As an owner of a Samsung TV, I know all too well the frustration of not being able to access the settings when I don’t have a working remote. I recently went through the process of figuring out how to hard reset my Samsung TV without a remote, and I’m here to share my experience and the other solutions I discovered.
Best of all, you don’t need a remote to perform this system reset. There’s an entire common technique to reset your Samsung TV, thus allowing you to get the set running as it did before the big freeze! This method ensures all TV default settings are restored, so it can begin working again immediately.
| Quick Tips for Resetting Samsung TVs without a Remote |
|---|
| Use a PIN to reset the TV |
| Use the Samsung TV app as a remote |
| Press the power button on the TV for 15 seconds |
| Set up a PIN when first starting the TV |
| The Samsung TV app can be used to access all settings |
| Always try a soft reset before attempting a hard reset |
Table of Contents
Can I hard reset a Samsung TV without a remote?
When your Samsung TV experiences issues like freezing or regularly becoming stuck at certain points, the only way to resolve this issue is by resetting the TV.
This can be accomplished by accessing the diagnostic center using the Samsung support page on your set.
If you’ve lost your remote or it no longer works, the most viable option to reset the device is by using the security PIN you created when first starting the TV.
How to hard reset a Samsung TV without a remote
Before resetting the Samsung TV, remember that you will lose all recordings, programs, and tuned channels installed onto the device.
For this reason, it’s always best to try a soft reset first, which is turning the television off and then on. There is an effortless process to follow to reset your Samsung TV without using a remote. The steps include:
Setting your PIN
If you set up a PIN when you first started the TV and can remember it, move to the next step.
However, if you didn’t do this step after purchasing the TV or cannot remember your PIN, turn the TV off and on, then navigate to the diagnostic center to reset the PIN.
The default Samsung PIN is 0000, which is required to reset the television to factory settings. Note, that this is the same PIN on every Samsung model.
Download the TV app
Navigate to your phone’s app store and download the Universal Remote Application and open it.
Using the app
Once opened, choose your TV from the list, where you’ll then be asked to try different button combinations to confirm compatibility.
Access the menus
Now that your phone is acting as the remote, navigate to settings, general, and the factory reset menu.
At this point, the system will ask you to input a PIN, which is 0000, unless you separately created a PIN from the above instructions. From this point, the system will reset to the factory defaults.
Alternative option
The other option for resetting your set without having a remote or the ability to download the app is to use the physical buttons on the TV.
First, turn on the TV and let the software load, then press and hold the physical power button for 15 seconds. This will automatically factory reset the entire system.
While the first method may seem like much more work, it’s always good to have a PIN set and the TV app installed and working, in case your remote becomes damaged or misplaced.
Can I access the Samsung TV settings without a remote?
Yes, by downloading the Samsung TV app, you can control the entire television as if you had the physical remote.
There are also additional buttons within the app, such as access to TV apps you’ve downloaded, settings, inputs, network, etc.
The purpose of this app is to give you the same access as the remote, only from your phone.
Read more: Can I play slideshows on a Samsung TV from a flash drive?
