Vizio is one of the leading smart TV makers in the US. In 2020, 17+ million Vizio smart TVs were viewed for over 1.1 trillion minutes in the US. Vizio TVs are popular because they’re relatively cheap & they offer excellent picture quality. However, they could be better. There are numerous bugs associated with Vizio TVs. Several Vizio TV owners have complained about these bugs on online forums. The most popular complaint is, “my Vizio won’t turn on.”
That’s right – sometimes, Vizio Smart TVs don’t turn on. Like with most smart TVs, these issues could be caused by both hardware & software issues. Some other common problems with Vizio TVs include – the screen flashing different colors, the TVs randomly turning off/on, & the smart functions not working correctly. When “smart” TVs start malfunctioning like this – it can be very frustrating.
Thankfully, all of these issues have easy fixes. From rebooting the TV to giving it a factory reset, you can do several things when you’re facing such Vizio TV problems. Let’s discuss these solutions one by one.
Do you have a question about why Vizio won’t turn on? Then use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant section. And you can always go back by clicking on the black arrow in the right bottom corner of the page. Also, please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. For more details, check the Disclosure section at the bottom of the page.
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Do Vizio TVs Have a Reset Button?
Vizio Smart TVs only come with one button – the power button. There’s no specific “reset button.” So, if you want to reset Vizio TV, you’ll have to use your remote. These types of resets are known as “hard resets.” Before you try that, try giving your Vizio TV a “soft reset.” To do so, simply shut down & unplug your TV. Wait for 10 minutes. Then, re-plug the TV & turn it on. If software updates are lined up, the restarting process may take some time. Wait for the TV to turn back on by itself & check whether the issue is resolved.
Vizio TV Won’t Restart After Update
This is another relatively common issue that Vizio Smart TV owners face. They try to update their TVs’ software, only to see that the updating process is taking forever & their TVs won’t turn back on. To understand why this happens, you need to understand exactly what happens to your Vizio Smart TV when it’s updated. Here are some tips:
- The more updates the Smart TV software undergoes, the more time your TV will take to restart.
- If you want this process to happen faster, give your TV a soft reset.
- Hold down the power button on the TV for thirty seconds.
- Your TV will automatically cool down. Then it will detect and install all pending firmware updates.
- In most cases, Vizio TVs fix all network connectivity issues on their own during this process.
- In soft resets, no personalized settings are changed. You won’t lose any pre-saved data, either.
So, feel free to soft reset or reboot Vizio TVs. Trigger the reset by holding down the power button for 30 seconds & then unplug the TV from the main supply. Leave it off for 5-10 minutes & then turn it back on by holding the power button for 30 seconds.
How to Reset Vizio Tv?
Giving your Vizio TV a soft reset means clearing its memory, allowing all residual charge to dissipate, and restarting the device. Hard resets are more serious. If you hard or factory reset a Vizio TV, you’ll reset the device’s firmware to its factory default settings. You’ll also be clearing its memory, deleting pre-saved configurations, & resetting the device entirely.
This means all account details of your smart apps & network data will be deleted. Hard resets also automatically trigger firmware updates (if updates are available). These are why tech experts only recommend hard, or factory resets when all other solutions fail. You should always perform multiple soft resets first to see if they fix the issue of your Vizio TV not working.
With that being said, here are some situations where giving your Vizio TV a hard reset is an appropriate solution:
- The device is constantly showing errors & several soft resets have been unable to fix those problems.
- There are constant wireless network access issues.
- Lingering with audio or video playbacks is hampering your viewing experiences.
- Some (or all) smart apps on the TV are randomly crashing.
If you’ve faced these issues, you’ll need to learn the most difficult aspect of Vizio TV troubleshooting. That is learning how to hard reset your Vizio Smart TV. Here’s how you can do it:
- Grab your Vizio Smart TV remote.
- Unplug your router.
- Press down the Menu button on your remote.
- Navigate to the option that says ‘System’ on the menu.
- Select OK & enter the ‘System’ section.
- Here, navigate to the option “Reset & Admin.”
- Select “OK” to open a box that says “Reset TV to Factory Defaults.”
- Again, select “OK” & enter your parental lock code.
- If you haven’t set a parental code, enter “0000” (the default parental lock code on Vizio TVs).
- Select Reset and click the option “OK.”
- Wait for your TV to turn off.
Now, all pre-set configurations & settings will be wiped off. When you reboot your TV, the setup menu will be displayed on your screen. Plug your router back in & perform the setup process. Once your TV is reconnected to your Wi-Fi network, the issue will be resolved & you can go back to watching TV.
Can I Control My Vizio TV Without the Remote If It Won’t Turn On?
Yes, you can control your Vizio TV without the remote control if it won’t turn on. Look for the power button on the TV itself, or use the Vizio SmartCast app for a virtual remote control. You can also use HDMI-CEC enabled devices to operate the TV without remote control.
Can you Reset Vizio TVs without Using a Remote?
Yes. There are ways to reset Vizio TVs without using a remote. Here’s a helpful video on resetting a Vizio TV just by using the buttons at the back. But most of the newer Vizio Smart TVs don’t have these buttons. They only come with the power button. So, to perform a hard reset, you will need your remote.
The abovementioned methods work on most of the recently released Vizio Smart TVs. If you’ve lost/broken your remote, try to use RCA universal remotes to perform the hard reset. Always remember, if your Vizio TV is not working – try the soft reset process first. Hard resets are complicated & can lead to more problems if you don’t perform them correctly.
Credits: Thanks for the photo to Canva.

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