A TV that won’t turn on is about as useful as a 50-pound paperweight. If your Vizio TV stopped working altogether or won’t turn on with the remote, there are a few easy fixes that usually fix the problem.
In this article, we’ll look at what to do when your Vizio TV won’t turn on, including how to fix the TV and the remote.
Check The Power Indicator Light
Before we can fix the problem, we need to know if your TV is really turned off.
Depending on the model of your TV, the power light may be a rectangle in the bottom corner of the screen or it may be part of the Vizio name at the bottom of the screen.
Find the power button on your TV and press it. We’re going to use this button instead of the remote in case the problem is with the remote.
Watch the power light when you press the power button.
- If the light flashes from orange to white and keeps flashing for more than two minutes, your TV needs to be fixed by Vizio support (solution 7 below).
- If the light comes on but the picture doesn’t show, the problem is with your screen, not its power source. Solutions 2, 3, 4, and 7 are worth trying, but you may need to contact Vizio support (solution 7 below).
- If the light doesn’t turn on at all, your device’s power source is probably the problem. Try the answers 2, 3, 4, and 7.
- On some new Vizio models, the indicator light is white when the TV is off and fades when the TV is on. If the light doesn’t go out when you press the power button, you should contact Vizio support (solution 7 below).
- If the indicator light turns on normally when you press the power button on the TV but won’t turn on when you use the remote, the problem is probably with the remote and not the TV. Try the fifth, sixth, and seventh options.
Power Cycle Your Vizio TV
Most of the time, software problems are to blame when your TV won’t turn on. As with most electronic devices, restarting the system is the easiest way to fix these problems.
But pressing the power button won’t really turn your TV back on. When you press the “off” button, your TV doesn’t turn off. Instead, it goes into “standby” mode. This makes it faster for the TV to turn on, but it can let software bugs build up over time.
There is a way to make sure that your Vizio TV restarts completely. This is how:
- Pull the TV’s cord out of the wall.
- Hold on for 2 minutes.
- Reconnect your TV and turn it on.
After that, did your TV work right? If that doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.
Test The Power Outlet
We need to make sure that the wall outlet or surge protector is giving power to your TV. You will need a lamp or something similar, something that is portable and easy to check to see if it is getting power.
Unplug your TV from the wall or surge protector and plug in the lamp instead. Try to turn the light on.
If that works, the outlet is good. If that doesn’t work, try plugging the TV into a different plug. You might also want to check your breaker box to see if the outlet’s breaker has tripped.
Once we’ve made sure the outlet works, we’ll plug the TV back in. Make sure that the cord fits tightly into both the wall and the TV. Make sure your surge protector is on if you have one.
Press the TV’s power button again. Hope that worked, because the next step is a bit more extreme.
Factory Reset Your TV
Most of the time, we would use the System menu to reset your Vizio TV. But it’s clear that you can’t do that if your TV won’t turn on.
Vizio TVs can be reset to factory settings without being able to see the screen. That’s what we’re going to do.
Since this is a full factory reset, all of your apps, app data, and user settings will be erased. Because of this, I really think you should try the other solutions first.
Make sure you have all of your app logins and passwords ready before you move on. After this process is done, you’ll need them to get to the apps.
Without a display that works, it won’t be easy to do this. Usually, the instructions would show up on the screen, but we can move forward even if we don’t see them. It might only take a few tries to get the timing right.
- Use the power button on the TV itself to turn it on (not on the remote). Even if the TV doesn’t turn on right, this process might still work as long as the panel is getting power.
- Hold down the TV’s Volume Down and Input buttons for 15 seconds. Most TVs made by Vizio have these buttons on the side of the screen.
- Don’t hold on to either button.
- Quickly press and hold the Input button for another 10 seconds.
- Wait about a minute to see if the panel resets. If not, repeat the process.
Once the panel is turned off and on again, it should work again.
If the reset didn’t fix the problem or if you can’t get the reset to work without the display, there are no more things you can do on your own. You may need help from Vizio’s customer service team to move forward.
Power Cycle Your Vizio Remote
Just like the TV, the Vizio remote sometimes needs to be reset. If your TV won’t turn on with the remote, this should be your first step.
Since the remote runs on batteries, the process is a little different than power cycling a TV, but the idea is the same.
- Take the batteries out of the remote control.
- Hold down the power button on the remote for at least 15 seconds to use up all the power left in the device.
- Replace the batteries in the remote control.
Now try using the remote to turn on your TV. This fix should have fixed most problems with how the TV and remote work together. We’ll try one more thing if your TV still won’t turn on.
Replace The Batteries In Your Remote
I know, it’s a simple answer. Even if you just put new batteries in your remote, you should try a new set.
Batteries can run out quickly in Vizio remotes, especially if one of the buttons is stuck down by something like a couch cushion. And you could have gotten a bad set of batteries that didn’t have much power to start with.
Try again to turn on your Vizio TV with the remote once you’ve changed the batteries. If that doesn’t work, you may need to get a new remote. But you should contact Vizio before you buy a new one, especially if your TV is still under warranty.
Contact The Support
Before you call Vizio, check your warranty. Most Vizio TVs come with a limited 1-year warranty, but if the TV was bought for business use, the warranty is only good for 90 days.
Vizio’s support can be reached by phone, live chat, or text message. You can choose whichever one you like best, because the service is about the same on all of them.
It’s possible that your TV or remote needs to be fixed or replaced. Depending on how long your warranty is and what’s wrong, the repair could be free or cost almost as much as a new Vizio TV.
Final Words
You can use your Vizio TV even if the remote doesn’t work, and you can even use a smart TV without the internet. You can’t watch TV, though, if it won’t turn on.
If none of these fixes worked and Vizio support wasn’t able to help, you might want to think about getting a new smart TV or Android TV.
I know that’s never what anyone wants to hear, so let me try to make it as easy as I can. Budget TVs like the Onn TV brand are a lot more powerful than they used to be. They are a good way to replace a TV without breaking the bank, whether it’s for a short time or for good.