More often than not, you’re short on resources when you want to achieve an end in mind, so one question: Can you do a MacGyver and reset your FireStick without a remote or WiFi? Fortunately, there are ways you can achieve that — and fast.
Reset FireStick without a remote or WiFi connection using your TV remote as an alternative via the HDMI-CEC feature. Also, plug a USB keyboard into your FireStick or use the Amazon Fire TV app for Android and iOS phones.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through three distinct methods to reset FireStick without a remote or WiFi. Plus, we’ve also added workarounds for using the Fire TV app without a WiFi connection so you can start using your FireStick in a breeze.
FIX 1. Resetting the FireStick Using an HDMI-CEC Controller
A simple and effective way to reset FireStick without remote or WiFi options is to take advantage of the HDMI-CEC functionality of most Smart TVs. Don’t be fooled by the technical term, as this feature is one convenient way to fix major TV issues.
| NOTICE: By factory resetting your FireStick, you do away with downloaded content and malware. In short, it’s like getting a brand new FireStick device with one caveat: the process erases all account information. |
HDMI-CEC is a feature that allows HDMI devices to be operated by a single remote control when it’s enabled. The best part’s you can use any of your device’s remotes to control the whole system, be it a Blu-ray player or your FireStick.
This feature will let you operate your FireStick using the remote control of your Smart TV instead. HDMI-CEC is usually enabled by default on most Smart TVs, but you might need to turn it back on if disabled manually.
Please note that HDMI-CEC might go by a different name depending on your Smart TV’s manufacturer. You can refer to the table we’ve prepared below for the list of names TV manufacturers gave to the HDMI-CEC feature on their products.
| TV Brands and Manufacturers | Name For Their HDMI-CEC Feature |
| AOC | E-Link |
| Insignia | INlink |
| LG | Simplink |
| Mitsubishi | NetCommand |
| Onkyo | RIHD |
| Panasonic | VIERA Link/EZ-Sync/HDAVI Control |
| Pioneer | Kuro Link |
| Runco International | RuncoLink |
| Samsung | Anynet+ |
| Sharp | Aquos Link |
| Sony | BRAVIA Link/BRAVIA Sync |
| Toshiba | Regza Link/CE-Link |
| Vizio | CEC |
Take note that the list above is not complete. If your TV brand is not included, refer to your TV manual, or if not, Google your TV brand website for details.
Once HDMI-CEC is enabled on your Smart TV, you can use its remote control to navigate the Fire TV menu and perform the factory reset procedure.
Turn on the HDMI-CEC feature on your Smart TV.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 5 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 15 seconds |
| Things Needed | Smart TV remote control |
Please note that enabling HDMI-CEC will be different between various TV brands and models. The best way to do this is to check the user manual with your Smart TV for step-by-step instructions on turning on its HDMI-CEC feature.
For this guide, we’ll show you how to enable the HDMI-CEC feature on a Samsung TV as an example. If you have a different Smart TV brand or model, we recommend looking up specific online guides for your unit.
Step 1: Open the home menu on the TV display screen by pressing the home button on the remote control. |
Step 2: Scroll left and select the Settings panel to open the main TV settings menu. |
Step 3: Scroll down and select General to open the general TV settings menu. |
Step 4: Scroll down and select External Device Manager to open the external devices settings menu. |
Step 5: Select the Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) feature to toggle it on. Note: The indicator beside Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) should be green when you turn it on. |
Take note that Anynet+ is a Samsung trade name to be able to use HDMI-CEC or Consumer Electronics Control. Simply put, this allows you to control your HDMI-attached devices using one single remote control.
Use your Smart TV remote control to factory reset your FireStick.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 5 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 3 minutes |
| Things Needed | Smart TV remote control |
Now that the HDMI-CEC feature is enabled on your Smart TV, its remote control can be used to operate the FireStick. With this, you can navigate the FireStick menu and perform the factory reset procedure as shown in the example below:
Step 1: Navigate to the cog icon on your FireStick home screen to open its settings menu. |
Step 2: Select the My Fire TV tile under the FireStick settings menu. |
Step 3: Scroll down and select the Reset to Factory Defaults option under the My Fire TV menu. |
Step 4: Select Reset or Ok to authorize and start the factory reset process. |
| Step 5: Wait for the factory reset to complete, and then set up your FireStick afterward by following the on-screen instructions. |
FIX 2. Resetting the FireStick by Connecting a Keyboard
Another way to reset FireStick without a remote or WiFi is to use a wired keyboard to turn it into a makeshift remote, and then connect it directly to your FireStick.
To do this, you’ll need a FireStick OTG cable since Amazon FireStick doesn’t have any USB port so an OTG cable provides a secure way to connect to the device.
Once the USB keyboard is connected to your FireStick device, you can use the keys to navigate the FireStick menu, perform the factory reset, or use the shortcut button combination like a Fire remote.
Use a USB keyboard as a temporary remote to factory reset your FireStick
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 9 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 3 minutes |
| Things Needed | Wired USB keyboardFireStick OTG cable |
Step 1: Plug the OTG cable’s male Micro USB connector into your FireStick’s Micro USB port. |
Step 2: Plug your FireStick’s power cable into the Micro USB port of the OTG cable. |
Step 3: Plug the keyboard’s connector into the USB port of the OTG cable. |
| Step 4: Plug the FireStick into your TV’s HDMI port and turn it on. |
| Step 5: Navigate to the cog icon on your FireStick home screen to open its settings menu. |
| Step 6: Select the My Fire TV tile under the FireStick settings menu. |
| Step 7: Scroll down and select the Reset to Factory Defaults option under the My Fire TV menu. |
| Step 8: Select Reset or Ok to authorize and start the factory reset process. |
| Step 9: Wait for the factory reset to complete, and then set up your FireStick by following the on-screen instructions. |
You may even keep this setup since keyboards provide a better way to spell out instructions. However, other people find it cumbersome and cluttered, so it’s really a matter of choice.
Use a keyboard to simulate the Fire TV remote’s reset button combination
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 6 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 3 minutes |
| Things Needed | Wired USB keyboardFireStick OTG cable |
| Step 1: Plug the OTG cable’s male Micro USB connector into your FireStick’s Micro USB port. |
| Step 2: Plug your FireStick’s power cable into the Micro USB port of the OTG cable. |
| Step 3: Plug the keyboard’s connector into the USB port of the OTG cable. |
| Step 4: Plug the FireStick into your TV’s HDMI port and turn it on. |
Step 5: Press and hold the ESC and arrow right buttons on your USB keyboard for about 15 seconds until the factory reset prompt appears. Note: This will simulate the Back key + Right Direction key button combination on the Fire TV remote for a forced factory reset. |
Step 6: Click the left arrow key on the keyboard to select Ok and hit the enter key to confirm. Note: You can also wait for the timer to expire since it will automatically factory reset your FireStick. This helps when your TV screen is currently unresponsive. |
FIX 3. Resetting the FireStick by Using the Fire TV App as a Temporary Remote
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 16 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 4 minutes |
| Things Needed | Android or iOS phoneA working internet connection |
The Fire TV app was developed to enhance the user’s experience. So, it has remote control buttons that you can use to operate your FireStick device. Pretty nifty, right?
Well, it may sound fine and dandy, but using the Amazon Fire TV app to reset FireStick without a remote or WiFi has one downside.
Since the Fire TV app needs to be connected to the same WiFi network as your FireStick, you can’t use it if the latter is experiencing a connectivity issue.
So, for this fix, we’ll present how to download and use the Fire TV app, as well as a workaroundif your WiFi is not working.
With WiFi: Use the Fire TV app to factory reset your FireStick.
Step 1: Open the built-in app store on your smartphone (Google Play Store or Apple App Store). |
Step 2: Use your app store’s search function to locate the Fire TV app. |
Step 3: Click the Amazon Fire TV app to open its app information page. |
Step 4: Click the Install or Get button to download and install Amazon Fire TV on your smartphone. |
Step 5: Click the Open button to launch the Amazon Fire TV app on your smartphone. |
Step 6: Click OK to allow Amazon Fire TV to use Bluetooth. |
Step 7: Click Sure to allow local network permissions and click Ok on the next page to continue. |
Step 8: Click Set Up New Device on the app home page. |
Step 9: Select Fire TV. |
Step 10: Select your FireStick device to connect the app with it. |
Step 11: Use the button controls on the Fire TV app to operate your FireStick. |
| Step 12: Navigate to the cog icon on your FireStick home screen to open its settings menu. |
| Step 13: Select the My Fire TV tile under the FireStick settings menu. |
| Step 14: Scroll down and select the Reset to Factory Defaults option under the My Fire TV menu. |
| Step 15: Select Reset or Ok to authorize and start the factory reset process. |
| Step 16: Wait for the factory reset to complete and then set up your FireStick by following the on-screen instructions. |
No WiFi: Use an ethernet cable to your router and TV.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 8 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 5 minutes |
| Things Needed | An ethernet cableA WiFi router |
This workaround helps if you use the Fire TV app to reset FireStick without a remote or WiFi option available. And this is done by using a physical connection, an ethernet cable.
With the cable, you can establish a wired connection between your router and TV instead. Doing so allows your TV and FireStick to connect to the same WiFi network as your smartphone so you can use the Fire TV app as a temporary remote.
Please note that you can only perform this workaround if your TV has an available LAN port. If not, you’ll have to rely on WiFi to get the reset going.
Step 1: Plug one end of the ethernet cable into the LAN port of your TV. |
| Step 2: Plug the other end of the ethernet cable into the LAN port of your WiFi router. |
Step 3: Press and hold your TV’s power key to turn it off and on by performing a quick restart. |
| Step 4: Wait until your TV has booted up completely and the wired connection is established. |
Once the TV and FireStick device are connected to the internet via a wired network connection, you can use the Fire TV app. You can use the remote control buttons on the Fire TV app to operate your FireStick and perform its factory reset.
FAQs about Resetting FireStick
How to factory reset my FireStick without using its settings?
Use the button combination on the Fire TV remote to factory reset your FireStick without navigating its settings menu. You can do this by pressing and holding the back and right directional keys for 15 seconds until the factory reset prompt appears on the TV screen.
From there, select “Ok” to allow the factory reset process to begin on your FireStick device. If you’re using a USB keyboard, you can press and hold the ESC and right arrow keys instead.
How to factory reset a frozen FireStick?
Use the button combination on the Fire TV remote to factory reset a frozen FireStick device. After pressing and holding the back and right directional keys for 15 seconds, a factory reset prompt will appear.
This factory reset prompt has a time limit that will cause your FireStick device to factory reset whether or not your click Ok to confirm this action. It’s a good way to factory reset a FireStick device that is frozen and unresponsive.
What should I do if my FireStick is not responding?
Wait for a few seconds until your FireStick starts becoming responsive again. If it’s still unresponsive, unplug and plug its power cable back into the power source to quickly soft reset your FireStick device and refresh its system memory.
If that doesn’t work, you can perform a factory reset to fix your unresponsive FireStick device. We recommend combining the back and right directional key buttons to factory reset unresponsive FireStick devices.
Will resetting FireStick delete all my apps and settings?
Data and apps are deleted while factory resetting a FireStick device. The lost data can’t be recovered after the reset since this action is permanent, but you can reinstall all your deleted apps from the Amazon App Store.
How long does it take to reset FireStick?
It takes around 3 minutes to reset a FireStick device. After the factory reset, you must allocate more time to setting up and reconfiguring the newly reset FireStick device.
What do I do if the FireStick reset process doesn’t work?
You can repeat the reset process if it doesn’t work initially due to minor issues. However, if no reset repetition is working out for you, we recommend contacting Amazon Digital support to assist you with your FireStick issue.
