is currently unavailable”.
• Outdated software: As we know, outdated software may contain potential bugs that trigger a variety of issues, and one of them is home screen not loading on Firestick. There, updating your Firestick regularly is important.

6 Solutions to Firestick Home Screen Not Loading

Now try bringing your Fire Stick home screen back to life with me. The following displays 6 solutions with step-by-step guides.

Fix 1. Check the Internet Connection

According to Amazon’s prompt, you can first check the internet connection by choosing the Go To Network Settings button on the TV screen. If your Firestick disconnects from the network, try setting up a network connection again. Then, press the Home button on your Firestick remote and see if this yields a response.

Fix 2. Wait for the Update Completion

A software update may be ongoing if the home screen doesn’t load while your streaming device is booting. In this case, what you can only do is wait patiently. It may take dozens of minutes or longer to complete the software update.

Fix 3. Restart the Router and Firestick

At the beginning, restart your router to remove potential network connectivity issues.

1. Unplug the router from the power outlet and remove the network cables.
2. Wait a few minutes for the router’s memory to refresh. During this time, your Firestick will realize that the router is offline.
3. Plug your router back in and press the power button.
4. Wait a few minutes for the router to boot up.

Next, restart your Firestick. To do so, press the Play/Pause button and the OK button on your Firestick remote at the same time and hold them for several seconds. Once you release them, your Firestick should restart. During the process, the build-up cache and temporary glitches will be removed and more storage space will be available.

Fix 4. Check the HDMI Connection

First, ensure that your Firestick is tightly inserted into the HDMI port of your TV. If the connection is not loose, switch to another HDMI port. This is to see if the previous HDMI port is corrupted.

Fix 5. Check the Power Supply

Generally, we choose to power Firestick by plugging its power cord into the USB port of the TV. This is quite convenient but may cause power supply to be insufficient. So, it is suggested that you power the streaming device by plugging it directly into a power outlet on your wall.

If your Firestick still boots up without home screen, use a different power cord (the official one is optimal) and check if the streaming device functions properly.

Fix 6. Factory Reset the Firestick

The final option to solve Amazon Fire Stick home screen not loading is by factory resetting your Firestick. There are many ways to factory reset a Firestick, but in this case, the only feasible way is as follows.

Step 1. Press the Back and Right Navigation buttons on your Firestick remote and hold them for about 10 seconds.

Step 2. Choose the Reset option when your Firestick displays a confirmation message.

How to Fix Home Screen Missing on Firestick Without a Remote?

As you see, several steps need to be completed by a Firestick remote. If your Firestick remote doesn’t work, you can use the Fire TV Remote app from BoostVision as a replacement.

Step 1. Connect your phone to the network your Firestick uses.

Step 2. Launch the app on your phone and tap the icon in the up-right corner of your phone screen.

Step 3. Choose your Firestick from the list and tap the Connect button. You can also switch on Auto Connect.

Step 4. Input the PIN showing on your TV and wait for the connection to be established.

Step 5. Perform the troubleshooting steps with the third-party remote app.

Conclusion

The Firestick home screen not loading is a tricky issue, but you can try fixing it through the above shared six solutions. If none of them works, please get in touch with Amazon support. Hope you have a smooth streaming experience with your Firestick.

Fire Stick Won’t Load Home Screen FAQ

Q: How do you reset an unresponsive Firestick?

1. Press the Back and Right Navigation buttons on your Firestick remote and hold them for about 10 seconds.
2. Choose the Reset option when your Firestick displays a confirmation message.

Q: Why is my Amazon Firestick home screen not loading?

The issue may be blamed for the internet connectivity issue. Besides, inadequate power source, HDMI port issues, pending software update, build-up cache files, limited internal space, outdated software, and more shouldn’t be neglected when your Firestick home screen refuses to load.