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Your remote is the best and, in most cases, the only way to interact with your Samsung TV.
But when your TV remote doesn’t do what you need, it’s safe to assume that you won’t be thrilled.
Issues with Samsung remotes are common enough that I was able to find solutions to this online, including switching out the old remote for a universal remote.
But there were some surprises along the way, which were instrumental in helping me get my remote back to working order.
Here’s what I did to get this simple issue fixed and see how you can stop it from happening again.
If your Samsung TV remote isn’t working, unpair it from the TV and pair it back again. If that doesn’t work, restart the TV, and if that doesn’t do the trick, get your remote replaced.
Replace The Batteries
If you haven’t changed the batteries in your remote for a long time, it may be time to replace them.
I recommend a high-capacity battery to go longer without needing a battery replacement.
You can also use rechargeable batteries, but I recommend you rotate four batteries to have at least two readies to go at any time.
Ensure the batteries are inserted into the compartment correctly according to the compartment’s labels.
Check if you have the right-sized battery for your remote before you put them in.
Restart The TV
If changing the batteries didn’t work, then you can proceed to restart the TV.
This will cycle power to the TV and might reset the connection between the TV and remote and get the remote working again.
To restart or power cycle the TV:
- Power off the TV.
- Unplug the TV from the wall socket or surge protector.
- Wait at least 30 seconds before plugging the TV back in.
- Turn the TV on.
Use the remote as you would usually and see if it runs into any issues again.
You could restart a few more times if the first attempt didn’t seem to change anything.
Re-pair The Remote To The TV
If your remote needs to be paired to the TV to work, you can also try unpairing the remote and pairing it back again to the TV.
You can pair not all Samsung remotes, and only their Smart Remote and One Remote can do so.
The remote will automatically be unpaired during the pairing process, so you don’t need to unpair the remote before you pair it again.
To pair the remote to your TV:
- Point the remote at your TV.
- Press and hold the Return and the Play/Pause keys on the remote.
- Keep holding these keys until the TV says Pairing Completed.
Go back to using the remote like normal and see if you run into the issue again.
If it does, take the batteries out of the remote, put them back in after a few seconds, and go through the pairing process again.
Ensure the IR emitter Is Working
For remotes that have an IR emitter, the remote might not work if it isn’t transmitting your commands to the TV correctly.
This won’t be an issue on Smart Remotes since they don’t use an IR sensor to connect to the TV.
If you have a remote with an IR blaster, you need to see if the blaster is sending signals when pressing buttons on the remote.
You’ll need to use your phone for this, so take it out and launch the camera app.
Point the camera at the top of the remote where the IR blaster is found.
Now try pressing a few keys on the remote and check the camera feed on the phone screen while doing so.
You should be able to see a light on the screen, but not with your naked eye.
The remote works if you can see the light on your phone’s camera.
If you can’t see it, then the IR blaster might be malfunctioning.
In that case, there is no alternative but to replace the remote with a new one.
I recommend getting a replacement remote from Angrox since it is the best one-to-one copy of the Samsung IR remote you can get.
Update the TV OS
The remote might also not work if the TV’s software has issues, so the best way to fix that would be to update the TV’s OS to the newest version.
The remote needs the Bluetooth on the TV to work well, and if the drivers that make the Bluetooth feature work bugs out, your remote won’t work either.
Updating the TV fixes issues like this, so downloading and installing a new system update can work.
Go through the update process by following the steps below:
- Open Settings.
- Go to Support, then Software Update.
- Highlight and select Update Now if the TV finds an update to be installed.
- Let the update finish installing, and the TV should restart after it completes.
When the TV comes back on, use the remote to see if the update fixed the issue, and you can use the remote like usual again.
Reset The TV and The Remote
When nothing seems to work, you can look at the last resort of resetting your Samsung TV and the remote.
Resetting the TV will remove all the apps you’ve installed, and you will be logged out of all the apps that came installed with the TV.
After the reset, you’ll also have to set up the TV again and get all your apps installed.
To reset your Samsung TV:
- Open Settings.
- Go to Support and then Self-Diagnosis.
- Select Reset from this menu and enter the PIN. If you don’t have a PIN, use 0000 instead.
Resetting the remote is pretty easy.
Take the batteries out of the remote and wait for a minute or so.
Put the batteries back in to complete the reset.
After resetting the TV and the remote, use the remote again to see if it works well.
Get A Replacement Remote
If you ever run into an internal error in the remote, like when the IR blaster stops working, then getting the remote replaced would be the best.
I had already recommended which replacement remote you can check out if you have a remote with an IR blaster, but if you’re looking for a replacement smart remote, I suggest you get the OMAIC Samsung Smart Remote.
You can also get a universal remote like the SofaBaton U1, which is compatible with Samsung Smart TVs.
The remote also works with many other smart devices, including your receiver, cable box, your Blu-ray player, and more.
Fixing The Remote
Since the rare issues that Samsung remotes usually run into can be fixed pretty quickly, their remotes are some of the best in the market.
Still, having too many remotes for your living room equipment can confuse many people.
This is why I seriously recommend you take up my suggestion of getting a universal remote.
Aside from being able to control everything with a single remote, if the remote ever runs into an issue, you can always go back to using the device’s remote until you get it fixed.
You May Also Enjoy Reading
- What To Do If I Lose My Samsung TV Remote?: Complete Guide
- Using iPhone As A Remote For Samsung TV: Detailed Guide
- Error Code 107 on Samsung TV: 7 Easy Ways To Fix It
- Samsung TV Input Source Not Working: Here’s What You Can Do
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you reset a Samsung TV remote?
To reset a Samsung TV remote, take out the remote’s batteries.
Wait for at least a minute, then put them back in to complete the reset.
How do I resync my Samsung remote?
To resync your Samsung remote to your TV, press and hold the Return and Play/Pause keys on the remote.
After a few seconds, the TV will tell you if it can pair with the remote.
How do I turn my Samsung TV on without the remote?
You can turn on a Samsung TV without the remote by pressing and holding the power button.
The power button is usually found on the back of the TV or its sides.
