Hey there, fellow home theater enthusiasts! If you use a Roku as part of your setup, you know that the remote can be a bit finicky, and the fragmentation across the Roku product line makes it hard to know which device you even have that needs troubleshooting. Luckily, resetting a Roku remote is not as complicated as it could be.
To reset your Roku remote without a pairing button, find the pairing button on it, and then power-cycle the Roku device and remote before using the button to put it in pairing mode. Then, pairing should be automatic. Note the Roku “Simple” remote cannot be reset.
Below, we’ll talk briefly about the types of remotes and how to reset them, and why it matters for your home theater. With a little work, you’ll be back to streaming in no time!
How Roku Remote Resetting Works (Simple vs. Voice Remotes)
The pairing process involves connecting your Roku remote to your Roku device through a wireless connection. The pairing button on the remote is used to initiate the connection, but if it’s missing or damaged, you’ll need to find alternative ways to reset the remote. And note that not all Roku remotes are the same, or universal within the Roku ecosystem.
But you need to know there are two types of Roku remote before you get started: Simple and Voice. The Voice remote (on Amazon) is the most modern version, and you can tell you have it if you have a voice or magnifying-glass icon on your remote. If you don’t, then you have a simple remote.
How to Reset A “Simple” Roku Remote
Well, the good news is that resetting a Simple Roku remote is extremely simple…you can’t! These remotes us IR signals to control any Roku device that will take them. This means older models mostly. The simple remote can’t be “reset,” but you can still “re-pair” it or “sync” it to use it to control your device, and we address those steps in a separate article.
What you probably need to do is put some new batteries in the remote, and then power cycle the Roku Device too, and then simply point the older IR remote at it. If that doesn’t work, you’ll have a little more troubleshooting to do – but not much. Remember, there is no formal reset process for the simple remote.
Consider an HDMI Exteder
For the Simple remote, which works based on IR signals, line of sight is necessary. If your hardware is hidden or otherwise doesn’t have line of sight, consider using an HDMI extender like this one (on Amazon) to buy a little more room to position it somewhere that the remote can “see” it.
How to Reset A “Voice” Roku Remote (In 6 Easy Steps)
First find the pairing button on your remote. It may literally say “reset” or “pairing”, or, more likely it’s not labelled. On the current Voice remote, the pairing button and light are on the back. The battery model has them under the battery cover, while the rechargeable model has them right on the back, easy to find.
Once you find this remote, you’ll need to do a full power cycle of everything first: power down the device and take the batteries out of the remote (if you can). Then, power the Roku device back on and put your remote in pairing mode by holding that pairing button until the green light starts blinking. From there, the devices should pair with each other automatically.
For quick reference, here are the steps to pair a Roku Voice remote:
- Turn the Device you’re trying to control (Roku Stick, Roku TV, etc.) off
- Locate the pairing button on your remote (it may be labeled “reset” or “pairing”, or unmarked)
- Power down the Roku device and remove the batteries from the remote (unless it’s the rechargeable one, in which case you can skip this step)
- Power the Roku device back on
- Put the remote in pairing mode by holding the pairing button until the green light starts blinking
- The devices should pair automatically
Consider Using the Roku App
Not only will the app allow you to manage your remotes directly, the connection here will offer you a backup when the remote fails or if you can’t get it working.
Download the Roku app from your app-store of choice on your smartphone, and then log into your account on the same Wi-Fi as your Roku device to get started.
Resetting Your Roku Device
Finally, if nothing else has worked you’ll need to try to factory reset the Roku device. To do that without a remote, remember you’ll probably need the Roku app installed so you have some way to control the device. If you can pull the device up on screen and navigate the menu, here’s how you can factory reset it (though the exact path may be slightly different based on your Roku device):
- Go to Settings.
- Select System.
- Select Advanced system settings.
- Select Factory reset.
- Select Factory reset everything and follow the on-screen instructions.
In some cases, the Roku device may have a physical reset button that you can hold for 10-30 seconds to reset it. And on the other side of either method you’ll be setting up the device from scratch, and hopefully that means the remote connection has been forced to reset and start working as well!
The Final Work on Resetting Roku Remotes
So, as you can see this isn’t rocket science. But if you’re having problems, or you just don’t like managing another remote (yet another remote for some of our serious home theater readers…) you may want to know that you can also sidestep the issue entirely with a universal remote like this one from Phillips (on Amazon).
A good universal remote can collapse all your remotes into one, offering convenience and a more seamless home theater experience. But hopefully now your remote is working and you don’t have to buy anything new!