I purchased an Insignia Fire TV last year, and it was working pretty well, given its low price. That was until its remote started to malfunction a few days ago.

It was almost as if the remote fell asleep after every few minutes and had to be jolted back from its slumber by pressing random buttons.

And as if that was not enough, the remote stopped working completely last Sunday.

At first, I thought the batteries would have run out of charge and replaced them, but the remote stayed unresponsive.

This made things hectic as I had to get up from the couch to turn on my TV whenever I wanted to watch something.

Feeling defeated, I started going through troubleshooting guides and YouTube tutorials to fix my Fire TV remote.

After spending the majority of my waking hours trying different steps, I found a solution that worked flawlessly, in addition to a few workarounds. 

If your Insignia Fire TV remote is not working, you can fix it by performing a soft reset. To soft reset an Insignia Fire TV remote, remove its batteries, wait 1 to 2 minutes before putting the batteries back in, and re-pair the remote if necessary. 

Soft Reset Your Insignia Remote

The most basic yet often the most effective solution for an unresponsive Insignia Fire TV remote is to soft reset or power cycle it.

Power cycling gets rid of most software glitches and static charges that interfere with the working of electronic gadgets.

To power cycle your Fire TV remote: 

1. Open the battery compartment of the remote.
2. Take out the batteries.
3. Wait for a couple of minutes.
4. Put the batteries back in and close the compartment. 

Re-pair Your Insignia Fire TV Remote

At times, your Insignia Fire TV remote may stop working if it gets unpaired from the TV.

In such a case, the remote will not respond to your inputs, and you may think it’s faulty or damaged.

You can fix this problem by re-pairing the Fire TV remote to your TV via the following steps: 

1. Open the battery compartment of your remote.
2. Press and hold the button labeled Pair for 3-5 seconds. 

If this method does not work, you can also try pressing the Home button on the remote for 10-20 seconds. 

Reset Your Insignia Fire TV Remote

If power cycling and re-pairing your Insignia Fire TV remote do not get it working again, you should reset the remote.

A hard reset will eliminate all major bugs from the remote and restore it to factory settings.

That said, resetting is quite easy and will not affect your TV settings.

To reset an Insignia Fire TV remote: 

1. Press the Home button on your remote and hold it for a few seconds.
2. Remove the batteries from the remote.
3. Now, press the Menu button nine times.
4. Unplug your TV from its power source.
5. Wait 30-60 seconds.
6. Reconnect your TV and put the batteries back in the remote.
7. Turn on the TV using its physical Power button. You can find this button on your TV’s back, bottom, or side panel.
8. Once the Home screen appears, hold the Home button on the remote for 10-20 seconds to pair it with your TV. 

Factory Reset Your Insignia Fire TV

By now, you might have tried several troubleshooting steps to fix your unresponsive Insignia Fire TV remote.

However, if the remote is still not working, your Insignia Fire TV may be at fault due to software glitches or pairing problems.

But fear not; you still have one final trick in the bag: reset the TV to its factory settings.

A factory reset will effectively return your TV to default settings as the day you bought it.

You should also know that doing so will wipe all account settings and delete any installed apps. 

To reset an Insignia Fire TV via its physical Power button: 

1. Unplug your TV from the power socket.
2. Press and hold the TV’s Power button and plug it back in.
3. Let go of the button once the TV is on.
4. Wait until you see the Control or Recovery menu.
5. Now, tap the power button twice to choose Wipe data/Factory reset.
6. Press and hold the same button until the highlighted option turns green.
7. Tap the power button once to select Yes on the confirmation screen.
8. Once again, press and hold the button until the selected option is green.
9. Wait until you see Data wipe complete in the bottom-left corner of your TV screen.
10. Next, select Reboot system now.
11. Press and hold the power button until the option turns green. Your TV will take a couple of minutes to reboot with default settings. 

Once done, pair your Insignia Fire TV remote with the TV by holding its Home button for 10-20 seconds and go through the setup process. 

Alternative Ways to Control Your Insignia Fire TV

Aside from the Insignia Fire TV remote, there are a few workarounds that you can employ to use your TV without having to get up from your seat every now and then.

Here, I have covered two such methods. 

Use the Fire TV Remote App

If you want an immediate and cost-effective solution to your Insignia TV remote not working, you should download the Amazon Fire TV app.

This app includes a Remote function that you can use for free to control your TV, and it’s available on the App Store as well as Play Store.

To use the Amazon Fire TV app as a remote on a smartphone: 

1. Download the Fire TV app on your phone and launch it.
2. The app will request permission to access your local network. Select Yes.
3. Once done, it will start looking for Fire TV devices connected to your Wi-Fi. Make sure your TV is on and connected to the Wi-Fi.
4. Select your TV from the list of available devices.
5. Your TV screen will display a four-digit code. Enter it in the app.
6. The devices will pair together within a few seconds, and you can use the Fire TV app to control your TV. 

Use a Universal Remote

If you own a universal remote, you can pair it with your Insignia Fire TV and control it without any headaches.

When pairing a universal remote with your Fire TV, you will be asked to enter a four-digit code.

Here is a list of working codes for Insignia Fire TVs: 

• 0150
• 0091
• 0133
• 0029
• 0103
• 0116
• 0189
• 0217
• 0135
• 0167
• 0456 

You Belong on Your Couch!

My experience with Insignia Fire TV has been quite good overall. It offers high value for a price that didn’t burn a hole in my pocket.

That said, I have to point out that the TV remote not working did prove a hurdle in comfort and added inconvenience to my viewing sessions.

Luckily, I did not have to put up with it for long, as power cycling the remote got it working as it normally would.

If that does not work for you, re-pairing your Fire TV remote to the TV should do the trick.

In case none of the solutions covered in this article fixes your remote, contact Insignia Support. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an Insignia Fire TV replacement remote cost?

An Insignia Fire TV remote can cost between $20 to $30, depending on availability and vendor. 

Can I use an Insignia Fire TV without Internet?

You can only use the apps that don’t need Internet access without Wi-Fi. However, all Amazon Prime content (movies, TV shows, and music) requires an Internet connection. 

Do Insignia Fire TV remotes work on IR or RF?

An Insignia Fire TV remote is RF (Radio Frequency) based, which means you can use it to control your TV without being in the same room.