How to Reset Your Roku Remote

So you can get back to watching as soon as possible

Roku Express media streamer
Image provided by Roku
by Lisa Mildon
Lisa Mildon has been an IT professional for 30 years and a tech writer for 12+ years. Her writing has appeared in Geekisphere and other publications.
Updated September 22, 2019

Whether you're using a Roku box or streaming stick, sometimes the remote decides to not cooperate. Most likely, your remote lost its pairing. Below are some simple steps to re-pair your Roku remote. Instructions in this article apply to any Roku receiver model you own.

The Roku IR remote doesn't have pairing features like the Enhanced Remote and cannot be paired with a Roku receiver. To determine which remote you have, remove the battery cover on the back. If it's an IR remote, there won't be a pairing button at the bottom of the remote. Enhanced remotes have either a single pairing button or a pairing button with an indicator light.

  1. Remove the battery cover. No matter what type of enhanced remote you own, to begin the pairing process, you’ll need to open the battery cover on the bottom of the remote and remove the batteries.

    Roku remote with batteries taken out

  2. Remove power. Remove the power cable from your Roku receiver, wait 5 seconds, then re-connect the power cable.

    Roku Ultra back with ports

  3. Reinsert Batteries. Once your Roku receiver displays the home screen, reinstall the batteries into your remote.

    Roku remote with batteries being inserted

  4. Time to Pair. On the bottom of the remote, locate the pairing button. Press and hold the pairing button inside the battery compartment for approximately 3-5 seconds or until you see the pairing light on the remote begin to flash. Older remotes do not have the indicator light.

    If the light does not flash, repeat this step. If it still does not flash, then you should replace the batteries in your remote.

    Roku remote with the back taken off

  5. Establishing a Connection. Wait approximately 30 seconds for the remote to establish a connection with your Roku receiver.

    Roku pairing screen on a TV

  6. Successful Pairing. A remote pairing dialog should appear on the TV screen once a successful pairing has occurred.

    Roku paired

  7. Get back to your TV streaming entertainment.