I’m starting to veer away from Roku these days. Apart from the political and content ramifications of a possible Fox takeover, the platform is lacking in two areas that matter to me: voice assistants and smart home tech. Amazon and Google are already more advanced, and all three platforms could soon be eclipsed by the arrival of a new Apple TV with those features as tentpoles.

That said, it’s arguable that Roku’s strength lies in its simplicity. It’s rare for much to go wrong with it, and for many of you, there’s no need to complicate streaming. If you want to keep that status quo humming along, you may need to perform the occasional reset — here’s why and how.

Brand

Roku

Display Size

55-inch, 65-inch

Which Roku problems can be fixed with a factory reset?

Not a cure-all, but close enough

Credit: Roku

If you encounter glitches that render a Roku unusable, like boot loops, severe lag, or indecipherable video, a reset might be the only solution short of replacement hardware, since it isn’t dependent on accessing software menus. Personally, I haven’t seen anything that harsh with a Roku product I’ve owned, yet these sorts of problems aren’t just hypothetical.

Next up are bugs that prevent essential features from working. It could be that HDCP handshakes keep failing, or that network configuration files are corrupt. All corrupt OS files are bad news, since like most smart TV platforms, Roku OS doesn’t have a way of repairing individual components. Damaged system-level cache files might be fixed with a reboot, since those are wiped each time you restart.

You might also turn to a reset for glitches that are irritating, but aren’t wreaking absolute havoc. Those could include minor audio or visual hiccups, and the eternal concern, slow performance. While you can also boost speed with periodic reboots and deleting apps to free up swap space, a factory reset will accomplish both of these things simultaneously — although I’m not sure if it’s worth having to reconfigure your device as if it was fresh.

A reset won’t solve any trouble with online accounts, connected hardware, or bugs that don’t involve broken files or processes in Roku OS. If developers have botched something in the Netflix app, for instance, you’ll get the exact same error when you re-download the latest version. And you can’t roll back to earlier versions of apps or the OS — there’s no mechanism for it. Some options or services may outright refuse to work if you’re not up-to-date, since they’re tied to online services that demand a base level of functionality, not to mention security.

How to reset any Roku device

Be prepared before you pull the trigger

Before you get started, it’s vital to have three pieces of information handy: the login for your Roku account, your Wi-Fi network password, and your parental control PIN (if you’ve set one). You might also want to have the logins for your streaming services ready, though you can always tackle those later.

If you can still access your device’s menus, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings from your homescreen.
2. Select System, then Advanced system settings.
3. Click Factory reset. If you have a standalone Roku TV, click Factory reset everything when it appears.
4. Follow any additional prompts.

All Roku devices have some sort of physical backup. The company’s add-on streamers have a dedicated Reset button, as do some Roku-based TVs. In some instances this is a pinhole button, so you’ll need a pin, toothpick, or paperclip to trigger it. If there’s no dedicated button, you’ll have to hold down Power and Find My Remote at the same time. With all of these backups, you’ll normally hold things down for 12 seconds.

That time limit is critical in more ways than one. On some TVs, if you hold for 20 seconds, you’ll initiate Recovery Mode. This is a deeper form of reset that completely reinstalls Roku OS, and should only be used if you’re dealing with boot loops, restarts during setup, or a dark screen paired with a flickering power light.