Samsung TV Remote Troubleshooting

Samsung is known worldwide for producing high-quality TVs. So naturally, their TV accessories are also generally reliable, though they experience their fair share of issues. In this guide, we’ll look at how to troubleshoot your Samsung TV’s remote control.

Your Samsung TV remote might stop working, or the TV might not respond to any key presses. That could happen with or without its red light blinking, each signifying a different root cause. You might also find that only one function on the remote fails, such as the volume controls. Lastly, a ‘Not Available’ message might appear when you use the remote.

Let’s look at why these issues happen and what you can do to resolve them.

Why this happens: Suppose you try to use your Samsung TV remote, but it does not work. Not only does it prevent you from changing the channels or adjusting the volume, but none of the functions is working. Yet, the red light blinks every time you push a button on the remote.

If that’s the case, then there are two possible reasons:

• Obstruction: If the red light blinks when you use the remote, that means the device has power coming from the batteries and is indeed transmitting a signal. So, the first reason why nothing happens is that there’s an obstruction in front of the TV’s receiver.

Check in front of your TV to ensure that there aren’t any devices, boxes, or other objects in the way.

• Remote Not Paired: Samsung TV remotes must be paired with the TV before they can function correctly. The remote has likely come unpaired from the TV. So, even though it has power (hence, the red light) and transmits a signal, the TV’s receiver will not recognize it.

How to fix it: To fix this, first clear any obstructions in front of your TV’s receiver. That will include other devices, boxes, and any sort of device that blocks the remote’s signal. You must have a clear line of sight between the remote and the receiver.

Next, pair and sync the remote to the TV once more. Here are the steps to do that:

• Press and hold the Back button and Up button at the same time.
• Hold those buttons for 10-20 seconds until you hear/see a prompt.
• The TV will pair and sync with the remote.

Please note that the precise steps can differ between Samsung TV models and their remotes. So, be sure to refer to your user manual if the method above doesn’t work. You may have to press and hold two different buttons for your model.

Also see: How to reset ceiling fan remote?

Why this happens: In the section above, we explored a Samsung TV remote not working despite its red light blinking. But what if the same issue happens, but the red light doesn’t blink it all? 

Well, the most likely reason for this is that the remote does not have any power. That means the batteries are most likely dead and need to be recharged (if they are rechargeable) or replaced.

Before you do that, here’s an additional troubleshooting task just to be sure:

• First, take your smartphone and open up the camera app.
• Then, point the camera at the front tip of the remote and push some of its buttons.
• Usually, you would see the infrared light coming out of the remote. However, if that light, too, is not coming on, that’s added confirmation that the batteries are dead.

Samsung is known worldwide for producing high-quality TVs. So naturally, their TV accessories are also generally reliable, though they experience their fair share of issues. In this guide, we’ll look at how to troubleshoot your Samsung TV’s remote control.

Your Samsung TV remote might stop working, or the TV might not respond to any key presses. That could happen with or without its red light blinking, each signifying a different root cause. You might also find that only one function on the remote fails, such as the volume controls. Lastly, a ‘Not Available’ message might appear when you use the remote.

Let’s look at why these issues happen and what you can do to resolve them.

Why this happens: Suppose you try to use your Samsung TV remote, but it does not work. Not only does it prevent you from changing the channels or adjusting the volume, but none of the functions is working. Yet, the red light blinks every time you push a button on the remote.

If that’s the case, then there are two possible reasons:

• Obstruction: If the red light blinks when you use the remote, that means the device has power coming from the batteries and is indeed transmitting a signal. So, the first reason why nothing happens is that there’s an obstruction in front of the TV’s receiver.

Check in front of your TV to ensure that there aren’t any devices, boxes, or other objects in the way.

• Remote Not Paired: Samsung TV remotes must be paired with the TV before they can function correctly. The remote has likely come unpaired from the TV. So, even though it has power (hence, the red light) and transmits a signal, the TV’s receiver will not recognize it.

How to fix it: To fix this, first clear any obstructions in front of your TV’s receiver. That will include other devices, boxes, and any sort of device that blocks the remote’s signal. You must have a clear line of sight between the remote and the receiver.

Next, pair and sync the remote to the TV once more. Here are the steps to do that:

• Press and hold the Back button and Up button at the same time.
• Hold those buttons for 10-20 seconds until you hear/see a prompt.
• The TV will pair and sync with the remote.

Please note that the precise steps can differ between Samsung TV models and their remotes. So, be sure to refer to your user manual if the method above doesn’t work. You may have to press and hold two different buttons for your model.

Also see: How to reset ceiling fan remote?

Why this happens: In the section above, we explored a Samsung TV remote not working despite its red light blinking. But what if the same issue happens, but the red light doesn’t blink it all? 

Well, the most likely reason for this is that the remote does not have any power. That means the batteries are most likely dead and need to be recharged (if they are rechargeable) or replaced.

Before you do that, here’s an additional troubleshooting task just to be sure:

• First, take your smartphone and open up the camera app.
• Then, point the camera at the front tip of the remote and push some of its buttons.
• Usually, you would see the infrared light coming out of the remote. However, if that light, too, is not coming on, that’s added confirmation that the batteries are dead.