Roku Remote Not Working? Easy Fixes & Troubleshooting Guide

Thanks to Roku and similar streaming brands, the times of intricate remote controls are over. These handy clickers used to have dozens of buttons, maybe 10 of which were ever useful, and the devices could be almost a foot long. With a small profile and just a handful of buttons, Roku remote controls are simple, straightforward devices – until they inevitably break. Read the complete guide if your Roku not working.

If your roku is not synchronizing and a simple change of battery did not help with the problem. Then there are still few other methods that you can try before throwing the peripheral into the next trash. Even if your remote control can no longer be saved, you can always purchase another one – or replace it entirely with a device that you already own. Read on to find out how to do all of Roku tv remote not working fixes.

Roku remote stopped working

You drop on the couch after a long day of work and are ready to watch TV, only to find that your Roku remote doesn’t work. Fortunately, there aren’t too many things that can go wrong with a Roku remote. Below is a list of troubleshooting steps that you can quickly take to get back to your binge-watching.

Do you know your Roku remote control?

Before you start troubleshooting, you should know what type of Roku remote you have. Below is a breakdown of the Roku models, the remote controls of which are usually supplied with your streaming stick or player. People often search my Roku remote stopped working but they don’t know the remote.

How to fix Roku remote not working

Check your batteries

Weak or empty batteries can cause the remote control to malfunction. First, remove the batteries and then reinsert them. If the remote control still does not respond, replace the batteries, and try again. If it still doesn’t respond, you may need to buy a new remote control or download the Roku app from the Google Play Store or App Store. See if Roku Stick not working.

2. Restart Roku Remote and Roku Player or Stick

First of all, you want to remove the batteries from your remote control.
Remove the power cable from your Roku player/stick, wait approx. 5 seconds and reconnect the device.
When the Roku logo appears on the home screen, reinsert the batteries in the remote control.
Wait about 30 seconds to see if the remote control reconnects to your Roku device.

3. Re-pair the Roku remote control

No, we’re not talking about disassembling the remote. Re-pair means that you have to re-setup the remote control and the player to recognize each other. Check if Roku remote blinking while processing the steps.

There are a few steps to achieve this:

Open the battery compartment and remove the batteries from the remote control.
Disconnect the Roku device from the power supply and wait approx. 5 seconds. Then reconnect the power cord.
Once the Roku logo appears on the home screen put the batteries back in the remote.
Press and hold the pairing button in the remote control battery compartment for 3 seconds or until the pairing indicator on the remote control starts to flash.
Wait about 30 seconds for the remote to connect to the Roku player.
After a successful pairing, a dialog box should appear on your TV screen.

Netflix not working on Roku

Do you find out that Netflix is not working on your Roku? Sometimes apps like Netflix simply don’t work without provocation. There are several reasons why this will happen, and it is not always easy to pinpoint the exact problem. You don’t have to freak out though, we’re here for you. If you’re using a Roku for your entertainment needs, here are ways to get your Netflix up and running again if it suddenly stops working.

Check your network settings

Believe it or not, this is the most common culprit. Your Roku may have temporarily lost connection to your network. In this case, you can check your network settings in the Roku user interface

Scroll down on the home screen and go to the Settings menu.
Scroll down and open the network option to see if you’re Roku TV, streaming stick or set-top box is still connected.
If so, you can click the Check Connection option to test your network connection.

If everything is OK about this, look at your router and make sure it is connected. Depending on the type of Roku device, it may be beneficial to switch from a wireless connection to a wired connection using an Ethernet cable. The Roku support page also provides a list of error codes that you can use to locate your connection problems.

Roku remote pairing

How to connect Roku Enhanced Remote

If your Roku device is operational with a Point Anywhere standard and advanced remote control, perform the following steps to connect it to your Roku player:

Insert batteries in your Roku remote control.
Turn on the Roku TV or player.
Place the remote near the Roku device. This will automatically pair your remote control with the Roku device.

Roku remote not pairing

Add a new remote control

You can add a new remote control or a second remote control to control the same Roku TV or player. This is handy if you have to game remote controls as they allow two people to play compatible games.

In the Start menu, scroll down to Settings in the Category menu on the left side of the screen.

Choose Remote.
Choose Pair Remote.
The next screen shows you the remote control that is currently paired.
Choose the right arrow.
See the next page for instructions on how to pair your new remote.
If pairing does not occur on the first try, repeat the steps.

No pairing button on Roku remote

While your Roku player comes with a small remote control that almost always works automatically, there are situations where this may not be the case. For example, if you need to replace a Roku remote, your Roku may not recognize the new remote.

In this case, you only have to “pair” them, which takes only a few moments.

Make sure that your Roku remote control contains fresh, working batteries and that you keep them close to the Roku player.
Unplug the Roku player, leave it unplugged for two minutes, and then plug it in again.
When the Roku restarts, you may be instructed to pair the remote control when you are in the guided setup phase. If your Roku is already set up, you may not see a message that the remote needs to be paired.
Remove the battery compartment from the Roku remote control.
Press and hold the reset button in the battery compartment for about three to five seconds.

Conclusion

We hope that the tips we discussed in this article managed to get your Roku remote up and running again. If not, please let us know in the comments below. We will do our best to help you further.

If you have other problems with your Roku, we have also written articles with detailed information about Roku connected but not working and Roku TV remote not working.