For most things in life, green light means go.
But when I saw my Roku remote blinking green…
It made me do the opposite.
I stopped, thinking something serious was going on.
But luckily, a blinking green light is very easy to fix.
And I’m here to help you do it.
Continue reading to find out:
- 7 quick solutions to this blinking green light problem.
- How to check your Roku remote’s remaining power level.
- 11 easy steps to download a virtual Roku remote replacement.
- And much, much more…
Why is my Roku blinking green light?
Your Roku is blinking green light because your remote control isn’t connected properly. This connection problem can be caused by discharged batteries or signal interference. In other cases, the remote itself is faulty and will need a replacement.
Roku blinking green light: 7 fixes
#1: Make minor adjustments
Most of the time, when a green light starts blinking on your Roku…
It signifies that there’s a weak connection from your remote to the device.
But this isn’t always caused by internal or software components.
Sometimes, external factors can also influence the signal strength of your Roku.
“What external factors?”
These can either be physical obstructions or loose HDMI connections.
However…
To know which 1 of these you need to adjust…
You need to know what type of Roku remote you have first.
There are currently 2 types of these, and they’re:
- Standard infrared (IR) remote control.
- Enhanced point-anywhere (EPA) remote.
Don’t worry. It’s easy to know which 1 you have.
All you need to do is check if your remote has a pairing button.
And to do so:
- Flip your remote over.
- Remove the battery compartment’s cover.
- Check if there’s a pairing button.
If you see a circle button inside the battery’s compartment…
Then your remote is an EPA remote.
If there isn’t 1, then you have an IR remote control.
“What’s the difference between the 2?”
There are a lot of technical differences between them…
But for our purposes, just know that EPA remotes can be pointed anywhere and still work.
While IR remotes need a direct line of sight with the TV.
And this difference also results in the 2 remotes needing separate adjustments.
If you have an IR remote:
- Find the IR sensor of your Roku device.
- Clean it using a clean towel.
- Remove any objects in front of it.
If you have an EPA remote or a Roku streaming stick:
- Unplug the HDMI cable of your Roku from the TV port.
- Ensure that the cable doesn’t have any external damage.
- Plug the cable into a different HDMI port if there’s 1 available.
- If there are no other HDMI ports, just plug it back into the same spot.
Note: If you have a Roku streaming stick, just unplug the Roku itself.
Check if making these adjustments made the green light disappear.
If they didn’t…
#2: Replace your Roku remote’s batteries
Even high-quality batteries end up dying over time…
So it’s very common for Roku remotes to blink green when they lack enough power.
Luckily, it’s easy to check how much power your batteries have left through Roku’s settings.
To check:
- Turn ON your TV and your Roku device.
- Head to the home screen of your Roku.
- Go to Settings > Remote & devices > Remotes.
- Click Gaming Remote.
- Select About.
- On the right side, you’ll see the battery level of your remote.
If you see a battery percentage less than 25%, it’s time to replace them.
Grab yourself some AAA or AA batteries and proceed to the process.
Note: Check your remote control to see which battery type you need.
To replace your Roku remote’s battery:
- Remove the back cover of your remote.
- Take off the existing batteries.
- Insert the new ones you got.
- Check that you’ve placed them correctly.
- Return the back cover of your remote control.
Note: Replace both batteries and avoid mixing old and new cells.
Check if the blinking green light persists.
If it does, it’s time to…
#3: Conduct a hard reset
Contrary to its name, this process isn’t hard at all.
So don’t worry, even if you’re not too tech-savvy, as this solution is just a variation of the previous 1.
“Will I lose my data from my Roku?”
This reset refreshes your device’s settings but doesn’t delete anything from it.
All you’re doing is draining the power from your device and disconnecting your remote.
It’s a very quick process, so without further delay, this is how you can…
Hard reset your Roku:
Step 1: Keep your TV ON.
Step 2: Remove your remote’s batteries.
Step 3: Unplug your Roku from its power source.
For most Roku models, you can just unplug them from the socket.
But for Roku streaming sticks, you need to unplug the unit from the TV.
Step 4: While your Roku device is OFF, insert the batteries to your remote again.
Ensure that the negative and positive sides align with the remote’s labels.
Note: Don’t close the cover yet.
Step 5: Wait for your remote to blink green.
Step 6: Plug your Roku back into its power source and turn it ON.
Step 7: Press the pairing button on your remote for 3 seconds.
You can find this inside your remote’s battery compartment.
Step 8: Insert your remote’s cover again.
Your remote should automatically pair with your TV.
And after the successful pairing…
The blinking green light should disappear.
“My remote won’t pair, and the light is still blinking. What should I do?”
In that case, you need to repeat this process.
But this time…
#4: Pair your remote control without Wifi
Roku requires an internet connection for you to use.
But did you know that the Wi-Fi signals can interfere with the pairing process?
So I suggest disconnecting your Wifi for now and then trying step #3 again.
If your Roku is connected to your router using an ethernet cable…
You should unplug this cable as well.
See if this slight adjustment fixed the pairing problem.
And observe if the blinking green light stops.
You might also want to know: 17 Steps To Connect Roku To TV Without HDMI
#5: Factory reset your device
If none of the previous methods solved the blinking light issue of your Roku…
It might be time to factory reset your device.
Now, unlike the hard reset you did earlier…
A factory reset will delete all your data and settings from your Roku device.
So, before you proceed to start this process…
Pro tip: Take note of your Roku’s current customized settings and login credentials.
So that once you try to set them all up again…
It’ll be easier for you to do so.
After that, proceed to:
- Find the RESET button on your Roku device.
Note: Depending on your device’s model, this can be a pinhole design or a tactile button.
- Press and hold this button for around 10 seconds.
- Your device will start the factory reset process.
- Once the reset is over, you’ll see an indicator light blink rapidly.
- Set up your Roku device again.
If your Roku has a pinhole RESET button, you can watch this video for more information:
You might also be interested in: (5 Fixes) Roku TV Volume Too Low
#6: Buy a new Roku remote
You can turn ON your Roku device without a remote…
But that’s pretty much all you can do without a functioning controller.
So if none of these fixes removed the blinking green light on your remote…
It’s time to buy a new 1.
Fortunately, it’s easy to buy a new Roku remote control online.
And it won’t even cost you that much to do so.
Note: Ensure that the remote control you’re buying is compatible with the Roku model that you have in hand. Otherwise, you could buy a remote that you can’t pair with your device.
And while you’re waiting for your Roku remote control to be delivered…
It might be a good idea to…
#7: Download the Roku controller app on your phone
Did you know that Roku has a dedicated app that can act as your device’s virtual remote?
If not, then now you do.
The best thing about this app is that it’s completely free.
It’s also compatible with Android and iOS devices, so you’ll have no problems accessing it.
So while you’re still waiting for that remote replacement to arrive…
I recommend you use this cool virtual remote in the meantime.
Downloading it is easy, and the app itself is very user-friendly.
With that being said…
This is how you can download a virtual Roku remote:
- Turn ON your TV and Roku device.
- Connect your phone and Roku to the same Wifi network.
- Open the Playstore/App Store application on your phone.
- Type “Roku Remote” in the search bar.
- Download the app.
- Wait until the download process is complete.
- Open the app.
- Click Remote on the bottom of your screen.
- Find your Roku device’s model from the choices.
- Pair with your device.
- Wait for the pairing process to finish.
After that, try familiarizing yourself with the buttons.
And once you do, you can use this virtual remote to control your Roku.