Lost Control? Troubleshooting a Non-Responsive LG TV Remote

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The remote of your TV is one of the most used gadgets, so it’s common for it to break or not work at times. If your LG TV remote isn’t working, it may need new batteries, so before you throw out your remote, I suggest you change its batteries.

After changing the batteries, if the remote still isn’t working then it’s time to try something different. Most of the time, remotes can become unresponsive, because of a few reasons which also include interference between the TV and the remote.

LG’s remote uses Hillcrest Labs’ Free space technology to allow users to change channels using
gestures and Dragon Naturally Speaking technology for voice recognition.

So make sure that the IR sensor on your TV has a clear line of sight and that there isn’t anything blocking it.

Furthermore, it’s not always the remote that isn’t working, it could be the TV having a malfunction because of a number of reasons which will be discussed below, so keep on reading.

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How Do You Reset A LG TV Remote?

Remotes are common for not working at times, however, that doesn’t mean that you need to get a new one, it only means that it’s time to change the batteries.

Nevertheless, the process isn’t completed there, after replacing the old batteries with new ones, you should reset your LG TV remote.

To reset your LG TV remote, all you have to do is Press the digits 2 and 8 at the same time for 6 seconds, this should make the LED light blink twice on your remote. Then enter the code (981) and see if the LED light blinks 4 times, if it does then your remote is now back to its factory defaults.

Before you reset your remote, I suggest you try all the fixes because if your remote can get fixed with a simple fix, there’s no need to reset it.

Why Is My TV Not Responding To My Remote?

As I said, TV remotes are the most used gadgets so it’s possible for them to get damaged, however before you tear apart your remote, you should try pressing all the buttons firmly because sometimes the buttons get stuck and give the impression that it’s not working.

Here’s what I need you to do, press every button on your remote and make sure that they dislodge, you should press as many times as it’s required to clean the buttons from any debris or dust.

When you’re done with that, try using it and if it still isn’t working, it’s time for you to open the remote and check the hardware for any damage.

You should be careful when opening the remote, it’s possible that you might see some residue because your remote goes through more than you know.

After you open the remote, you should check if there’s anything broken or damaged, it’s not rocket science, so you should be able to detect any damage.

Check out this video to see some more fixes before you order a new remote:

You can fix your TV remote with simple fixes like replacing old batteries with new ones

How To Check The IR Sensor on My TV Remote Work Or Not?

When the IR sensor is broken or damaged, your remote becomes useless, because then there’s won’t be any IR signals for your TV to respond.

Here’s not you can check if the IR sensor on your remote is working or not, take out your smartphone and place it in front of you in a way that the screen faces you.

Open the camera on your phone and stand in front of it, press and hold any button on your TV remote, if you see the light in the camera then there’s nothing wrong with the IR sensor of your remote.

Now that you’ve made sure that the IR sensor on your TV remote is working, however, your TV still isn’t responding, then there may an interference between your TV and the remote.

Check to see that there isn’t any furniture or any other object blocking the signals.

Now that you have tried every fix but your TV still isn’t responding, then it’s time to either check the TV for any malfunctions or change the remote.

However, if the IR sensor is working then there’s nothing wrong with your remote, so I suggest you check your TV for any issues.

Should I Power-Cycle My LG TV?

A flat screen with one speaker each side — Power cycles usually troubleshoot minor issues so if your TV isn’t responding to the remote, I suggest your try a power-cycle

When your TV isn’t responding to the remote, but the IR sensor on your remote is working, then there’s something wrong with the TV and not the remote.

If you have tried every fix associated with the remote, you need to now try a few fixes for your TV, for instance, Power-Cycle.

To Power-Cycle your TV, you need to unplug the cord from the outlet, wait 1 minute, and plug it back in.

Power Cycles generally troubleshoot minor issues like slow performance, however, they may also fix the issue you are facing with the IR signals.

If the issue isn’t fixed with a power cycle, you should consider a soft reset as it’s found helpful in such cases.

Should I Soft Reset My LG TV?

Soft Resets are done to troubleshoot minor issues, it only closes all the applications, and cleans the Random Access Memory (RAM). In addition, while unsaved data will be deleted, stored data will not be affected.

If you’re having an issue with IR signals, and there’s nothing wrong with your remote’s IR sensor, your TV may be having an issue that can be hopefully fixed with a soft reset.

If soft resetting didn’t work, now there’s only one thing to do which is to perform a factory reset, so keep on reading to learn how you can factory reset your LG TV.

How Can You Factory Reset LG TV Without Using Any Remote?

Black TV remote in front of flat screen — Factory reset will fix all the issues, however, it will also erase all data

Factory resets are done when an issue isn’t getting fixed even after trying all the fixes. If none of the fixes work and your TV still isn’t responding to the remote, a factory reset is being called for.

Mind you, a factory reset will erase all the data, so if you don’t want to lose all the data, you should first enable cloud backup on your LG TV before factory reset.

Here’s how you enable the cloud backup on your LG TV:

Go to Settings.
Then select General.
Scroll until you see Backup.
Turn on the Cloud Backup if it’s off.

Now that the cloud backup is enabled, let’s start the process of factory reset without the remote:

Press and hold the Power button, which will be on the side or the bottom of your TV.
Now use the joystick-like panel controls to open Menu and go to Settings.
There, you’ll find General, click on it.
Scroll until you see Reset Option.
Select Factory Reset and your TV should start the process of resetting.

After the process of Factory Reset is done, your TV will revert back to factory defaults.

Order New TV Remote

A person wearing white socks has his/her feet on white table with TV in front — Your TV also has a specific lifespan, so if your TV has lots of issues, you need to order a new one

If you have tried every fix and your TV still isn’t responding to the remote, it’s time to order a new remote.

You can try finding a new remote from the stores listed below:

Here’s the list of standard remotes for LG TV models, check the model of your TV and order the remote that is compatible with it:

Standard Remote	Type	Year	LG TV Models
AGF78663101	Full Function Standard TV	2017	OLED65W7
AGF76631064	Full Function Standard TV	2017	LJ550B, LJ550M, LJ5500, UJ6300, UJ6500, UJ6300A, UJ6540, UJ6050, UJ6470 UJ657A
AKB75095307	Full Function Standard TV	2017	LJ550B, LJ550M, LJ5500, UJ6300, UJ6500, UJ6300A, UJ6540, UJ6050, UJ6470 UJ657A
AGF78700101	Full Function Standard TV	2017	4K: UJ7700, SJ8000, SJ8500, SJ850A, SJ9500, SJ8570, SJ857A OLED:B7, C7
AKB75056102	Full Function Standard TV	2017	OLED65W7 OLED77W7
AKB75056302	Full Function Standard TV	2017	OLED77G7
AKB75056402	Full Function Standard TV	2017	OLED77G7 OLED65G7
AKB75455602	Full Function Standard TV Remote Control Replacement For AN-MR500, AN-MR600, AN-MR650	2014-2016	All models 2014-2016

List of Standard remotes that are compatible with LG TV models

Conclusion

LG TV remote doesn’t work for a few reasons, it might be because of the interferences between the TV and the IR sensor of the remote.
You should also consider pressing all the buttons on your remote, as a few stuck buttons can give the impression that your remote isn’t working.
In addition, if the IR sensor isn’t damaged or broken on your remote, there may be something wrong with the TV, which is why you should try power-cycle.
If the power cycle doesn’t work, you can also try a soft reset as it troubleshoots minor issues like this one.
After all, this, if your TV still isn’t responding to your remote, I suggest you consider a factory reset, it’ll erase all the data and revert back your TV to factory defaults.