LG is more than just an electronics company, it’s a powerhouse. Manufacturing fridges, washing machines, monitors, and of course, TVs, which have become extremely popular over recent years.
Their huge range includes LED, LCD, OLED, 4K UHD, QNED, and Nanocell, all of which are known for their outstanding picture quality, sleek, stylish, flat-screen designs, smart capabilities, and user-friendliness.
But they’re not totally above reproach! From dark screens to WiFi problems, just like anything else electronic, LG TVs will have their fair share of problems. But what if the problem is you can’t turn the thing on in the first place?
Unfortunately, this is a fairly common problem for some users, so I’m going to investigate the reasons why this might be happening and show you how you can fix it.
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Why Your LG TV Won’t Turn On
As for why this problem occurs, there are many possible answers.
Often this issue is caused by a power failure. In other words, your TV is unable to draw the required amount of power from the wall socket, either due to a problem with the cable, plug, or TV itself.
Other times, the issue may be software-related. Smart TVs have an operating system and rely on software to carry out all of their functions. As with a PC or a smartphone, occasionally this software will amass glitches or runtime errors that prevent regular functions from running.
A lot of the reasons why your TV isn’t turning on are hard to determine, or will require you to carry out one or more of the fixes in this article anyway, so without further ado, let’s get your LG TV up and running again!
How to Fix an LG TV That Won’t Turn On – Try These First!
Before we get into real diagnosis work, it’s worth trying out these quick fixes for a possible shortcut to later in the evening, when you’re relaxing with your feet up watching a movie!
Remote or TV?
The fastest way to rule out one source of your pain with this problem is to check that it’s not just your remote that’s failed.
If you can see the red standby light on your TV, then you know it at the very least has a power supply. This is also a sign that pressing the Power button on your remote should wake your TV up.
So if it isn’t managing to do that, try pressing the power button on the TV itself and see if that works. If it does, then great! But you probably need to take a look at your remote rather than your TV. We’ll cover remotes later in this article, but it might be something as simple as dead batteries.
Power Cycle – Works 9 Times out of 10!
When it comes to errors with electrical equipment, there is one tried and trusted method that works a vast majority of the time, regardless of what the problem is you’re trying to fix!
Now you know it’s not your remote, it’s time to start looking at the broader spectrum of causes and fixes to get your LG TV turned on again. But before you do that, try the oldest trick in the book: turning it off and on again!
As you can’t get your TV to actually turn on to maximum power, the only way you can carry out an effective power cycle is to unplug the TV from the wall socket and wait.
30 seconds to 1 minute should be adequate time for any residual power to drain from your TV’s internal circuitry. To help, you can press and hold the TV’s power button (located here), for at least 30 seconds.
You’ve now essentially given your TV a soft reset, which will clear out any glitches or software errors that may have amassed from the TV being on (or on standby) for a long time.
Detailed Fixes for Your LG TV that Won’t Turn On
If you’re one of the unlucky few who wasn’t saved by the faithful power cycle, it’s time to investigate the situation in more detail. Let’s take a closer look at some more specific fixes that might be causing this issue.
Power Supply
If your LG TV is unable to draw the right amount of power from the mains, for whatever reason, it probably won’t have enough juice to turn on. It might be able to draw enough to stay on standby, but if you can’t see the red light to indicate that, chances are there’s something seriously wrong.
First, check all the connections between your TV and the power supply. That includes plugs, cables, and the inputs on your TV.
Although they’re not strictly the power supply, it’s worth checking your HDMI cables too, as a loose or broken one would result in a loss of TV picture.
If there are any signs of damage such as frayed cables coming through the rubber casing, bent pins on plugs or connectors, or if any of these components are excessively dirty, this is likely your problem.
How to Fix It
If you found any damaged cables, source a replacement and try that. If it works, you’ve solved your issue!
If there are any bent pins on the connecting sockets on your actual TV, I wouldn’t recommend trying to fix this yourself. If you know what you’re doing, then go for it, but it’s always best to contact a professional when it comes to poking around with your nice LG TV – those things aren’t cheap!
If the cables are all ok, then just make sure that they are all fully inserted into their respective sockets. It’s also worth trying to plug your TV into a different outlet. If the one you’ve been using has blown (this is more likely if you’re using a power strip), then no power will be flowing from the mains to your TV.
This is also a good time to check if you have surge protectors that are actively repressing the power supply from the mains to your TV. While these are great safety precautions, sometimes they will actually prevent a large item that requires a lot of power, like a TV, from functioning properly.
Remote Issues
If your TV does turn on via the main power button on the console, then you know it’s an issue with your remote. As I mentioned earlier, we’ll now take a proper look at some of the common issues that can occur with your remote.
First of all, change the batteries to ensure that it’s not a simple power supply issue. If your remote still can’t turn your TV on, even with fresh batteries, then it’s time to try out some of the following fixes to get things working again.
How to Fix It
Make sure that you have a clear line-of-sight between your LG TV and the remote. If there are any large objects in the way, they may be blocking the signal from your remote. It’s also worth remembering that most IR (infrared) remotes only work up to a distance of around 30 feet (10 meters).
The next thing to assess is whether your remote has become unpaired from your TV. The best way to re-pair it is to reset the remote. Most LG TVs now come with a ‘magic remote,’ a smart remote with voice capabilities. However, most LG remotes are reset the same way. If this doesn’t work for your remote, refer to the user guide for your specific model.
To reset an LG TV remote, simply press and hold the Home and Back buttons for 5 seconds. The power light should blink 3 times to indicate that the remote has reset itself. Next, simply press the Wheel button to re-pair the remote with your TV.
Software Issue
LG smart TVs run on software just like a computer or smartphone does. And, just like the operating systems for computers and phones need occasional updates, your LG TV is no different.
However, if you can’t turn your TV on to update it, there’s not really much you can do. But, from the manner in which your TV doesn’t work, you might be able to determine what’s happened and enlist the services of a professional.
How to Fix It
If your TV got interrupted during a software update by a power cut or something similar, this can ‘brick’ the TV, rendering it completely unusable (on the surface).
Things to look out for which might indicate if your TV is ‘bricked’ or ‘fried’ include:
- The TV shows no outward signs of being turned on
- The LG logo frozen on the screen when you try to turn your TV on
- The TV constantly restarts itself when you try to turn it on
- An error message appears, possibly pertaining to system software (possibly only showing an error code)
As you’re unable to turn the TV on and/or see the screen, updating the software via the usual methods is impossible. However, many LG TVs can have firmware and/or software installed via external storage devices by a certified professional repairperson.
It’s also possible that the issue is not software related, but hardware…
Hardware Failure
A TV’s circuitry can fail for many reasons. A thunderstorm can fry the motherboard, much like a short circuit, or even something like a power cut during an update, as I mentioned in the previous section.
Buildups of dust or hair, residue from cigarette smoke and aerosols, spillages, or improper cooling, can all cause major issues for your TV’s inner workings.
So how do you know if you’ve got a hardware issue? Well, if you’re comfortable doing so, you can take a look inside your TV and check for yourself.
If not, you’ll need to call out a repair company or contact LG. Or if you’re still covered by a warranty, you can book a repair through LG too.
How to Fix It
For the tech-savvy, or those with an enterprising spirit, here’s how to check to see if your TV’s circuitry is healthy or not!
- Unplug your TV from the wall outlet
- Press and hold the Power button to ensure all remaining electricity has drained
- Remove the back paneling from your TV
- Identify the motherboard by its I/O ports. Alternatively, you can find diagrams and images online, but generally what you’re looking for is a large green board with circuitry mounted to it
- The powerboard, which is the other large identifiable component, is usually brown and is identifiable by the power socket
- Inspect both boards for damage (damage may appear as burnt/melted areas, heavy build-ups of dust, bent pins/contacts, etc.
- If you have and are proficient using a voltmeter, you can use it to check the boards’ functionality, if nothing can be gleaned from visual checks
Beyond this point, I would strongly recommend calling in the services of a professional!
Backlight Failure
It’s also possible that your LG TV’s backlight has broken, or the powerboard, which supplies power to the backlight.
Unless you really know what you’re doing, I’d recommend doing nothing except taking a precautionary look, as although replacing a backlight yourself is possible, it’s not something everyone will be comfortable doing.
And remember, if something does go wrong, you might break your TV for good and void the warranty, all in one fell swoop!
How to Fix It
Here’s how to check if your backlight has broken – not how to fix it! A good indicator that it’s your backlight is if the standby light goes off when you turn the TV on, but you’re still left with a blank screen. If that’s you, then follow these steps:
- Turn your TV ‘on’ as you normally would.
- Go up to your TV and shine a flashlight or your phone light directly at the screen, at close range.
- Try pressing the channel buttons on your remote, or pressing Menu or Guide. If you can see very faint images moving beyond the shadows, then your backlight (or powerboard/voltage inverter) is broken
If you know what you’re doing, go ahead and repair your TV! If not, you’ll need to call out a repair company, contact LG, or claim through your warranty and book a repair through LG.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are a lot of potential causes behind this issue, but thankfully, most of the time this happens, the easiest and fastest fix is the one that works! Always try a power cycle when something like this happens – always!
When it comes to something as important and expensive and technically advanced as a TV, I always recommend you don’t go poking around inside unless you really know what you’re doing. Some cursory investigation is fine, but leave the wiring and soldering to the pros!
Good luck!
