Vizio TV Light Blinking [8 Easy Fixes]

Vizio may have become one of the most trusted smart TV brands today, but many have reported their TV to show no picture after being turned on. Indeed, it’s a bummer when you’re all set to enjoy a most riveting, action-packed movie. 

If your Vizio TV is blinking on and off, you can first perform a power cycle to address and unplug and reconnect its cable connections. If the issue remains, change the batteries on its remote, update its firmware, or reset it to factory settings.

All that may sound like a tall order. But never fear, as in this post, we’ll show you every detail you need to know to factor eight proven-and-tested hacks to handle the Vizio TV light blinking issue with ease.

FIX 1. Perform a Vizio TV power cycle

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	4
Time to Perform Fix	1 minute and 10 seconds
Things Needed	A Vizio smart TVA Vizio TV remote controlA working power cordA working wall outlet

When it comes to issues with a Vizio TV light blinking, we recommend you try performing a power cycle. It’s a handy method that helps eliminate the residual electrical charges your Vizio TV’s component stores during use.

This method helps since the stored residual electrical charges are known to cause various TV errors and issues. Allowing your Vizio TV to drain the charges should fix the blinking light issue and reduce its likelihood of occurring again if done regularly.

Due to the electrical charges often causing performance issues, you can expect the power cycle to speed up your Vizio TV significantly. Think of this as a neat side effect of performing the Vizio TV power cycle. 

Please note that once you plug your Vizio TV into a power source and start using it, the device’s components will accumulate electrical charges again. Thus, you must perform this method frequently to do away with recurring problems.

Step 1: Turn off your Vizio TV and unplug its power cord from the wall outlet. Note: Unplugging the power cord while your Vizio TV is turned on will force it to shut down.

Step 2: Drain your Vizio TV’s residual electrical charges by holding the power button for around 60 seconds. Note: You can also drain the residual electrical charges by keeping your Vizio TV unplugged for some time. Holding its power button makes the process faster and more efficient.

Step 3: Plug the Vizio TV’s power cord into the wall outlet.

Step 4: Press your Vizio TV or its remote control’s power button to turn it back on

FIX 2. Check or unplug your Vizio TV’s cables and ports 

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	5
Time to Perform Fix	2 minutes
Things Needed	A Vizio smart TVWorking input and power cablesA can of compressed airA can of contact cleanerA soft brush or cleaning cloth

Sometimes, you might find your Vizio TV blinking and not displaying images on its screen due to a faulty cable connection. In such cases, checking the cables plugged into your Vizio TV’s back panel is vital to ensure they’re tight and secure.

Believe it or not, one loose cable is enough to derail your Vizio TV’s operation and prevent it from working as intended. It shows how crucial the cables and ports are on your Vizio TV since that’s where it receives the audio and video signals it displays.

Your Vizio TV also receives power through its DC/In port and power cord, so it only makes sense to keep them appropriately maintained. After all, power supply issues are the most common cause of blinking light issues on most Vizio TV models.

If you use a damaged power cord, you also risk causing further damage to your Vizio TV. The same applies to HDMI cables and RCA connectors, as the continued use of faulty input accessories often leads to unrepairable damage.

Step 1: Unplug the cables at the back of your Vizio TV. Note: Keep the cables for unused input devices unplugged since they might be causing the blinking issue.

Step 2: Check all cables for signs of wear and tear or broken connector pins. Note: Replace any damaged cable immediately, especially the power cord.

Step 3: Inspect the ports for dirt and dust buildup and use compressed air to clean them. Note: Never plug a cable into a dirty port.

Step 4: Use a contact cleaner on your Vizio TV’s ports and cables with rust buildup on their metallic parts. Note: Never spray a contact cleaner on the ports while your Vizio TV is running and the cables are connected.

Step 5: Wipe the spots you applied with contact cleaner using a soft brush or cleaning cloth. Note: Wait for the ports and cables to dry completely before plugging them back in.

FIX 3. Plug your Vizio TV into a surge protector

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	1
Time to Perform Fix	5 seconds
Things Needed	A Vizio TVA working power cordA working wall outletA surge protector

Regarding power supply issues, a power surge could be why your Vizio TV is flashing on and off. This problem depends on your area of residence, as there are some places where power surges are frequent.

You can tell if your area suffers from power surges when your house lights sometimes blink on and off or if you experience frequent power interruptions. If so, it’s wise to use surge protectors to protect your appliances from electrical damage.

Instead of plugging your Vizio TV directly, plug it into a surge protector that connects to the wall outlet. The surge protector will prevent the voltage from exceeding the level safe level for your Vizio TV, allowing it to avoid and resolve the blinking problem.

Unfortunately, the number of times a surge protector can suppress power surges and fluctuations is limited. Therefore, you must replace it at least every three or five years to be safe.

Note: Cheap surge protectors may only last for months to a year, so we suggest getting a high-quality one that you can use longer.

FIX 4. Check for a Vizio TV firmware update

Difficulty	Easy ●●○○○
Number of Steps	4
Time to Perform Fix	10 minutes
Things Needed	A Vizio smart TVA Vizio TV remote controlA working internet connection

If you’re stuck with an outdated firmware version, it could explain why your Vizio TV is blinking instead of displaying any images on the screen. Unfortunately, older firmware builds on Vizio TVs are usually prone to system errors and malfunctions.

It’s why Vizio releases firmware updates, as it’s the only way to address the system firmware-related issues that might occur on their TVs. The same is true with other TV brands since they also use firmware updates as to improve performance.

Thus, updating your Vizio TV’s system firmware can boost its efficiency and app compatibility. In other words, this action not only fixes the issues on your Vizio TV but also helps it perform better than before.

Sometimes, a Vizio TV might even stop working if you don’t update its system firmware for a while. It shows how crucial the firmware update is in ensuring your Vizio TV works in perfect condition.

Step 1: Open the Vizio TV settings menu by pressing the Menu button on its remote control.

Step 2: Go to System.

Step 3: Go to Check for Updates and click Yes on the small pop-up window to confirm this action. Note: Wait while your Vizio TV searches for an available update.

Step 4: Click Yes to download and install the latest firmware update. Note: Ensure your Vizio has enough storage space to complete the firmware update without issues. Uninstall your unused apps if you need to free up some space.

FIX 5. Reconnect the connections on your Vizio TV’s back panel

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	3
Time to Perform Fix	10 seconds
Things Needed	A Vizio smart TVA Vizio TV remote controlWorking input and power cables

Another way to address power supply issues on your Vizio TV is to ensure that all connections are secure. You can do this by unplugging the cables at the back panel of your Vizio TV to plug them back in more tightly.

Doing so should prevent any loose cable from messing up the input and power supply, which helps fix and prevent the Vizio TV light blinking issue. While this method might sound simple on paper, it’s a very effective solution in practice.

Sometimes, the simplest solution is all it takes to resolve the issues on your Vizio TV. 

If plenty of cables are connected to your Vizio TV, you need not plug everything back in.

Believe it or not, having too many connections can negatively affect your Vizio TV’s performance. Reconnect only the essential cables, such as the power cord, the antenna’s coaxial cable, or your TV box’s RCA connector.

Step 1: Press the remote control’s power button to shut down your Vizio TV. Note: You can use the physical power button on your Vizio TV’s back panel.

Step 2: Unplug the cables at the back of your Vizio TV.

Step 3: Plug the cables back into your Vizio TV and ensure everything is tight and secure. Note: Unplug and re-plug the cables repeatedly if it doesn’t fix the issue the first time.

On a side note, this method is excellent when your Vizio TV is frozen and unresponsive. It will allow you to reset the connections when they malfunction due to a bug or glitch in your Vizio TV system.

FIX 6. Replace the Vizio TV remote’s batteries

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	4
Time to Perform Fix	15 seconds
Things Needed	A Vizio TV remote controlA pair of AAA batteries

The Vizio TV’s power light flashing is a good indicator that the device is turned on and ready for operation. The problem is when it stays a flashing light, your TV screen doesn’t display any images after multiple button presses.

It can only mean that your Vizio TV isn’t responding to your inputs, which might indicate hardware damage or dead remote control batteries. The former is more complicated to troubleshoot, so sending your Vizio TV to a service center is best.

The troubleshooting process is simple with the latter since you only need to install a new pair of batteries. It doesn’t matter which remote control you have for your Vizio TV because the standard and voice variants use two AAA batteries.

Once you’ve installed the new batteries, try using the remote to see if your Vizio TV will react to your inputs. If your Vizio TV doesn’t respond, you might need to replace the remote control.

Step 1: Pry open your Vizio TV remote control’s battery compartment. Note: You can use a flat tool to pry the wedge on the cover, as it can be difficult to open with your hands alone.

Step 2: Remove the old batteries and replace them with a new pair.

Step 3: Reinstall the back cover by clipping the thinner edge of the remote control first.

Step 4: Press the sides of the remote control to lock the back cover in.

FIX 7. Do a Vizio TV hard reset 

One of the most simple but effective solutions we recommend is performing a hard reset on your Vizio TV. It’s a simple process since it only involves rebooting your Vizio TV to give it time to reset the apps and processes running on its system.

Doing so will refresh the system memory of your Vizio TV, helping it correct any firmware and system-related errors causing it to flash on and off. Aside from being easy to perform, the hard reset process is also relatively safe.

Unlike a factory reset, hard resetting your Vizio TV doesn’t affect your saved data and installed apps. Since this action only refreshes and resets the system memory, it only removes temporary and unsaved data from your Vizio TV.

As such, you don’t have to worry about losing important files once the hard reset is complete. Below is the standard way to perform a hard reset on a Vizio TV, but we’ll also share the steps for the other method afterward.

Use the system menu to hard reset your Vizio TV

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	4
Time to Perform Fix	40 seconds
Things Needed	A Vizio smart TVA Vizio TV remote control

The standard way to hard reset a Vizio TV is to reboot its system from the settings menu. Therefore, you can only perform this if you have a working remote or any alternative control option.

Step 1: Open the Vizio TV settings menu by pressing the Menu button on its remote control.

Step 2: Go to System.

Step 3: Scroll down and go to the Reset & Admin menu.

Step 4: Click Reboot TV to turn off your Vizio TV and restart its system. Note: The hard reset will delete your Vizio TV’s cached data once it reboots. Aside from system errors, this method is an excellent way to deal with misbehaving apps.

Unplug the power cord to hard reset your Vizio TV

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	4
Time to Perform Fix	40 seconds
Things Needed	A Vizio smart TVA Vizio TV remote control

If you don’t have access to a working Vizio TV remote or an alternative control option, unplug it from the wall outlet to cut off its power. You can also use this method when your Vizio TV turns off by itself, and its light blinks.

Step 1: Unplug its power cord. Note: It doesn’t matter if the Vizio TV is on or off when unplugging its power cord.

Step 2: Wait 30 seconds to give your Vizio TV time to shut down its system fully.

Step 3: Plug in the power cord.

Step 4: Turn your Vizio TV on using the physical power button or its remote control.

FIX 8. Do a Vizio TV factory reset 

As mentioned, the factory reset will delete your Vizio TV files and data. As such, you should reserve this method as your last resort once you’ve tried all the solutions above.

Once you’ve met that condition, we recommend this solution for the Vizio TV light blinking issue. You can choose from the two ways we’ve listed below depending on whether or not you have a working Vizio TV remote control.

Please note that you won’t have a way of recovering your lost data and files after the factory reset is complete.

Use the Vizio TV remote control 

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	5
Time to Perform Fix	3 minutes
Things Needed	A Vizio TVA Vizio TV remote control

Step 1: Open the Vizio TV settings menu by pressing the Menu button on its remote control.

Step 2: Go to System.

Step 3: Scroll down and go to the Reset & Admin menu.

Step 4: Click Reset to Factory Settings.

Step 5: Click Reset on the small pop-up window to confirm the Vizio TV factory reset. Note: Follow the on-screen setup instructions after the factory reset.

Use the Vizio TV physical buttons (without remote)

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	2
Time to Perform Fix	50 seconds
Things Needed	A Vizio smart TV

Step 1: Hold the volume down and input buttons at the back of your Vizio TV simultaneously for 10 seconds. Note: Other Vizio TVs only need you to hold the input button.

Step 2: Wait while your Vizio TV clears its memory and restores its factory settings.

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