Change Input on an LG TV Without the Remote (3 Ways)

By Klaus Jakobsen, developer of A Decent Remote

Quick answer Use the joystick button under the front bezel (below the LG logo): press in for the menu, nudge to the input icon, press to select. Or plug a USB mouse into the TV, since webOS is pointer-driven. For a permanent fix, pair A Decent Remote once and switch inputs from your iPhone.

LG hides the escape hatch in plain sight: a joystick under the logo, an OS that treats USB mice as first-class citizens, and a network API your iPhone can drive. Any of the three gets you off the wrong input; the third means it never happens again.

How do I use the joystick button?

Reach under the front bezel, centered below the LG logo (a few models: rear bottom-left). Press the joystick straight in: a quick menu pops up. Nudge sideways to the input/source icon, press in to open it, nudge to the input you want, press to confirm. The joystick works even when the current input is a black screen.

What’s the USB mouse trick?

webOS is pointer-driven, so any USB mouse plugged into the TV’s USB port produces a cursor immediately. Click the screen, click the input picker, done. If crouching behind a wall-mounted TV to fiddle a joystick sounds miserable, a $10 mouse is the comfortable alternative, and it also clicks through Settings for network changes.

How do I make my iPhone the input switcher forever?

iPhone on the same Wi-Fi as the TV.
Open A Decent Remote; LG TVs on the network appear automatically.
Accept the pairing prompt on the TV once, with the joystick or the mouse.
Inputs are now a tap on the phone, alongside volume (including soundbar setups), app launching, keyboard search, and turning the TV on over Wi-Fi.

The complete no-remote pairing story, including wake-on-network details, is in the lost LG remote guide.

Can HDMI-CEC do it automatically?

Usually. LG calls it Simplink: wake the Fire TV stick or PlayStation you want and the TV follows to its input. If it doesn’t, Simplink is switched off in Settings, which the joystick, mouse, or paired phone can all fix.

Get A Decent Remote on the App Store One iPhone remote for Roku, Samsung, LG, Sony, Fire TV, Apple TV, Vizio, Hisense, Philips, Panasonic, Toshiba, Chromecast and Android/Google TV

Control any LG webOS TV from your iPhone without the Magic Remote, including approving the pairing prompt when you have no remote at all.

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Frequently asked questions

Where is the physical button on an LG TV?

Under the front bezel, centered directly below the LG logo on most models (some put it bottom-left on the rear). It's a small joystick: press in to open the quick menu or confirm, nudge left/right/up/down to move. Inputs live in that quick menu.

Does a USB mouse really work on an LG TV?

Yes. webOS is a pointer operating system (the Magic Remote is essentially an air mouse), so a wired or wireless USB mouse plugged into the TV's USB port gives you a cursor that can click through every menu, inputs included.

Can my iPhone change LG inputs permanently?

Yes. Pair a remote app once (accept the on-screen prompt with the joystick or mouse) and the phone gets inputs, volume, apps, keyboard and network power-on from then on.

The input menu shows nothing on a black screen. Now what?

The joystick menu and a paired phone app both work regardless of the active input showing a picture, so either can rescue a TV stuck on a dead HDMI port.