My Samsung TV was acting up. The screen froze, apps crashed, and sometimes the sound disappeared for no reason. At first, I ignored it, hoping it would fix itself. But the problems kept getting worse.
One night, I was watching my favorite show, and the TV suddenly shut off. I tried turning it back on, but nothing happened. I grabbed the remote, pressed every button, and still—nothing. Frustrated, I searched online for solutions. That’s when I realized a factory reset might be the answer.
I had never reset a TV before, but I was willing to try.
Read more: Samsung Reset Guide
Table of Contents
When My Samsung TV Needed a Reset
My TV wasn’t acting right, and nothing seemed to fix it. I learned that a reset could solve many common problems.
- Glitches that won’t go away: Apps crashed, menus froze, and the remote lagged. Restarting helped, but only for a while.
- Wi-Fi and connection issues: Sometimes, my TV wouldn’t connect to the internet. Other times, it lost sound from my speakers.
- Apps not working properly: Netflix wouldn’t load, and YouTube kept buffering. No updates or restarts made a difference.
- Getting the TV ready to sell: I didn’t want my accounts and settings left behind for the next owner.
A reset can clear these problems, but it also wipes everything. I had to be sure before taking that step.
Read more: My Samsung TV Guide
The Quick Fix That Brought My TV Back
Before resetting everything, I tried a soft reset first. It’s simple and fixes small glitches fast.
With the Remote:
- I turned on the TV.
- Pressed and held the Power button on the remote for 5 seconds.
- The screen went black, then the Samsung logo appeared as it restarted.
Without the Remote:
- I unplugged the TV from the power source.
- Waited for 30 seconds (felt longer than it sounds).
- Plugged it back in and pressed the Power button on the TV.
This reset cleared up small issues without erasing my settings.
How to Reset Samsung TV with the Remote
My TV needed a full reset, and luckily, I had the remote. The process was simple and brought everything back to factory settings.
Opened the menu
- I pressed the Home button on the remote.
- Navigated to Settings > General & Privacy.
Started the reset
- Selected Reset from the menu.
- Entered the PIN (default is 0000).
Confirmed and waited
- Selected Reset again to confirm.
- The TV turned off and restarted on its own.
Once it powered back on, everything was back to its original state. My apps, settings, and accounts were wiped, but the TV ran like new.
Read more: How to Reset a Samsung TV Remote
How to Reset Samsung TV Without a Remote
I lost my remote once, and my TV was stuck on a black screen. I found other ways to reset it without the remote.
Using the TV’s physical buttons
- Located the Menu button on the side or bottom of the TV.
- Pressed and held it to open the settings menu.
- Used the Volume and Channel buttons to navigate to Reset.
- Followed the on-screen prompts to confirm.
Using a USB keyboard
- Plugged a USB keyboard into the TV’s USB port.
- Used the arrow keys to go to Settings > General & Privacy > Reset.
- Entered the PIN (if prompted) and confirmed the reset.
Both methods worked, and I was able to reset my TV even without the remote.
How to Reset Samsung TV Without the PIN
I forgot my PIN, and I couldn’t reset my TV without it. Luckily, I found a way to reset it back to the default.
Using the Remote:
- Turned off the TV.
- Pressed Mute > 8 > 2 > 4 > Power in that order.
- The TV powered on with the PIN reset to 0000.
After that, I was able to go into the settings and reset my TV without any issues.
Samsung TV Hard Reset Without Screen: How I did it blind
My screen went black, but I still needed to reset everything.
- Unplug the TV from the wall: Leave it unplugged for 60 seconds.
- Hold the power button on the TV (not remote) for 30 seconds: This drains extra power.
- Plug the TV back in and press Power once: Sometimes that’s enough for a soft reset.
- For a full reset, press and hold Volume Down and Menu on the TV (if available), then Power: Keep holding all for 10 seconds.
- Listen for a click or startup chime: That tells you it’s restarting or resetting.
- Wait up to 1–2 minutes before touching anything else: Let it boot fully.
- If remote works but screen doesn’t, use remote: Press Mute > 1 > 8 > 2 > Power in that exact order: This brings up the service menu on older models.
Samsung TV Reset Not Available: Here’s What Worked for Me
When the reset option was missing, I had to go around it.
- Turn off the TV and unplug for 60 seconds: This clears temporary memory.
- Use the remote and press: Info > Menu > Mute > Power in order: Brings up service menu on some models.
- If Info doesn’t work, try Mute > 1 > 8 > 2 > Power: Try each sequence, but only one at a time.
- Use the arrow buttons to find ‘Factory Reset’: Be gentle—this menu is sensitive.
- Select it with the Enter button, then let the TV restart: Don’t power off during this step.
- If no menu appears, try another remote or the physical buttons on TV: Some older TVs work only with original remotes.
How to Factory Reset Old Samsung TV: What I did step-by-step
My older model didn’t make it easy, but I got it reset.
- Press Menu on the remote: This opens the main menu.
- Go to Support > Self Diagnosis > Reset: Use arrow and enter buttons.
- Enter the default PIN (usually 0000): Change it later if needed.
- Choose ‘Yes’ to confirm reset: It wipes settings and restarts the TV.
- If Menu button doesn’t work, try the service menu: Use remote and press: Mute > 1 > 8 > 2 > Power.
- Scroll to ‘Factory Reset’ using the arrow keys: Be careful—this mode is sensitive.
- Wait for the TV to restart on its own: Setup will begin like it’s brand new.
- Replace batteries or test another remote if the buttons don’t respond: That was my issue once.
How to Fix Samsung TV When It Wouldn’t Turn On
One day, my TV wouldn’t turn on, no matter what I tried. Here’s what finally worked.
Power Cycle:
- Unplugged the TV from the power outlet.
- Waited 60 seconds.
- Plugged it back in and pressed the Power button.
Surprisingly, that was all it took to get my TV working again.
Samsung TV Factory Reset Code
I wanted a faster way to reset my TV and found a special code. It gives direct access to the reset function.
Using the Remote:
- Turned on the TV.
- Pressed Info > Menu > Mute > Power in that order.
- The service menu appeared.
- Navigated to Factory Reset and followed the instructions.
I was careful because the service menu has advanced settings that can change how the TV works.