Just the other night, as I reached for my trusty Insignia TV remote, I was greeted with a stubborn and unresponsive gadget that seemed determined to test my patience.
I pressed buttons, changed batteries, and even resorted to the age-old trick of banging it against my palm (admittedly not the best idea). But, alas, the remote remained resolute in its rebellion.
Now, here’s the good news – I managed to resurrect my remote control from its sulk. How did I do it? Here goes:
To quickly fix your Insignia TV remote that’s not working, conduct a “power cycle” by shutting it down and unplugging its power cable. Next, hold its physical power button for 30 seconds to discharge it before you plug it back in.
That’s only one workaround, though. In this post, we’ll discuss seven easy fixes for your Insignia TV remote problems. We also prepared a bonus method you can resort to if troubleshooting it falls short. Read on!
What are the common Insignia smart TV remote problems?
Below are common issues with Insignia smart TV remotes you may encounter when using them. Being familiar with these issues should help you decide which solution will better help fix your faulty one.
- The pairing between your Insignia TV and its remote has been undone and needs a do-over.
- Your Insignia TV remote’s batteries died or ran out of juice.
- The Insignia TV and its remote control have stored unhealthy electrical charges.
- There are physical obstructions between your Insignia TV and its remote control.
- Your Insignia TV remote suffers from fatal physical or water damage.
How to Fix Your Insignia Smart TV Remote: 7 Quick Solutions
The seven methods below are proven effective in fixing your faulty Insignia smart TV remote. However, you should apply them in the order they are presented, as some of the solutions below may work differently depending on your Insignia TV model.
FIX 1. Power-cycle your Insignia smart TV
Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
Number of Steps | 4 |
Time to Perform Fix | 1 minute and 20 seconds |
Things Needed | An Insignia smart TV An Insignia TV remote A working wall outlet |
Performing a power cycle is a straightforward and highly reliable fix for most TV issues, including problems with the Insignia TV remote.
System bugs and errors can lead to remote control malfunctions, and it’s often caused by the accumulation of electrical charges within the TV during use. To address this issue, perform a power cycle on your Insignia TV regularly to discharge these residual charges.
This action not only resolves issues like bootup errors and slow startup but also refreshes your Insignia TV’s system memory, correcting minor errors and enhancing overall performance.
So, by following this solution, you not only get your Insignia TV remote working again but also enjoy the added benefit of improved TV performance!
Step 1: Press the Insignia remote’s Power key to turn off your smart TV. |
Step 2: Unplug the Insignia smart TV from the wall outlet. |
Step 3: Wait 60 seconds to shut down your smart TV’s system and hold the power button for 30 seconds to conduct the power cycle. Note: Conduct the power cycle while you wait so the process takes precisely 60 seconds. Check your Insignia TV’s user manual if you can’t find its power button since the location varies between models. |
Step 4: Plug the Insignia TV into the wall outlet to turn it back on. Note: You must press the power key on the Insignia remote if your TV doesn’t turn on automatically when you plug it into the wall outlet. |
Step 5: Wait for your Insignia TV to boot up and use its remote to check if it works. |
FIX 2. Check the Insignia remote’s batteries
Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
Number of Steps | 4 |
Time to Perform Fix | 20 seconds |
Things Needed | An Insignia TV remote Two AAA batteries An electronic device that uses AAA batteries (optional) |
Unlike your Insignia TV, troubleshooting its remote control is a no-brainer whenever your button inputs don’t work. After all, the Insignia remote not working is likely due to a device error or power-related issue preventing input signals from being sent.
Regarding power-related issues, it’s almost always due to the batteries running out of juice. As such, it’s excellent practice to check your Insignia TV remote’s batteries regularly so you can replace them immediately whenever necessary.
It would be best to do this when using the same batteries on your Insignia TV for some time now. Although TV remotes are low-power devices, they require a decent power supply to perform their functions and send infrared signals correctly.
Therefore, we recommend replacing your Insignia TV remote’s old batteries with high-quality ones. Since good batteries will last longer on your Insignia TV remote, they’re a more practical option compared to cheap batteries in the long run.
Step 1: Open your Insignia TV remote’s back cover to reveal its batteries. |
Step 2: Remove the batteries. Note: You can insert them into another electronic device to test if they have enough power. Install replacement batteries on your Insignia TV remote if they’re out of juice. |
Step 3: Put two new AAA batteries inside the Insignia TV remote. |
Step 4: Reinstall the Insignia remote’s back cover and use it on your TV to check if it works. |
FIX 3. Remove objects between the remote and the TV’s IR sensor
Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
Number of Steps | 1 |
Time to Perform Fix | 20 to 40 seconds |
Things Needed | An Insignia TVAn Insignia TV remote |
This particular solution is useful for older Insignia TVs that only rely on the infrared sensor for communication with their remote controls. Newer models, like the Insignia Fire Remote, use Bluetooth, so physical obstructions shouldn’t be an issue.
Aside from solid objects in front of the TV, a person standing between it and its remote control can block the IR sensor. Unfortunately, even though physical obstructions are likely why your Insignia remote isn’t working, many users find this problem easy to overlook.
As such, we recommend always ensuring the pathway between your Insignia TV and the remote’s IR sensors is clear so your button input can register. Make this a habit so you don’t scramble whenever the Insignia remote seemingly doesn’t work.
FIX 4. Perform a soft reset on your Insignia remote
Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
Number of Steps | 5 |
Time to Perform Fix | 60 seconds |
Things Needed | An Insignia TV remote Two AAA batteries |
Performing a soft reset on your Insignia remote is an excellent troubleshooting method. Like your Insignia TV, its remote control benefits from a soft reset since it lets the device correct minor errors that prevent it from working correctly.
You can only reset the Insignia remote by cutting off its power source since it doesn’t have a power switch like your TV. Thus, removing and reinstalling the batteries are the keys to performing an Insignia TV remote soft reset.
You can also power cycle your Insignia TV remote during the soft reset process since it stores electrical charges. Therefore, like your Insignia TV, the remote may suffer from errors due to the residual electrical charges from its capacitors.
Your only option is to discharge your Insignia TV remote to correct these minor errors. Since there’s no way to tell if you successfully drained your Insignia TV remote’s electrical charges, repeat this method to your satisfaction.
Step 1: Follow the previous instructions for removing your Insignia TV remote’s batteries. |
Step 2: Hold the Power key on the Insignia TV remote for 30 seconds. Note: This action will “power cycle” your Insignia TV remote. |
Step 3: Mash all the buttons on the Insignia TV continuously for 15 seconds. Note: You must press every button to dislodge dust buildup between the gaps that may cause them to get stuck and not work. |
Step 4: Return its batteries. Note: We recommend leaving the battery compartment open to repeat the process more quickly if the Insignia remote fails to work. |
Step 5: Press the Power key while pointing the Insignia remote on your TV. Note: Return the back cover if the Insignia TV responds to your button input. Otherwise, you can keep repeating the process until it does. |
FIX 5. Factory reset your Insignia smart TV
Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
Number of Steps | 7 |
Time to Perform Fix | 2 minutes and 30 seconds |
Things Needed | An Insignia Fire TV An Insignia Fire TV remote |
If power cycling or soft resetting your Insignia TV didn’t fix your remote problem, you could try a factory reset to restore the device’s default settings. Unfortunately, the process varies between TV models since Insignia has a diverse product lineup.
Therefore, performing a factory reset is different between their Fire, Roku, and standard smart TVs. You must identify what kind of Insignia TV you have to determine how to conduct its factory reset process and fix its remote control.
WARNING: A factory reset deletes all your stored files and TV preferences so ensure you have a copy of these before proceeding.
The instructions below show you how to conduct a factory reset on an Insignia Fire TV. You can follow these steps to fix the problem with your Insignia Fire TV remote not working.
Like Fire TVs, Roku devices all share similar factory reset steps. Thus, you can look up how to factory reset a Roku device to learn how to do it on your Insignia Roku TV.
Step 1: Press Home on the Insignia Fire TV remote to access its home screen. |
Step 2: Scroll to Settings. |
Step 3: Navigate the settings menu and select Device & Software. |
Step 4: Scroll down and click “Reset to Factory Defaults.” |
Step 5: Click Reset to allow your Insignia TV to factory reset. |
Step 6: Wait while your Insignia TV restores its factory settings and shuts down its system. |
Step 7: Let your Insignia Fire TV reboot its system and follow its on-screen setup. |
Fortunately, some Insignia smart TVs may have a dedicated reset button in their back panel. In these models, performing the factory reset is straightforward; you only need to hold the reset button and wait for your Insignia smart TV to reset by itself.
This physical reset button is available on some Insignia Roku TVs. Insignia Roku TV remotes may also have a dedicated reset or pairing button, making them easier to troubleshoot than other Insignia devices.
FIX 6. Re-pair your Insignia remote to the TV
Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
Number of Steps | 3 |
Time to Perform Fix | 2 minutes |
Things Needed | An Insignia TV remote |
Since pairing issues may also cause your Insignia remote to stop working correctly, it’s best to fix its pairing with your smart TV by disconnecting and reconnecting them.
Essentially, this action will require resetting your Insignia remote so you can prompt it to initiate a pairing with your smart TV. Consequently, you might need to “power cycle” your Insignia smart TV so you can prepare it to pair with its remote control.
Thus, we’ll show you how to pair your Insignia remote to the TV for this troubleshooting method. After repeating the pairing between both devices, the new connection should allow them to return to working condition.
Otherwise, it would be best if you resorted to the final solution of this guide. However, we suggest repeating this method multiple times before moving on to ensure you paired both devices correctly.
Step 1: Follow the previous instructions for soft resetting your Insignia TV remote. Note: If you have an Insignia Fire TV remote, you can reset it by holding its left, back, and menu buttons for 12 seconds. |
Step 2: Follow the previous instructions for power cycling your Insignia TV. |
Step 3: Hold Home on the Insignia TV remote for 30 seconds until it pairs with the TV. |
FIX 7. Get a replacement Insignia remote
Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
Number of Steps | 1 |
Time to Perform Fix | 10 to 30 seconds |
Things Needed | A PC or smartphone A working internet connection A replacement Insignia remote |
Finally, the last option is to replace your faulty Insignia TV remote with a new one. After all, it’s wasteful to continue troubleshooting an Insignia TV remote that’s already beyond fixing.
Moreover, purchasing a replacement remote control is the easiest, most effortless solution for this problem. With this, you can throw away the faulty Insignia TV remote so you don’t have to keep stressing about its problems.
Since you can shop for cheap replacement remotes online, sometimes it’s more practical than exerting effort to troubleshoot your remote control to no avail. You can also buy your new Insignia TV remote from shops like Amazon and have it delivered.
Otherwise, you can try one final last-ditch effort using the alternative solution in the following section.
BONUS: Alternative Solution to Fix Your Faulty Insignia TV Remote
Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
Number of Steps | 9 |
Time to Perform Fix | 2 minutes |
Things Needed | An Insignia TV Any smartphone A working internet connection |
If you can’t fix your faulty Insignia TV remote, you should use alternative control options. This way, you can continue to operate and use your Insignia smart TV without a working remote control.
You can install a remote control app to emulate your Insignia TV’s original remote and send it the correct input signals. Doing so will turn your smartphone into a solid replacement remote control for your Insignia TV.
It’s an accessible solution when you have a problem with your Insignia TV remote not working during use. Since most people own a smartphone, most Insignia TV users will also find this alternative solution appealing.
After all, you don’t need anything besides your already available smartphone. With this, you may not need a replacement Insignia TV remote.
Step 1: Open Google Play. Note: Go to your Apple App Store if you own an iOS device. |
Step 2: Search for “Insignia TV remote” and select any third-party app you want to install. Note: You must click the Install or Get button beside your desired app to install it. |
Step 3: Open the Insignia TV remote app. |
Step 4: Follow the on-screen setup instructions to prepare the Insignia TV remote app. |
Step 5: Select an Insignia TV remote type. Note: Some apps may not have the option to select different types. |
Step 6: Wait while the app downloads the Insignia TV remote type. |
Step 7: Connect your smartphone to the Insignia TV’s WiFi network. Note: Your Insignia TV and the remote control app won’t connect if they have different WiFi networks. |
Step 8: Select the infrared mode if you don’t have an Insignia smart TV. Note: This option is helpful for older Insignia TVs that only use IR sensors. |
Step 9: Press a button on the Insignia remote app and answer the pop-up based on the TV’s response. Note: If your Insignia TV responds to the remote app, use it as your alternative control option. Otherwise, keep testing the app or search the app store for another third-party Insignia remote app you can use. |