The remote used by Fire TVs, Fire TV Sticks, Fire TV Cubes, and Fire TV Smart TVs has several secrets and hidden menus that are accessible by pressing and holding special button combinations. Some of these remote tips simply provide a quicker way to access certain aspects of the Fire TV interface, while others bring up hidden menus that are not accessible in any other way. Here is a full list of all such tips, secrets, and hidden menus related to the Fire TV remote.
Restart the Fire TV
Press and hold the SELECT and PLAY buttons simultaneously for about 5-10 seconds and the Fire TV will reboot. This is equivalent to pulling the power cable and plugging it back in but more convenient. This is handy to do if the Fire TV or an app isn’t working quite right.
Reset the Fire TV Remote
If your Fire TV remote is not working or not connecting no matter what you do, the first thing you should do is check the batteries. If you know the batteries are fine and still can’t get the remote to work, you can try resetting the remote itself. This procedure is different depending on the remote you have, so follow the appropriate instructions below:
- Non-Voice Remote (Remote has no microphone button): Press and hold the HOME button. While still holding HOME, press the MENU button 3 times. Release HOME and then press the MENU button 9 times.
- 1st-gen Voice Remote (Remote has microphone button but no power, volume, or guide buttons): Press and hold the LEFT and MENU buttons simultaneously for about 12 seconds.
- All other Fire TV Remotes: Press and hold the LEFT, MENU, and BACK buttons simultaneously for about 12 seconds.
After you’ve reset the remote, wait at least 10 seconds and then remove the batteries from your remote. Your remote is now reset so to connect it to your Fire TV, unplug and replug the Fire TV in, wait about 1 minute, then put the batteries in your remote. Lastly, press and hold the HOME button on your remote for about 10 seconds and it should pair with your Fire TV. If it doesn’t pair, repeat the steps from the start of this paragraph that start by removing the remote batteries.
Factory Reset the Fire TV
Factory resetting your Fire TV is the best way to solve any problem, but remember that doing so wipes everything off as if it were a new device. If your Fire TV issue is so bad that you can’t access the Factory Reset settings menu, then your only hope is to use a special remote button combination to initiate the reset. To do so, press and hold the RIGHT and BACK buttons simultaneously for about 10 seconds. Once you’ve held it long enough, a selection prompt and countdown will appear giving you about 20 seconds to cancel the factory reset before it automatically begins.
Launch Developer Tools Menu
All Fire TVs have a hidden Developer Tools Menu that can show information about your device, like the System X-Ray bar. This menu is launched by holding a specific combination of buttons, but it’s very annoying and difficult to get the button combination right so I highly suggest you just use my Developer Tools Menu Shortcut app instead to launch it. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to try the button combination, then press and hold the SELECT and DOWN buttons simultaneously for about 5 seconds, then release both buttons and press the MENU button once.
Launch Network Diagnostic Menu
Fire TVs have a hidden network diagnostic menu with information about your device and network connection. Some of the helpful information on this menu includes your WiFi signal strength, noise level, and channel numbers. You can also select the “More” button to perform a throughput test, although, I have found that it fails quite often. Access the Network Diagnostic Menu by pressing and holding the REWIND and LEFT buttons simultaneously for about 5 seconds, then release both buttons and press the MENU button once.
Launch Quick Access Menu
Press and hold the HOME button on your Fire TV remote to launch a quick access menu from anywhere, even within apps. This has been part of Fire TVs for a very long time but many people still don’t know it exists. The quick access menu contains shortcuts to your profile switcher, apps. and settings. It also lets you start screen mirroring and put your Fire TV to sleep. Lastly, it shows the time and date, which can be handy to see without leaving the app that you’re in. Note that with Fire TV Smart TVs, holding the HOME button will open the same right-side menu as the SETTINGS button.
Access Hidden Display Resolutions & Refresh Rates
If you go into your Fire TV’s display settings, you’ll have the option to switch between 720p, 1080p, and 2160p resolutions which are all locked to a 60Hz refresh rate. There are actually many more resolution and refresh rate combinations that can be accessed by holding the UP and REWIND buttons on your remote simultaneously for about 5 seconds. Doing so will cause the Fire TV to begin to cycle through all the resolution and refresh rate combinations that your TV supports. With this feature, you can drop down to 480p if you want, which is useful if you’re connecting to an old TV or tiny display. It also allows you to select 24Hz and 30Hz refresh rates, which might better match the content you are playing at the time.
Remap App Buttons
If you have a remote with app shortcut buttons at the bottom (e.g., Netflix, Prime Video, HBO, Disney+, Hulu, etc…), it’s possible to remap most of those buttons to launch any app that you want. Instructions on how to do so can be found here.
Switch TV Input
If your Fire TV remote has power and volume buttons, it can also switch inputs on your TV, Soundbar, or AVR even though it doesn’t have an input button. This is done by configuring the remote and using voice commands. Details on how to do this can be found here.
Control Bluetooth Headphone/Speaker Volume
If you have a device running Fire OS 7, which includes the 2nd-gen Fire TV Cube, 3rd-gen Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick Lite, and Fire TV Stick 4K Max, then your remote can control the volume of heaphones or speakers connected via Bluetooth to your Fire TV. Just pair the heaphones/speakers and use the volume buttons on your remote. More details on this newly added feature can be found here.
Enable Voice View
For those who are visually impaired, the Fire TV has a feature called Voice View that will read out what is currently highlighted on the screen. To enable Voice View, press and hold the BACK and MENU buttons simultaneously for about 5 seconds.
Enable Screen Magnifier
Another Fire TV feature for visually impaired users is the Screen Magnifier, which allows you to zoom in/out and pan around the interface. To enable or disable the Screen Magnifier, press and hold the BACK and FAST-FORWARD buttons simultaneously for about 5 seconds.
Enable Text Banner
The final feature for visually impaired users is the Text Banner, which displays a large text description at the bottom of the screen of what is currently highlighted. To enable or disable the Text Banner, press and hold the REWIND and FAST-FORWARD buttons simultaneously for about 5 seconds.
