An easy-to-follow guide to soft or hard reset your LG TV

When should you restart or reset your LG TV? Restarting is always the first step in troubleshooting, as it usually solves minor issues, like the Wi-Fi not connecting. You might also be prompted to restart your TV after installing an update. A hard reboot, or a reset, power cycles your TV to resolve more complicated issues that a restart couldn't fix. This wikiHow article teaches you how to restart and reset LG TVs with or without a remote or PIN.

Things You Should Know

  • Restart your TV before you reset it. Many bugs can be fixed by simply restarting the TV.
  • A hard reset can solve memory and software-related issues, but also erases all the settings you've changed on the TV.
  • To restart without a remote, press and hold the "Power" button on the TV for about 10 seconds, unplug it for about 1 minute, then plug it back in and turn it on.
Method 1
Method 1 of 5:

Restarting the TV

  1. 1
    Press and hold the Power button on the TV for about 10 seconds. This is the easiest way to reset your LG TV, even if you have a remote. This is a soft reset, which will not delete your TV's settings.
    • This method will restart your TV without the need for a remote.
    • When your TV turns off, proceed to the next step.
  2. 2
    Unplug the TV from the wall. After your TV powers off, you don't want it to draw power from any source like the wall socket.
    • Wait at least a minute. You want the power to cycle through to ensure your TV is completely off.
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  3. 3
    Plug the TV and turn it on. After you've waited a minute with the TV unplugged, you can plug it back in and turn it on.
    • If the restart didn't work to solve your problem, try updating and resetting your LG TV.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 5:

Updating and Restarting

  1. 1
    Press the Home/Start/Settings button on your remote. In this method, you'll update your TV and the system will restart it automatically after installing an update.
    • The button you press will be different between TV and remote models.
  2. 2
    Select Settings. You might see this in the lower right or left corner of your screen.
  3. 3
    Select General. It's in the middle of the menu next to a wrench and gear icon.
  4. 4
    Select About This TV. You'll see this near the bottom of the menu.
  5. 5
    Select Check for Updates. This button is at the top of the menu.
  6. 6
    Click Install (if you see it). If you don't have an update to install, you won't be prompted to restart your TV. With an installation of a new update, your TV will automatically restart.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 5:

Doing a Hard Reset

  1. 1
    Press the Home/Start/Settings button on your remote. In this method, you'll reset your TV and reset your TV's settings at the same time.[1] All of your personal settings will be lost, but you may resolve more complicated software issues.
    • The button you press will be different between TV and remote models.
  2. 2
    Select Settings. You might see this in the lower right or left corner of your screen.
  3. 3
    Select General. It's in the middle of the menu next to a wrench and gear icon.
  4. 4
    Select Reset. You'll need to confirm your action to continue.
  5. 5
    Enter the TV's PIN. The default is usually "0000" or "1234" unless you changed it.
    • Without the remote, press and hold the "Power" button for 10 seconds, then use your TV's buttons to navigate to Menu > Settings > General > Reset > Confirm > Enter PIN.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 5:

Resetting without a PIN

  1. 1
    Press the Home/Start/Settings button on your remote. In this method, you'll reset your TV and reset your TV's settings at the same time.
    • The button you press will be different between TV and remote models.
  2. 2
    Select Settings. You might see this in the lower right or left corner of your screen.
  3. 3
    Select Safety. It's next to a lockpad icon.
  4. 4
    Select Reset Password. It's the last item in the menu.
  5. 5
    Press the following sequence using the channel up and channel down arrows on your remote: .
    • The "Master Password" window opens.
  6. 6
    Enter 0313. Make sure you press Enter when you're done.
  7. 7
    Select Reset Password again. The password has been reset to the default, so now you can change the password.
  8. 8
    Enter 0000. This is usually the default password and will allow you to change the password to something you prefer.
  9. 9
    Enter a new password. When you're done, you'll be prompted to confirm it before continuing.
    • You'll see the menu again when you confirm your password.
  10. 10
    Select Reset. You'll need to confirm your action to continue.
  11. 11
    Enter the TV's PIN. The default is usually "0000" or "1234" unless you changed it.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 5:

Resetting WebOS LG TV

  1. 1
    Press and hold the Vol Down key. It's the minus key on the left side of your remote.
  2. 2
    Press and hold the Power key. The button looks like a red Power button in the upper left corner of the remote.
  3. 3
    Release the buttons when you see the LG logo (about 12 seconds). The logo means that your TV has rebooted successfully.
    • Alternatively, you can just unplug your TV from the wall and plug it back in after a minute.
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About This Article

Darlene Antonelli, MA
Written by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been viewed 45,043 times.
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Co-authors: 2
Updated: February 17, 2023
Views: 45,043
Categories: Television
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