Samsung TV Won't Turn On (Problem and Solution)

Do you have a Samsung TV that won’t turn on? Is it the first time or does it regularly won’t turn on?

If like me you have this problem, I reassure you, unless it is really broken, there are solutions to solve this problem. I found many people on the internet with the same Samsung TV that won’t turn on.

After trying several solutions found online by frustrated owners, I found a solution that worked for me and other people with this issue. Not all have worked for everyone because each TV model has its own specificities and differences.

Here are the solutions to the problem…

Contents

Samsung TV won’t turn on (Solution 1)
Samsung TV that won’t turn on (Alternative Solutions)
– Buy a new TV
Wrapping it up

Samsung TV won’t turn on (Solution 1)

If your Samsung TV won’t turn on, it needs to be reset. To do this, unplug the wall outlet and wait 1 minute (to drain residual electronic power left). Then plug the Samsung TV back in. The TV will reset and should turn back on.

In most cases, this step will resolve your Samsung TV issue.

If your Samsung TV still won’t turn on after resetting it, try these additional steps (in order). Your TV may not be broken.

Samsung TV that won’t turn on (Alternative Solutions)

– Check that the Samsung TV is powered on

It seems so obvious but it’s the first thing to check!

It might not be the problem but it is an interesting troubleshooting step that should be quickly ruled out.

If the red standby light is on in the corner of the TV then there is power and you can move on to the next step.

If you don’t see a red LED on, make sure the outlet has power. To easily check that, plug your phone charger into the TV’s wall outlet. You will immediately see if the socket has a problem, if the circuit breaker has tripped or if it is working normally.

If you don’t see a LED on and the TV won’t turn on, the problem might be more serious you’ll find solutions further down in this article.

If the LED is red, blue or green but the screen remains black, follow the next step before going any further.

– Disconnect the wall plug from the Samsung TV

Unplugging and then re plugging your Samsung TV from the wall outlet is a simple fix that often works!

The key to success is to wait 1-2 minutes, not just a few seconds. Be patient, the capacitors need a little time to fully discharge.

If you are in a hurry, you can press and hold the ON button on the TV for at least 10 seconds (not the button on the remote control! ), this theoretically speeds up unloading.

Plug the TV back in after 1 or 2 minutes and you should be able to turn back the Samsung TV on.

While this solution in most cases solves a Samsung TV that won’t turn on issue, in some cases the problem is something else. If you still can’t turn your Samsung TV back on, try the other solutions below that have worked for other people.

– Samsung TV turned on but screen is black

If the LED is blue or green, it means the TV is on. A black screen can mean several things:

severe (called black screen of death)
not serious (an adjustment can be made)

Your TV is on but may be on a wrong input.

Check the input source. A child or you may have accidentally pressed the “source” button on the remote control and changed the input source. In this case the TV could show a black screen or “no signal” text on screen.

How to find the correct input source:

The solution is to press the “source” button on the remote control to cycle through the sources (TV, Ext, HDMI1, HDMI2, AV…) corresponding to your devices connected to the TV. Press the button until you see again a TV channel.

Don’t have remote?

Without remote control, press the MENU button on the TV itself, then navigate to SOURCE with the volume buttons. Select the correct output (example HDMI 2 if your device is connected to this port at the back of the TV)

If nothing shows on screen by pressing the source button, try the next solution.

– Remove the batteries from the Samsung TV remote

If unplugging and plugging your TV back in did not solve the problem and the output source is set correctly, try the solution of removing the batteries from the remote control.

Remove all batteries from the remote, not just one battery.

Then press and hold the power button on the remote for 10 seconds. Don’t cheat, press it for at least 10 seconds!

After 10 seconds, replace the batteries and turn on the TV. It should turn back on.

– Change the batteries of the Samsung TV remote control

Obvious again but did you know that low batteries can turn on the remote TV’s LED and still not be able to turn on the TV?

It’s happened to me before, I’ve been fooled… Even if the batteries seem good, they may not have enough power to send the signal to the Samsung television. Because turning on a LED is easy, but sending a signal to the TV is another signal.

– Turn on Samsung TV without remote control

If you can’t turn the TV on with the remote, try turning it on from the ON/OFF button on the side, bottom front or bottom of the TV.

If it works, the problem was probably the remote. In case the batteries are good then the remote should be replaced.

When a Samsung TV regularly has power-on issues, it may be worth resetting to factory settings.

– Factory reset Samsung TV

Factory reset Samsung TV with remote:

If your Samsung TV regularly has trouble to turn on, try (if possible) performing a factory reset. This requires being able to turn on the TV so not necessarily your case:

Go to “Settings”
Go to “General” enter PIN (0000 by default)
Select “reset” then “OK”

In case you don’t find the “general” tab, try this instead:

Go to “Settings”
Select “support” then “self diagnosis”
Select “reset” then “OK”

If you don’t have a remote try this way.

Factory reset Samsung TV without remote:

If you don’t have a remote, you can also factory reset your Samsung TV.

Press the ON button on your TV
Press the “Menu” button then use “volume down” to go select “settings”
Go to “General” enter PIN (0000 by default)
Select “reset” then “OK”

In case you don’t find the “general” tab, look for the “support” tab then “self diagnosis”, select “reset” then “OK”

If despite everything, the problem persists, try the following.

– Disable CEC in settings

CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) is an HDMI feature that allows other HDMI-connected devices to be controlled with a single remote and to automatically switch HDMI when a connected device turns on.

This feature can sometimes block a Samsung TV from turning on, so it might be worth disabling this feature and seeing if that fixes the power-on issue.

This feature (called “HDMI-CEC” or “Anylink+” for Samsung TV) can sometimes block a Samsung TV from turning on, so it might be worth disabling the CEC feature and seeing if that fixes the power-on issue.

With IR remote (infrared):
- => Point the remote at the TV and input the code: Mute, 7, 2, 9, Exit.
- note: No indicator will appear on the screen. To test, turn on a connected HDMI device (ex: Xbox). If turning on a connected HDMI device causes the TV to automatically switch to it, then the code was not entered quickly enough or TV is outdated and not compatible.
With smart remote (Bluetooth, Wifi):
- => Make sure you are on the TV source (not an HDMI source), then point the remote at the TV and input the code: Mute, Vol Down, Ch Down, Mute. (Mute is the Volume rocker)
- note: No indicator will appear on the screen. To test, turn on a connected HDMI device (ex: Xbox). If turning on a connected HDMI device causes the TV to automatically switch to it, then the code was not entered quickly enough or TV is outdated and not compatible.

– Check the power cable connection on the Samsung TV

Another fairly simple solution to your Samsung TV problem is to unplug and then reconnect the TV’s power cable.

Check that the cable is firmly seated in the notches at the back of the TV, sometimes it can loosen over time.

The trick here is to then turn on the TV by pressing the ON button on the TV and not the ON button on the remote.

– Try another outlet

It’s unlikely to change anything, but you can always try plugging the TV into an other room in the house or in an another house.

If your house has electrical problems and you ignore it (or maybe you know about it), it might make a difference, but it’s an unlikely the case if other devices can turn ON on that outlet.

– Replace power supply

If nothing has worked so far but you really want to keep your Samsung TV, you can remove the TV’s power supply and send it in for repair.

However, this approach is useless if your TV has the standby button turned on. It means the power supply is working, so try something else.

If not, the power supply is probably faulty.

A power supply of Samsung TV costs around 70 dollars. You can try to change it yourself.

Here’s how to remove the power from a Samsung TV:

– Replace a broken capacitor

If your Samsung is out of warranty, you are eco-friendly and absolutely want to repair your broken Samsung TV, you can try to identify which capacitor is broken on the motherboard.

I warn you now, this step is not that easy and requires tools (a soldering iron and tin for electronic parts) and replacement capacitors (same power!) You will need up to 10 days to complete this step.

It’s quite technical, you have to:

Lay the TV face down on a blanket (on a table)
Unscrew all the screws from the back cover of the TV
Unplug ports (cables connected)
Look for a capacitor that has a bulging or chipped or burnt head. You may find several capacitors with this issue.
Unsolder those burnt out capacitors
identify and buy or order the same capacitor online
solder the new capacitors
close the TV and test it

For these steps, it will be necessary to evacuate static electricity from your hands, to avoid damaging the electronic circuit.

– Call Samsung TV support

If your TV is under warranty, i hope you contacted their support before opening your TV.

This is one of the last recommended solutions because they won’t do much if your TV is out of warranty.

You can contact them at https://www.samsung.com/us/support/contact

– Take the TV for repair

If you absolutely repair your Samsung television (because at this stage, we can really think that it has a real problem), you can take it to a local repairer who will give you a diagnostic estimate (free or paid) then an estimate of repair.

– Buy a new TV

If you can’t get your Samsung TV to turn on with all of these solutions, look no further, it’s time to get rid of it and buy a new one. In this case, I recommend a Bluetooth smart TV with 4K high resolution.

Here is the best value for money at the moment:

Samsung E55Q60A 55-inch 4K Quantum HDR QLED Smart TV

No products found.

FEATURES

Sizes : from 32 to 85 inches
Resolution : 4K
Screen: QLED
Other : smart TV Wifi, Bluetooth, HDR, 3 HDMI, 2 USB

Wrapping it up

Samsung TVs sometimes have difficulties to turn on and there are multiple reasons for that. If your Samsung TV won’t turn on, try these solutions in that order:

Check that the Samsung TV is powered on
Unplug the Samsung TV wall plug
Remove the batteries from the Samsung TV remote
Change Samsung TV Remote Batteries
Turn on the TV without a remote
Factory reset Samsung TV
Disable CEC in Settings
Check the power cable connection on the Samsung TV
Try another outlet
Replace power supply
Replace a broken capacitor
Call Samsung after-sales service
Take the television for repair
Otherwise, buy a new TV

If despite all your efforts none of these solutions work, stop worrying anymore! You’ve been patient and it’s time to buy a new television. Samsung, LG and many other well-known brands are reliable.