Samsung TV Won’t Turn On? Most Common Reasons & Fixes!

Samsung TVs are a favorite choice among consumers. Their QLED and frame TVs are especially popular choices in today’s smart TV market.

Unfortunately, Samsung TV owners can sometimes find themselves dealing with a common problem – the TV simply won’t turn on all of a sudden.

If you have a Samsung TV that won’t turn on, start by unplugging it from the power outlet, waiting for 60 seconds, and then plugging it back in. If this doesn’t solve the problem, you can proceed to the troubleshooting steps below, which will rule out a faulty remote, backlight, and software issues.

The Easiest Solution (Works 80% of the Time!)

The most efficient way to start the troubleshooting process for a Samsung TV that’s not turning on is simply unplugging it from the wall and replugging after 60 seconds (can be more, but not less than that). This should be the first step in all cases of the TV not turning on or not appearing to turn on.

If this doesn’t solve the issue by itself, you can add another step to the same process. While the TV is unplugged, you have to press and hold the power button of your Samsung TV for 30 seconds (again, could be slightly longer, but no less).

By doing this, you essentially soft reset the TV, and it should turn back on just fine unless there’s a more serious problem.

Make Sure the Remote isn’t the Culprit

Sometimes, the remote can stop functioning due to depleted batteries or a pairing issue with your TV. So, no matter how many times you press the power button on your Samsung remote, it simply wouldn’t turn your TV on. Make sure your remote has fresh batteries and is synced to your TV.

To make sure the remote isn’t responsible, you should attempt to turn the TV on by pressing the power button on the TV. If you’re having trouble locating it, check out this other article of mine. It’ll help you easily locate the power button on your Samsung TV.

After you’ve pressed the power button, you can also press the other hardware buttons on your TV, to see if you get anything on the screen. If you see a menu pop up after manually pressing the buttons, your remote may not be synced or it may be broken. You can pair it using the manual buttons.

If doing all these doesn’t bring up anything on the screen, you can be sure that the remote isn’t the culprit and the issue is with something else.

If it’s the remote that’s not functioning, you can fix it easily by installing new batteries or resetting it.

To reset the remote, first, remove the batteries and then hold down the power button (on the remote) for 30 full seconds. Reinsert the batteries and try again. If there really was any minor glitch with the remote itself, this should fix it.

Other Common Reasons Why Your Samsung TV Won’t Turn On

Before you move on to the more advanced troubleshooting steps, you should be aware of the most common reasons why your TV is acting up.

Power Supply & Hardware Issues

No power or insufficient power will be the number one reason your TV isn’t turning on. This can be due to any of the following –

• Faulty power cords
• Non-working wall outlet
• OneConnect / OC Box issue (on some models)
• Surge protector
• TV Capacitors
• Other HDMI devices plugged into your TV (such as Anynet+ Control)

One tell-tale sign of a power supply issue is if your Samsung TV turns off by itself and won’t turn back on.

Your specific wall outlet (the one you plug your TV into) could also be at fault. The easiest way to rule this out is to plug your TV into another working outlet.

In rare cases, the connections involving your TV’s power and HDMI cords could be made loose by a small pet (cats are notorious for this!), not under your watch. When you came back and tried to turn it on, your Samsung TV won’t turn on at all anymore.

Though it’s not all that much common, just make sure this isn’t the case by unplugging and replugging both the power and HDMI cables, and make sure they’re both having a snug fit.

Software Issues

While not as common, it is still possible that your Samsung TV needs a software update or got bricked during one (very rare). Even if it did happen, it’s unlikely that you won’t get any sign of life whatsoever. More common signs of a firmware bricked Samsung TV include:

• TV stuck at Samsung logo when you turn it on.
• Your TV keeps restarting when you try it turn it on.
• An error message confirming that something went wrong about the OS of your TV.

Bad HDMI Port

Though not very common, sometimes a HDMI port would suddenly stop working. You don’t need to inspect it deeply nor know whether it’s a hardware issue or a software glitch, because most modern Samsung TVs come with several HDMI ports.

The solution in this case would be to simply unplug your HDMI cable and plug it into another HDMI port on your TV. If the previous HDMI port was the culprit, then you’d instantly get picture back on your TV after doing this.

Incorrect Source Selected

Don’t panic, this isn’t nuclear science either.

You’ll find a ‘source’ or ‘input’ option on your remote, and what it’s used for is quite simple. You can use it to switch between various devices connected to your Samsung TV via different ports (for eg, multiple HDMI ports, DisplayPort, USB port, etc.)

What often happens is that an incorrect source gets selected due to accidental key presses on your remote. Since you didn’t knowingly do it yourself, unless you’re technologically proficient, you also have no clue on how to get it back to how it was before.

The fix is quite simple. Press the ‘source’ or ‘input’ button (the term depends on the TV/remote model) on your remote. If you see a menu on your TV with multiple options, congrats! At least your TV didn’t suffer any serious damage.

From there, you just need to try selecting a few different inputs one by one (such as HDMI 1, HDMI 2, etc.) until you finally get some input (picture) on your TV.

If you get a ‘no signal’ text on your TV even after selecting all possible options, make sure your input device (your DTH or media streaming device like Roku) is powered on and working properly.

The Standby Light & What It Means

The standby light will be a solid red or orange color when the TV is off, but the TV is still connected to the power outlet. It is usually on the bottom of the TV, either facing outward or facing down, so you may need to bend over to find it.

Standby Light On

This means your Samsung TV is getting the power it needs, and the reason it is not turning on may be due to an issue with the remote, software, or in rare cases, something more serious (hardware issues).

Standby Light Off

This could mean one of two things. The first is that your TV does not have the correct amount of power, and the second is that the TV is actually on, but your screen is not producing a picture.

Double check all of your power cables and your outlet to make sure they are connected and working properly. Press the buttons on the side of your Samsung TV (not your remote) to see if anything shows up on the display.

If your manual buttons (physical buttons located on your TV itself) are working, then your TV is either frozen on a previously used application or you have an issue with an HDMI input device.

If nothing comes up on the screen when you press those TV buttons, it could mean either the TV has serious software issues or that the backlight or the display panel has gone bad.

Standby Light Flashing

This means the TV recognizes the power source but is refusing to turn on due to lack of proper power supply. This can be due to a blown wall outlet, a faulty surge protector, or blown capacitors on the Samsung TV itself.

Unfortunately, unless the problem resolves by switching outlets, you may need to have a qualified repairman fix your TV or an electrician fix your outlet.

More Troubleshooting Options

Just like with troubleshooting any electronic issue, start with the easiest solution first and progress to checking other potential problems.

Be Sure It is Not a Frozen Screen

If you were using your Samsung TV previously without issues, make sure you didn’t simply leave open an application that is now simply frozen, like Netflix or Hulu. Manually turn the TV off using its power button or unplug it and plug it back in.

Check All Power Connections

I recommended that you use the original power cables that came with your Samsung TV.

Ensure that your power cables are firmly connected to the back of your TV and to your wall outlet. If you utilize any splitters or extension cords, check the integrity of these as well.

If you are using a power strip, make sure your power strip is on and that any other devices connected to that strip are also working. Make sure all power strip spaces are clean and do not have any indications of being blown, noticeable by observing a black halo around the plug.

If you have plugged your Samsung TV directly into a wall outlet, be sure your outlet is working correctly by testing it using another device such as a phone charger.

Check All Input Devices

Sometimes, an external device connected to your Samsung TV via HDMI can have an issue on its own and cause a black screen to appear on the TV, making it seem like your TV is not turning on.

Items like a Roku Box or Roku Stick, DVD player, Blue Ray Player, or OneConnect box can all malfunction on their own, making it so that no picture appears on your screen.

The easiest way to rule this out is by unplugging and replugging these external devices. Restarting your TV itself isn’t sufficient because, in this case, the culprit would be the stuck external device sending the signal of a black screen.

If your standby light is off, indicating that your screen is on, gently tap the screen with your finger to see if it blinks. If it does, that means the TV is turned on but not receiving any signal from your input devices.

If you are using any external devices, such as a OneConnect / OC Box, to hub all of your devices, ensure that the connection between your Samsung TV and your Samsung OC Box is not bent or pinched in any way.

Unplug and replug any external device cables and make sure that they function as designed.

It is important to note that a Wi-Fi issue would not be a reason why your Samsung Smart TV is not turning on.

Hard Reset Your Samsung TV

If you’ve double-checked all connections and you are sure your remote is working properly, you can attempt to fix the issue by resetting your Samsung TV.

I’ve already covered the process for soft resetting your TV above. If even after a soft reset, it still won’t turn on, you can try a hard reset or a “factory reset”.

Be advised that doing a hard reset will erase all storage and settings you may have applied, including any recordings you may have saved and applications you have downloaded.

Each brand of TV will have its own shortcuts for doing a factory reset. It’s easiest to do it from the TV menu screen, but if the screen won’t turn on, that’s not very helpful to you.

Although the following methods should theoretically work, they don’t always do. So, it always helps if you can get your TV to at least start and respond to its remote or hardware buttons because then the process is as simple as going to settings, then navigating through Support -> Self Diagnosis -> Reset, and entering 0000 as the PIN when asked.

If you can’t get your TV to start by following any of the earlier methods, you can try the following to hard reset it. They may not work for all models, so there’s no guarantee that you’ll actually be able to hard reset your TV this way.

If you have a Samsung Smart TV, a Samsung Frame TV, or a Samsung QLED TV, you can perform this factory reset using a working remote that is synced to your TV. First, unplug the Samsung TV for 10 seconds and then plug it back in.

Next, press and hold the “info”, “mute”, and “menu” buttons at the same time and hold for 5 seconds. Then press 8, and then 2.

For all other series of Samsung TVs, unplug the TV, and then while the TV is unplugged, hold down the power button on the side/bottom of the TV for 10 seconds. This should restore your Samsung TV to its factory settings and you can attempt to turn it back on.

Check for Screen Issues

If, at this point, you still cannot get a picture to appear on your Samsung TV, you should check it for potential screen issues.

Scan the screen for any cracks or dings. If you recently moved the TV, it is possible that something was placed on top of the TV that completely damaged the screen so it will not display a picture.

Another cause of a Samsung TV not turning on is a potential blown capacitor. A capacitor acts as a sort of power bank for electrical charge and controls input and output charges.

You’ll know if you have a blown capacitor interrupting the picture because your Samsung TV will make a distinctive clicking sound when you attempt to turn it on. It may turn on for a few seconds, click, and then flicker off.

Though it is possible to replace a blown capacitor yourself, you should get it repaired by an authorized Samsung TV technician or seek the advice of a professional electronics repair shop.

Rule Out a Virus

Because Samsung Smart TVs are commonly connected to Wi-Fi, it is possible for them to get malware and viruses, just like your phone or computer can.

If your Samsung TV was previously working fine but then started glitching and turning off by itself, it could be a sign that it contracted a virus.

If your Samsung TV is new or was not misbehaving before its power issue, it is unlikely that a virus is preventing it from turning on.

A hard factory reset should be enough to rid a TV of any potential viruses it may have caught. I’ve already laid out the process for hard resetting a Samsung TV above.

A Word of Caution

If you have tried all the troubleshooting tips mentioned, it is easy to get frustrated when your Samsung TV still won’t turn on, and you may want to attempt to investigate further.

It is strongly advised that unless you are knowledgeable in electronics, you should never attempt to disassemble your Samsung TV on your own to search for other issues, such as its circuit board (PCB).

Not only can this cause further damage to your TV, but it can also void your warranty (if you still have it), making it difficult or even impossible for Samsung to service your TV should you need to reach out to their support department.

If it’s out of warranty, contact a local repair shop trained in electronics or contact the Samsung service center if all else fails.

Final Thoughts

Although it is frustrating not being able to turn on and watch your Samsung TV, rest assured that there are many things you can try to fix the problem.

If you suddenly find that your Samsung smart TV or Samsung Frame TV won’t turn on, don’t panic. Most of the time, it is as simple as changing and checking your power supply and unplugging your TV for a short while.

If you find your problem to be complex enough that it requires a professional, don’t hesitate to reach out to Samsung and request that they service your TV.