How to Hard Factory Reset a Vizio Smart TV

HDTVs have really become affordable over time and gained many new features too, which can often lead to some degree of technical problems later on. Most consumers can get an incredibly large, 4K Smart TV for under $1000, but less expensive models mean lesser quality components and more troubleshooting.

How to Hard Factory Reset a Vizio Smart TV

On a value-per-dollar basis, Vizio ranks at the top, delivering a satisfying mix of quality and cost. In addition to featuring great visual screens, their HDTVs include some of the best software you can get. However, they too have some problems from time to time.

Follow along in this article to learn how to hard factory reset your Vizio TV.

Common Vizio TV Issues

Smart TVs have been popular for years, and in that time, the software from all brands has gone from sluggish and confusing to sleek and speedy. Of course, no Smart TV has perfect software, and as much as Vizio’s features stand out, they aren’t perfect either. Their HDTVs can occasionally run into issues too, including but not limited to the following:

  • The TV not turning on, or flashing different color screens
  • The display on the TV not working
  • The TV turns itself off and on at random
  • The smart functions stop working

Fortunately, there’s an easy fix for most of these problems: a factory reset. Vizio Smart TVs have two reset options: a soft reset and a hard reset.

What a Soft Reset Does to Your Vizio Smart TV

A soft reset clears the memory, allows any residual charge to dissipate, and restarts the device, all of which can easily fix a large percentage of the device’s problems. That’s why the process becomes the first suggestion that any technical support person gives. Performing a soft reset is easy.

  1. All you need to do is switch the device off and keep it that way for a few seconds.

What a Hard Reset Does to Your Vizio Smart TV

A hard reset is more serious. Not only does it do everything a soft reset does, but it will also reset the firmware or configuration of the device to their factory defaults, clear the memory, and reset the device entirely. A hard reset is basically the same as going back in time to when you first took the Vizio Smart TV out of the box.

If a device misbehaves or shows errors, a soft reset will usually fix it. If the problem is not solved, a hard reset may do the trick, which requires you to reconfigure and set up the TV all over again.

When to Use a Hard Reset

A hard reset of a Vizio Smart TV will wipe all configurations and settings. It will remove all account details for any smart apps, reset network data, and trigger a firmware update if one is available. You should always do a soft reset first to see if that resolves the issues you are having with your TV.

A hard reset on a Vizio Smart TV is generally known to fix the following issues:

  • Wireless network access connectivity issues
  • Intermittent problems with smart TV options
  • Audio issues or problems with video playback
  • Inaccessible smart apps or random app crashes
  • Generally strange behavior

How to Hard Reset a Vizio Smart TV

Note: To perform a hard reset on a Vizio Smart TV, you will need to use the remote.

  1. Unplug your router.
  2. Press the menu button on your Vizio remote.
  3. Navigate to System on the menu and select OK.
  4. Select Reset & Admin and select OK.
  5. Select Reset TV to Factory Defaults and select OK.
  6. Enter your parental lock code when prompted (0000 is the default parental lock code).
  7. Select Reset and then OK.
  8. Wait until the TV turns off.
  9. The TV will wipe its config and restore all files from its cache, and then it will open to the setup screen.
  10. Plug your router back in.
  11. Perform the setup process on your TV and reconnect to your Wi-Fi network.

The above method should work on most of the recent Vizio Smart TVs. If you’ve lost or damaged the original remote, you may be able to use an RCA universal remote to reset your TV too.

How to Hard Reset a Vizio Smart TV the Hard Way

If your TV won’t reset with the standard method, you may have to do things the hard way.

  1. Turn off your TV but leave it plugged in.
  2. Hold down both the CH+ and the CH- buttons on the TV remote.
  3. Press and release the Power button on the TV remote.
  4. Let go of the CH+ and CH- buttons.
  5. Press the Menu button on the TV remote.
  6. The TV should turn on and present you with the menu.
  7. You should see an “F” in the bottom right to indicate this it is a factory setup screen.
  8. Press and hold the Menu button for a few seconds.
  9. You should see the Service Menu.
  10. From there, you can access factory reset options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you reset a Vizio TV without the remote?

Because Vizio Smart TVs do not generally have any other buttons besides power, the remote is usually required to perform a hard reset.

Vizio TV Reset

Regardless, the Vizio Smart TV reset options mentioned here should “refresh” your model without trouble, whether they fix the problem or not. Bear in mind that the processes don’t work on all Vizio HDTVs, but they usually function with newer models. Some older Vizio TVs don’t have an actual reset option listed in the menu directly, but the choice is still there under a certain category or wording.

Furthermore, older Vizio TVs have other buttons on the front panel so read the manual for more information on resetting to factory defaults. Lastly, if you have issues such as when your Vizio TV won’t turn on, it doesn’t mean the Smart TV is broken. Therefore, there is no need to panic just yet! Try some of the above steps and see if you can get things back up and running!

23 thoughts on “How to Hard Factory Reset a Vizio Smart TV”

Roy says:
I have 8 buttons on an older 3D Vizio,,Lost remote,,now menu button doesn’t respond,,how to reset,,input and volume down doesn’t work on resetting
Barbara Fahey says:
I really hope someone can help me I had to do a factory reset my tv wouldn’t connect to the internet I’m at the cable box brand and its not on the list what do I do it wont let me go any further? Help please
Bitty says:
My Vizio TV won’t let me cast anything and I’ve reset it soooo many times I tried everything nothing helps and even when I do reset it wireless connection won’t show up
Ray C says:
Vizio M series 65″ would not start.
Read how to hard reset, did not work, unplugged for half hour while reading more methods to get it started. Not much there.
Plugged tv back in, 10 seconds it’s on and doing a software update.
Kim Long says:
Visio screen turned black in upper right hand corner. Trying to reset to factory settings but can’t remember the pin to do so. Help
Kim P says:
My vizio will turn on today and when I go to watch it again later that day or next day after shutting it off. It will not turn back on. I have to unplug it and let it sit a day or two and then it might work and might not… by chance you have any clue on what to do?
J. Kaz says:
My Vizio turns on to a blue screen ever since I tried to use smartcast. I have to input to smartcast then input back to HDMI1 for regular TV to come on.
Jerry Lee Hogan says:
All my other TV is working fine . This smart one sometime you turn it off will not come back on turn it off and back on and may be will come back on . unplug it and also had cable man come out still does it some time what could be wrong with it is it thE TV or my cable to that one TV any advice you no of for a fix TV is only a few months old THANK YOU
Cheryl Harper says:
I had to do a hard factory reset because all of my channels went out..i use an antenna I have tried over and over but no channels will come in
Rogelio says:
My tv wont enter to menu with the remote or the aplications and the remote works fine with other tv
Bob says:
I am having the same problem. Did you ever figure out a fix?
Catie says:
I simply pressed and held the input button until the tv turned itself on and straight to set up. Vizio should really put a menu button on the tv or the remote one.
Paul says:
Bought E-48. Has a dummy remote no numbers or menu. I don’t have Wi-Fi so smart cast is a no go. Come on Vizio what were you thinking? Trying to save the company some profits and in the meanwhile losing customers.
Terry says:
Paul I can tell you how to reset without the remote. I agree….what were they thinking??
Terry says:
My E50 has three buttons on the back of the tv in the lower left corner above the power indicator.

To reset it to factory:
Press and Hold down the middle and bottom buttons until you get a message to hold input for 5 seconds to factory reset (approx 60 seconds).

When you get the message to press the “Input” button press and hold the bottom button until you see “Resetting to Factory Defaults” or something like that.

No idea why this has been such a secret or why Vizio did not include a menu button on the remote or the back of the tv…

Dan Kingsmore says:
My vizio on light comes on when I push is and then dems down and goes of. the screen never lights up. what should I try?
Steve says:
When all else failed, unplugging for several hours worked. But not this time! Will try unplugging for 24 hours. (Problem both times was hanging in setup from iPhone app, which I’ve now deleted)
Breven says:
My Vizio 4K 50” won’t even show a light when trying to turn on. I opened it up and checked every cable and wire and plug and done every reset method possible; the tv has only been in my hands for about 5 months and is in amazing condition and just all of a sudden stopped turning on. Vizio support page isn’t working and I don’t know what to do without a receipt. Please help ):
Tony says:
They are junk. I have bought and thrown out 3 of them so far. I will not buy, nor ecommend them any longer
Bosserman says:
Why are we leaving responses if no one replies?
I am also having the same problem as many others.. menu won’t come up long enough to do a hard reset. It’s on screen for a fraction of a second. What to do??
Tony says:
Do like I did. Throw it away and never buy another Vizio
Lance says:
I have a 2012 Vizio. The menu screen won’t stay up and also my channel display won’t go away. It will be on everything that I watch. Netflix, DVD, Playstationview. Not only this problem is always; it always flickers and even sometimes you’ll see the input screen flicker as well.
Mark says:
My Vizio won’t allow me to get past menu bar. “Enter” doesn’t work to reset, find channels or do get into the system menu. Any suggestions as the hard reboot didn’t work either.
JohnFL says:
How to reset with no remote? Press and hold the power button until it restarts, from there you are ready to set it up just like when new.

Hope it helps!

Abe says:
Vizio stuck on logo will not reset at all holding power button nothing
Katharine Bozeman says:
Hi, my Vizio TV doesn’t have any sound, when I press the power button, the light comes on and then goes dim? Do I need a new TV
Donna Rylant says:
No network detected. It was working yesterday. No it’s not. I have internet on my computer and smart phone. We have spoken with our internet provider and satellite providers. We believe it is the TV. Please help
Liz says:
Is there a way to hard reset without a remote? Somehow my vizio tv got left in mute screen and now my screen is just black. We lost the remote in moving. Purchased a replacement remote but it doesnt have the mute screen button on it. All the functions on the tv work fine but I only see a black screen so going into a menu option is impossible. Please help!
Shawn Sweat says:
Can’t do anything because my menu won’t stay up long enough to reset it. I’ve tried the unplug reset to no avail. Don’t know what to do.
jan says:
same here
Tammy says:
We have had our vizio for awhile now it wasn’t in-laws first. Not long ago a thin black line appeared through the center then a few days later no picture of any kind only sound. Wondering what & why this has happened. & how we could fix it thank you
John H says:
From Vizio..
TV would not boot.. colour screens.. flashing.
Procedure..
Unplug
Hold down power button on back 30 seconds
Plug in
Power up.

Worked. This failure to boot has recurred twice. Annoying, but the fix worked.

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