How to Turn On an LG TV Without a Remote (or Turn It Off)

Every LG TV has a power button on the set itself, so a dead or missing remote never locks you out. It is small and easy to miss. Here is where it is, how long to press it, and how to set up your phone so you never feel along the bezel again.

How do I turn on an LG TV without a remote?

Look at the bottom edge of the TV first. LG says the standby light there should be on while the set sleeps. If it is lit, the TV has power and just needs a press on its own button.

On most LG sets that button is under the LG logo, centred on the bottom edge. On some models it is on the back instead, so feel along both. It is either a press-only button or a small joystick that also tilts. One press turns the TV on either way. Use a finger, not a screwdriver, and give the panel a few seconds to light.

If nothing happens, you have a power problem, not a remote problem. Plug the TV straight into a wall socket instead of a strip. Then unplug it and hold its power button for about 10 seconds before plugging it back in. If it is still dark, no remote or app will help. The standby-light check works for every brand, and if LG’s HDMI-CEC (SIMPLINK) was already on, switching on a console or soundbar can wake the TV too.

How do I turn off an LG TV without the remote?

Press and hold the same button for more than one second. LG notes that this closes every running app and stops any recording in progress.

A short press while the TV is on opens a small menu: power, close, input and settings icons. On a press-only button you step through them with short presses and select with a long one. On a joystick you tilt to the icon and press. The input icon also switches HDMI, which this guide covers.

Why is the power button on my LG remote not working?

Press the TV’s own button first. If the TV turns on that way, the set is healthy and the remote is the culprit. LG’s own advice at that point is to change the remote’s batteries.

Then check, in this order:

1. Fit two fresh AA batteries and check the + and - ends.
2. Aim at the TV from close range and press Power.
3. Point the remote at your phone’s front camera and press Power. A flicker on screen means it is sending. Power goes out by infrared, so this works on a Magic Remote too.
4. Flicker, but the TV ignores it? Unplug the TV for 60 seconds and try again.

An original Magic Remote costs about $20 to $40. If the TV ignores its own button too, the remote was never the problem.

Can I turn on my LG TV from my phone?

Yes, but only if the TV was set up for it before it went to sleep. A phone wakes an LG with a signal over the network, so the TV has to keep listening in standby. That is a setting called TV On With Mobile, and inside it you switch on Turn on via Wi-Fi:

• 2021 and newer (webOS 6+): Settings > All Settings > General > Devices > External Devices > TV On With Mobile.
• 2020 (webOS 5): Settings > All Settings > Connection > Mobile Connection Management > TV On With Mobile.
• Older webOS sets: called Mobile TV On, under Connection or General.

The entry moves a little each year. Two rules apply on every set: the phone must have connected to the TV once while it was on, because the app saves the TV’s address then, and after a power cut the TV needs one press of its own button before network wake works again.

LG’s free ThinQ app can also do this on webOS 3.5 and newer, over Wi-Fi on an iPhone, but it needs an LG account. LG sets from 2012 and 2013 (NetCast) can be switched off from the phone but not on.

How do I set up my iPhone to turn an LG TV on and off?

1. Turn the TV on with its button.
2. Open the setting above and switch on Turn on via Wi-Fi. With no remote, plug a USB mouse into the TV: webOS shows a pointer at once, so you can click through the menus.
3. Put your iPhone on the same Wi-Fi as the TV, open A Decent Remote and tap your LG.
4. Accept the pairing prompt on the TV with the joystick or the mouse. A few sets show a number instead, which you type into the app.
5. Stay connected for a minute, then press Power in the app. The TV switches off.
6. Wait a few seconds and press Power again. The app sends the wake signal and opens the remote when the TV answers.

When the iPhone asks to find devices on your local network, tap Allow, or the wake signal cannot leave the phone. It also cannot cross to a guest network or a second router. If the app says the TV did not respond, check the setting in step 2 first, or see the wake settings for other brands.

A Decent Remote is on iPhone today, and the Android version is being built now. Leave your email and you get one message the day it is on Google Play. Lost the remote for good? This page covers pairing with nothing in your hand.

How do I turn off demo mode on an LG TV without the remote?

A TV left in Store Mode keeps showing product demos. Switch it to Home Mode:

• 2021 and 2022: Settings > All Settings > General > Devices > TV Management > Home/Store Mode > Home Mode.
• 2020: All Settings > General > Additional Settings > Home/Store Mode > Home Mode.
• 2023 and 2024: the gear icon, then Support > Home/Store Mode > Home Mode.

Without a remote, the USB mouse is the easy way in. The TV’s own button reaches the settings icon too, but a press-only button is slow to step through menus.