How to reset your Sony TV with or without the remote (soft restart, power reset or factory settings)
There are several reset methods available for your television, depending on the issue you are experiencing.
Try each step if it applies to your situation before moving on to the next. If you aren't sure of your TV type, check if your BRAVIA TV is a Google TV, an Android TV or other.
Video tutorial for Android TVs
For Android TVs, you can view the following video tutorial or skip to the more detailed steps below.
Video timestamp information:
- 00:34 - Reboot or Soft Reset
- 01:08 - Factory Reset in Settings
- 02:00 - Factory Reset using Buttons
Tip: Learn how to turn captions on or off when watching Internet videos from YouTube
Your TV is unresponsive, and you can't access the TV menu with your remote control: e.g., your TV is stuck, not powering on, not displaying a picture, or continuously rebooting. You can't do anything with your remote control and can't access the settings menu.
Resetting the TV without a remote
Power cycle (ALL TVs)
A power cycle does not delete any information and is a safe way to troubleshoot minor issues when you can't use your remote control. Unplugging your TV without shutting it down will not damage the television.
- Unplug the television power cord from the electrical outlet. Leave it unplugged for 30 seconds.
- Plug the power cord back into the electrical outlet.
- If the TV doesn't start up, use the Power button
on the TV to turn it on.
(Tip: if your TV started after step 3, but you're still unable to operate it, check your remote batteries.)
Note: You can refer to this FAQ to check the location of the power button on your TV
Manual (Forced) Factory Data Reset (ANDROID TV & GOOGLE TV)
If you can't access the TV Settings menu using the remote control, please try a manual (forced) Factory Data Reset using the buttons on the TV. This reset type returns the TV to its original out-of-the-box settings and can solve more persistent issues (e.g., TV restarting by itself).
BEFORE YOU START: Once you complete the reset, you will have to go through the initial setup again, similarly to when you first activated the TV. A factory data reset removes all custom settings in the TV, including Google account settings, apps, channels, and wireless network settings.
How to perform a manual Factory Data Reset by using the TV buttons
The way to perform the manual reset differs depending on the number of buttons your TV has:
- Only one button on the TV: The power button
is located on the TV's bottom centre or left side when viewed from the front.
- Three buttons on the TV: the power button and volume buttons are on the right or left of the back of the TV.
- More than three buttons on the TV.
If you can't find the buttons on the TV, refer to the TV Startup Guide or Reference guide, accessible on your product page on this support website.
Follow the instructions according to the number of buttons on your TV:
Type A: Your TV model has one button
- Unplug the TV power cord from the electrical socket.
- Press and hold the Power button on the TV
- After the white LED light appears, release the button. If the LED light doesn't turn white within 30 seconds, start over from step 1.
- Wait a few minutes for the Factory Data Reset to complete. The TV will restart twice. If the TV doesn't turn back ON automatically, press the Power button
- When the Welcome setup screen appears, perform the setup. If the Welcome setup screen doesn't appear, unplug the AC power cord and plug it back in. After the factory reset process completes, the TV will start the Initial Setup.
Type B: Your TV model has three buttons (left, right or back of the TV)
- Unplug the TV power cord from the electrical socket.
- Simultaneously, press and hold down the Power
(-) buttons on the TV (not on the remote), and while holding the buttons, plug the power cord back in. Continue to hold the buttons down until a green LED light appears near the Sony logo on the TV front. It will take approximately 10-30 seconds for the LED light to turn green.
- Release the buttons after the green LED light appears. If the white LED light doesn't turn green within 30 seconds, start over from step 1.
-
Wait a few minutes for the Factory Data Reset to complete. The TV will restart twice, and eventually, the welcome screen will appear. After the factory reset process completes, the TV will start the Initial Setup.
Type C: Your TV model has more than three buttons
This process has two parts. You start with performing a manual factory reset by using the TV buttons, which will allow you to access the settings menu to perform a second factory data reset with your remote.
Part 1: Manual Factory Data Reset with TV buttons
- Unplug the TV power cord from the electrical socket.
- Press and hold the Power button and Volume Down (-) buttons on the TV (not the remote), and while holding the buttons, plug the power cord back in. Continue to hold the buttons down until a green LED light appears near the Sony logo on the TV front. It will take approximately 10-30 seconds for the LED light to turn green.
- The TV will restart twice, and eventually, the welcome screen will appear. To save time, you can skip most of the steps of this first initial setup. If the Welcome setup screen doesn't appear, start over from step 1.
Part 2: Factory Data Reset in settings with your remote
- Once you're past the initial setup, go to Home → Settings → Storage & reset → Factory data reset → Erase everything → Yes.
- The TV will perform a Factory Data Reset again. After the factory reset process completes, the TV will start the Initial Setup. This time, take your time to complete your preferred settings.
Your TV is responsive, and you can access the TV menu with your remote control. Still, you're experiencing specific issues: e.g., an app is crashing or stuck, the TV randomly turns off and on, or you're experiencing image or sound distortions.
Resetting the TV with a remote
Soft reset with the remote control (ANDROID TV & GOOGLE TV)
A soft reset does not delete any information and is a safe way to troubleshoot minor issues. You can either use the remote control to start the soft reset or use the remote to go to your TV menu settings:
Option 1: Force Restart the TV with the remote control Power button. Depending on your model, you can either:
- Press and hold the POWER button until the TV shuts down and restarts
or - Press and hold the POWER button until a menu appears, and select Restart
Note: You can refer to this FAQ to check the location of the power button on your TV
Option 2: Force Restart the TV in the TV settings.
- Press
or
(Quick Settings button located below the POWER button or the top half of the remote control) → Settings → System → Restart → confirm Restart
- Press HOME → navigate to Settings → About → Restart → Restart
- Press HOME → navigate to Settings → Device Preferences → About → Restart → confirm Restart
Factory Data Reset (ALL TVs)
If the previous steps didn't work, but you can access the TV settings with your remote, try performing a Factory Data Reset. This reset type returns the TV to its original out-of-the-box settings and can solve more persistent issues.
If you can't access the TV Settings menu, please skip to the manual Factory Data Reset (applicable to Android TV & Google TV).
BEFORE YOU START: Once you complete the reset, you will have to go through the initial setup again, similarly to when you first activated the TV. A factory data reset removes all custom settings in the TV, including Google account settings, apps, channels, and wireless network settings.
- On the remote control, press the
- Select the settings cog
or arrow
- The following steps will vary depending on your TV menu options (A, B or C):
- Select System → About → Reset → Factory data reset → Erase everything → Yes.
- Select Device Preferences → Reset → Factory data reset → Erase everything → Yes.
- Select Storage & reset → Factory data reset → Erase everything → Yes.
The factory reset may take a few minutes. Wait until the process completes. After the factory reset process completes, the TV will start the initial setup.
Alternative: use the HELP button on your remote to perform a Factory Data Reset
- On the supplied remote, press the HELP button.
- Under How to use your TV, select Help Guide (Manual)
- Select Settings.
- Select Configuring the TV.
- Select Watching TV or TV.
- Select the Settings arrow
- The following steps will vary depending on your TV menu options (A or B):
- Select Device Preferences → Reset → Factory data reset → Erase everything → Yes
- Select Storage & Reset → Factory data reset → Erase everything → Yes
The factory reset may take a few minutes. Wait until the process completes. After the factory reset process completes, the TV will start the Initial Setup.
Alternatively, you can refer to this troubleshooting guide for targeted solutions on various issues
If you completed all the steps and the issue is not resolved, please contact us for further support as service may be required.
Please accept Youtube cookies to watch this video
Access your cookie preferences below and make sure to switch on the Youtube cookie under the 'Functional' section.
Related Articles
Register your product
Registration to My Sony to get benefits
Repair Tracking
Check the status of your repair
Repair & Warranty
Book a repair or find information about warranty conditions
Contact Us
Contact our Support team