Locked Out: How to Deal with a Vizio TV Ignoring Commands

It’s frustrating that your Vizio TV not responding to remote or buttons, and the source of the issues could either lie within your TV or the remote control itself. But don’t worry, today’s post will lead you to address the common TV problems step-by-step.

Fix 1. Remove Obstructions Blocking Your TV’s IR Sensor

Let’s start with simple solutions. Your remote won’t control your Vizio TV if the signal pathway between them is blocked. Hence, you are supposed to clean the obstructions and gently wipe the sensors with cotton swabs dipped in alcohol. Then check whether your Vizio TV not responding to remote problem is solved.

Fix 2. Replace Your Remote’s Batteries

Electronic devices need stable power support, so it’s critical to change fresh batteries to your remote. By the way, changing your remote batteries regularly is a good habit to foster.

You can procure new batteries for your Vizio remote referring to the user manual, although most Vizio remotes accommodate two AA or AAA battery types.

Fix 3. Power Cycle Your Remote

Additionally, you can try to restart your Vizio remote, which may restore some glitches including unresponsive control issues.

To do this, take out the batteries from the remote and press the power button for about 15 to 30 seconds. Then put the batteries back and check if your TV and remote connection work.

Fix 4. Power Cycle Your TV

If Vizio TV not responding to any remote problem persists, try to restart your televsion please. Just turn off your Vizio TV and unplug its power cable from the port, press the Power button on your TV for a few seconds and plug your TV back after a few minutes. During this restart process, you can also ensure the cable connections are secure.

Fix 5. Reset Your Remote

If all the above fixes can’t fix the Vizio TV not responding to remote or buttons problem, you may consider resetting your Vizio TV remote. This operation will clear your remote cache memory and restore it to the original settings. Here’s the resetting process:

Step 1. Press both the Power button and any other button on the remote for about 5 seconds until you see a light flash on the remote.

Step 2. Release both buttons and wait for a few seconds until you see another light blink on the remote. This change indicates that your Vizio TV has been reset successfully.

Step 3. Then control your Vizo TV via the remote to observe its response.

If this solution doesn’t help, proceed to the next solution.

Fix 6. Adopt a Universal Remote App Instead

Suppose the problem comes from your remote and all things you tried can’t work for you, it’s time to install this universal TV remote application from BoostVision then. This virtual remote supports most models of Vizio smart TV and you can handle it to control your Vizio TV after a simple pairing process. With this smart remote on your mobile device, you don’t need to worry about its battery and old version issues.

Step 1. Ensure your mobile device and Vizio TV are under the same Wi-Fi network. Download the app from Google Play on your mobile device and allow its permissions.

Step 2. Open the app and tap the Connect TV button to choose your Vizio device to connect to.

Step 3. When pairing successfully, you can see your device name on the virtual remote and you can tap the on-screen buttons to control your television.

Bottom Line

It’s worth noting that the above steps are general troubleshooting suggestions, and the specific troubleshooting process may vary depending on the model of your Vizio TV and Vizio remote. Plus, you can contact Vizio’s official website for further assistance if you are still within the warranty period.

Moreover, it is always recommended to use a remote control app as a backup. If you have never used any remote control apps, it’s time to download one and have a try now.

Vizio TV Not Responding to Remote or Buttons FAQ

Q: Why is my Vizio smart TV not responding to the remote?

There are various potential causes behind, including low batteries, signal obstructions, electronic interference, and even the faulty settings and hardware problems.

Q: Is there a hard reset button on Vizio TV?

Hold down the Volume Down and Input buttons on your Vizio TV with its on. When you get a message popping up on screen telling you how to reset your TV, you can release the two buttons. Then you need to press the Input button for a further 10 seconds for a factory reset.

Or you can use the remote to go to the Menu > System or Admin & Privacy or Clear Memory and click Reset TV to Factory Defaults/FACTORY DEFAULTS.