Amazon Fire TV is a service that lets people enjoy a ton of awesome programs, but the app will occasionally encounter performance issues that need addressing. Most of the solutions need you to use your Firestick’s remote to properly troubleshoot – but is there another way?
You can factory reset your Firestick without a remote in a few different ways.
- Using the Firestick app.
- Using laptops and USB cables.
- Using HDMI-CEC cables
- Using universal remotes.
These methods allow you to factory reset your Firestick without the Fire TV remote, but they achieve it in very different ways – each with its own set of pros and cons. We’ll be going over these options in greater depth below.
Ways to Reset Your Firestick Without a Remote
1. Using the Firestick Application (with Wi-Fi Network)
If you can’t figure out where your Firestick remote is (or it’s broken beyond current usage) you could factory reset your Firestick TV using the Firestick mobile app. This helpful app is available on pretty much every device that supports Firestick units, and the only real caveat is that you need both the device with the app and your Firestick connected to the same Wi-fi network.
Here’s how to download and link the app to your Firestick device:
- Search for and download the Firestick App.
- Click on “New Device”, then sign in with your Amazon account.
- Click on your Firestick device in the app, then wait for the code to pop up.
- Input the code on your Firestick App, allowing your phone to double as a remote!
From that point onwards, factory resetting your Firestick is easy – follow the same steps you’d use to pull that off with a remote! We’ll give you another quick outline for that below.
- Navigate to the “Settings” (Gear) icon.
- Select “My Fire TV”.
- Scroll down to “Reset to Factory Defaults” then confirm your decision.
The big advantage of this method is that you don’t need any dedicated tech to pull it off – just a phone (or tablet) and a shared Wi-fi network!
2. Using Laptops or PCs (via USB cables)
If you don’t have your phone on hand, you could also use a laptop or PC to factory reset your Firestick TV without needing a remote.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to use a Wi-fi network to make this change. Amazon Firestick is an online service, so lacking a stable network will hamstring its available features. You can still watch offline downloads on your Firestick TV, but you won’t be able to make permanent changes unless you use third-party applications to bypass that restriction.
The nice thing about this method is that you can use keyboard inputs to navigate your Firestick menu, which is easier to use than the touchscreen interface the phone version of the app uses.
Consider it a side-grade of the earlier method above – the key difference is just the device used!
3. Using HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control)
HDMI CEC is a nifty feature that allows devices that share an HDMI port to interact with one another. In practical terms, it allows you to use a different remote instead of your Firestick one. This way, you can factory reset your Firestick even without the dedicated remote!
Note that HDMI-CEC functionality is an option for most TVs in the market– not all units support this, so try to check with your brand first. Even if your TV of choice supports HDMI-CEC compatibility, the menu to enable this differs greatly between manufacturers.
Do note that the HDMI-CEC setting is inside your Firestick TV’s menu as well! It’s enabled by default, but if you decided to turn that off before your Firestick TV remote ended up indisposed, you won’t be able to use this method to factory reset your Firestick.
4. Using Universal Remotes
You could also use a universal remote to factory reset your Firestick without the designated remote. Universal remotes are great because they can link and support multiple different devices and streaming platforms, but you’ll need both the foresight and cash on hand to pick them up.
Universal remotes can cost just as much (and usually more!) than a brand-new Firestick device, so they’d make a hefty financial investment for most households.
Most universal remotes also have factory reset buttons built into the remote directly, allowing you to immediately factory reset your Firestick TV without going through multiple menus. This is usually activated by holding down a particular button on the remote for a long period of time (about ten seconds or more) though not every universal remote will have this feature available.
Here’s another key detail to remember: Factory resetting your Firestick this way will unlink it from your universal remote too, forcing you to link it back again on device setup. Keep this in mind when you’re wondering why your universal remote suddenly stopped working!
Final Thoughts
Factory resetting your Firestick without the remote is a lot simpler than you might expect.
You could use a different remote as a stand-in for your missing Firestick, which is convenient if you have the right tools on hand.
It’s not worth buying them just for this problem though – in our humble opinion, you’re better off factory resetting your Firestick through the phone app or on a laptop. There’s a bit of extra setup time involved, but at least it won’t come with extra expenses!