How to Restart a Samsung TV & Forgotten PIN

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Experiencing glitches with your Samsung TV? Restarting or resetting can often be the simple fix you need.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to restart, reset a Samsung TV with or without a remote, covering both soft and factory resets.

Dive in to keep your Samsung TV running smoothly.

How to Reboot Your Samsung TV

Rebooting your Samsung TV with or without a remote couldn’t be easier!

With a Remote

To do so, press and hold your Samsung TV remote’s Power button until the TV turns off and then restarts.

This process will only take a few seconds but can help resolve a myriad of problems.

Without a Remote

Restarting your Samsung TV without a remote may seem like a complex feat, but it’s surprisingly easy and only takes a few minutes.

Step 1: Find your Samsung TV’s Power button on the back or bottom of the unit. Then, press it once to launch the quick menu bar.

Step 2: Long-press the Power button to choose the Power off option.

Step 3: Wait a few seconds for your TV to completely shut down before pressing the Power button again to turn it back on.

Soft Reset Your Samsung TV

Every TV owner has had their unit glitch at one point. Thankfully, soft resetting or power cycling their unit will remove any residual power and can resolve any minor problems.

With a Remote

Power cycling your TV with its remote takes less than a minute by following the steps below.

Step 1: Hit your Samsung TV remote’s Power key to turn it off.

Step 2: Disconnect it from power for at least 30 seconds. If you can, also long-press the Power to drain any additional power from your TV.

Step 3: Lastly, reconnect your TV to power and press the remote’s Power key to turn it back on.

Without a Remote

Since the soft reset process involves disconnecting your TV from power, it can easily be done without a remote.

Step 1: Locate the Samsung TV’s Power button on the back or bottom of your TV. In the quick settings menu, long-press the Power key to select Power off.

Step 2: Unplug the TV’s power cord for at least 30 seconds while pressing the TV’s Power button to drain all electricity from the unit if possible.

Step 3: Plug the TV back into power and hit the TV’s Power button to restart it.

How to Restart Samsung TV Apps

If one of your Samsung TV apps is freezing or glitching, it’s a good idea to restart it by following the steps listed below.

Step 1: Hit your Samsung TV remote’s Exit/Back/Return key to go to the SmartHub menu.

Step 2: Relaunch the app from this menu.

Factory Reset Your Samsung TV

There’s not only one way to fix your Samsung TV but two!

Both factory reset processes will erase your Samsung TV of all data and apps. So, be prepared to set up your TV and reinstall all your desired apps once it restarts after the reset process.

With a Remote

I used these steps to factory reset my Samsung TV, however, other models’ steps may vary slightly. You can find a table with all Samsung models’ factory reset steps at the end of this section.

Step 1: Open the Settings menu.

Step 2: Go to General and navigate to Reset.

Step 3: Enter your customized PIN or the default PIN (0000) into the keypad.

If the above steps don’t work for your Samsung TV, consult the table below to find the model-specific instructions for your unit.

Samsung TV Year/Series	Factory Reset Steps
2020 (T Series)	Home → Settings → General → Reset
2019 (Q Series), 2018 (NU Series), 2017 (M Series), and 2016 (K Series)	Home → Settings → Support → Self Diagnosis → Reset
2015 (J Series)	Menu/123 → Menu → Support → Self Diagnosis → Reset
2014 (H Series)	Support → Self Diagnosis → Reset
2013 (F Series)	Screen Menu → Support → Self Diagnosis → Reset
2012 (E Series)	MENU → Support → Self Diagnosis

Without a Remote

If you’re Samsung TV has mysteriously disappeared or stopped working, don’t worry!

You can factory reset your Samsung TV using the SmartThings app, a keyboard, or a controller. Simply follow the steps outlined in the video below and refer to the table above for specific model instructions.

You’ve Forgotten Your Samsung TV’s PIN Code/Password? Here’s How to Reset It

When factory resetting your Samsung TV, you will usually be prompted for a PIN. This PIN can be customized and used to unlock certain features.

But what do you do if you’ve forgotten it? 

Follow the steps below to reset your Samsung PIN to 0000 using a key combination. 

Step 1: Enter the following key sequence into your Samsung TV remote: Mute → Volume Up → Return → Volume Down → Return → Volume Up → Return.

Step 2: Go to Settings.

Step 3: Open General/General & Privacy and select System Manager.

Step 4: Head to Change PIN.

Step 5: Use the on-screen keypad to enter the default PIN, 0000.

Step 6: Now, type in your new PIN.

How to Fix Factory Reset Not Available on Samsung TV

You’ve come to the conclusion that the only way to fix your glitching Samsung TV is to factory reset it. However, after navigating to the factory reset option, you found it was mysteriously locked.

To unlock this setting, all you have to do is exit the Settings app by clicking the Edit/Back/Return button. Then, navigate back to the Reset option to see if it’s available now.

Watch the video below to learn how to fix the grayed factory reset option on your Samsung TV.

Samsung TV Bootloop

Your Samsung TV restarting once may be beneficial for its software and hardware, but it uncontrollably restarting non-stop is just downright annoying.

Thankfully, Samsung is aware of these issues and has recommended a few solutions.

If the following solutions don’t stop your TV from boot looping, it’s a good idea to contact an experienced technician to take a look at your TV as there may be some deeper issues with its hardware.

• Disconnect the TV from power for at least 30 seconds.
• Inspect the power cord for any damage, like tears and creases.
• Plug the TV directly into a wall outlet instead of into a power strip or surge protector, as these devices can be faulty and prevent your TV from receiving sufficient power.
• Install your TV’s latest software. Please note that this solution can be risky as your TV may turn off during the update process, resulting in further damage.
• Disable the Power On with Mobile setting. To do so, head to the Settings menu, General, and then Network. Open Expert Settings and disable Power On with Mobile.
• Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) may cause your TV to randomly reboot when enabled since it allows HDMI devices to control one another. The connected HDMI devices could incorrectly understand a command, causing your TV to suddenly restart. Each model has different steps to deactivate the CEC feature, you can check the full instructions for your Samsung TV here.

How to Contact Samsung Support?

If you think your Samsung TV may need to be repaired or even replaced, it’s best to contact Samsung customer support.

If your warranty is still valid, they may fix/replace your TV for free or suggest some approved TV technicians in your area. 

To contact Samsung customer support, open a browser and head to samsung.com/us/support.

Then, choose your product (TVs & Home Audio) or enter your TV’s model number into the search bar.

From here, you can choose your preferred contact method to start talking to one of Samsung’s dedicated customer care agents.

Wrapping Things Up

Restarting your Samsung TV is an easy and fast process, regardless of whether you have a remote on hand or not.

You can restart your TV using the remote’s Power key or Control button, or by unplugging the power cable.

If your TV is in a boot loop, there may be something wrong with its power source. So, it’s a good idea to power cycle your TV by unplugging it, and ensuring the power cable is in good condition and plugged directly into the wall outlet.

You can also try updating the TV’s software if you think your TV can stay on long enough to complete the process.

What’s your experience restarting a Samsung TV with or without its remote?

Let us know in the comments below!

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