Since the company’s inception, Vizio TVs have been a preferable choice for TV buyers. The TVs have advanced features normally not present on TVs with the same price range as Vizio TVs.
Generally, VIZIO TVs work as intended, but you may occasionally experience malfunctions, especially after the TV receives system updates. Fortunately, some minor malfunctions can be solved by restarting the TV. Hence, this article describes how to reboot your Vizio TV efficiently.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
REBOOT is the same thing as RESTART or POWER CYCLE. It is not the same thing as RESET. However, people sometimes use the term SOFT RESET when referring to REBOOT.
REBOOTING your TV should be your first troubleshooting step when dealing with TV issues. A simple reboot can fix minor issues and software bugs/glitches.
You can reboot your VIZIO smart TV using the remote (SOFT REBOOT) or by unplugging it from the power source (HARD REBOOT). A hard reboot is more effective than a soft reboot.
To soft reboot VIZIO smart TV using your VIZIO TV remote navigate to:
- Menu > System > Reboot TV.
or
- Menu > Admin & Privacy > Reboot TV.
or
- Menu > Reset & Admin > Soft Power Cycle.
Note: The exact path depends on your VIZIO TV model.
To hard reboot your VIZIO TV, unplug your TV from the power source, press and hold the power button on the TV for 20sec, and plug the TV back in.
What is Meant by Rebooting the TV?
A reboot simply means a restart; therefore, rebooting the TV entails shutting it down and powering it back up or, in other terms, turning the TV off and then back on. A reboot is also known as a power cycle, restart, or soft reset.
Moreover, there are two different kinds of reboots, i.e., a hard reboot and a soft reboot.
A hard reboot entails completely cutting off power to the TV to restart it, while a soft reboot involves restarting the TV without cutting off the power supply.
A hard reboot will dissipate any residual power from the TV’s circuits, unlike a soft reboot that leaves residual power in the TV, which might result in some processes not shutting down completely.
With a soft reboot, the TV will power itself off when you prompt it and automatically power itself back on. On the other hand, a hard reboot requires you to initiate the powering down and powering up processes.
Why Should I Reboot my Vizio TV?
A reboot or restart is among the first troubleshooting steps for any electronic device. When you restart the TV, you allow it to shut down all system processes and initialize them afresh. When the TV restarts and all system processes are set up as they should, the TV can easily solve most mild system malfunctions.
Therefore, a restart is essential when the TV has installed new system updates, when it seems slow, or if it keeps freezing.
Generally, it is advisable to reboot the TV whenever you notice any problems with how it works or when a certain feature seems unresponsive or works abnormally.
How to Reboot a Vizio TV?
The exact reboot procedure depends on whether you want to perform a soft reboot or a hard reboot. All methods are listed below.
Performing a Soft Reboot
A soft reboot involves fewer steps compared to a hard reboot. You can use a soft reboot when you can still interact with the TV menu options through the screen; otherwise, a hard reboot is your best option (or your only option).
You can soft reboot the TV by following the steps below:
- Press the Menu key on the remote.
- Use the up/down navigation keys to scroll through the menu options and access Admin & Privacy (or System, or Reset & Admin, depending on the model).
- Navigate to the Soft Power Cycle/ Reboot TV (depending on the TV’s model) option, click OK, and the TV will automatically go off and restart.
How to Perform a Soft Power Cycle on Your VIZIO TV
How to Hard Reboot a Vizio Smart TV
A hard reboot will cut the power supply to the TV completely and discharge any power remaining in the TV’s components. The steps below describe how to reboot a Vizio Smart TV:
- Press the power button on the remote to turn off the TV. You can also press and hold the power button on the TV for approximately five seconds to turn it off. You can skip this step and start from step 2, especially if the TV is unresponsive when turning it off via the power buttons.
- Unplug the TV from the power outlet.
- Press and hold the physical power button on the TV for approximately fifteen to thirty seconds. This discharges any residual power within the TV’s components.
- You can wait for at least a minute or skip to the next step. If the TV has severe malfunction issues, it is better not to skip this step.
- Plug the TV back into the power outlet and power it on as you normally do.
Conclusion
It is efficient to consider a reboot before resetting the TV, as most problems are easily solved by restarting the TV. A reset will clear all the customized settings on the TV and restore the TV settings to the original state, i.e., as implemented by the TV manufacturer.
A reboot will stop all system processes and restart them when powering up, and the procedure does not involve you losing any customized settings or saved files on the TV. A factory reset should be among the last options to consider when troubleshooting the TV while rebooting should be among the first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: How to reset a Vizio Smart TV?
Answer: Sometimes a reboot does not solve the TV’s problem, and you need a more aggressive approach. And this is where a factory reset comes in. You can reset a Vizio Smart TV through the steps below:
- Press the Menu key on the remote to launch the Menu options.
- Navigate to System > Reset & Admin > Reset to Factory Settings.
- Enter the TV’s system PIN, and the TV will display a message asking you if you’re sure.
- Use the left/right navigation buttons to highlight the Reset option and press OK on the remote.
- Wait as the TV clears all customized settings, restores the default settings, and then restarts. Once it restarts, you would have to set it up as if it was a new TV, i.e., re-enter the Wi-Fi passwords and sign into various accounts like Netflix.
How to Factory Reset Your VIZIO TV (Older Models)
Question: My screen is black. How do I reset my VIZIO TV manually?
Answer: It can be trickier to reset the TV if you cannot see what is happening on the screen. But there is still hope, especially if you suspect some recently updated settings could be why the TV screen is black.
In such instances, the best bet is to use the buttons on the TV as they include easy and fewer steps.
If the TV uses the same button as a power button add an Input button, press and hold the Power/Input button for twenty seconds while the TV is powered on.
Follow the steps below for models with separate Power and Input buttons on the back panel.
- Ensure the TV is on, then press and hold the Input and Volume Down keys simultaneously for ten seconds.
- Press and hold the Input button for ten seconds, and the TV will start the reset procedure.
How to Reset Your VIZIO TV Using the Buttons on the TV (Older Models)
Question: How to Reset Vizio TV Without PIN?
Answer: If your Vizio TV asks for a system PIN that you do not know during the factory resetting procedure, you can manually reset it instead of using the remote and the Menu option. The necessary procedures have been detailed in the section above.
