How to pair a Roku remote
Enhanced and voice remotes talk to the Roku over a wireless connection and need to be paired. Simple infrared remotes don't pair at all — they just need line of sight. Here's how to tell them apart and pair the ones that need it.
Pair a voice / enhanced remote
- Make sure the Roku is powered on and showing the home screen.
- Open the battery compartment and find the pairing button (a small button, sometimes marked with a pairing icon).
- Press and hold it for about 5 seconds until the remote's status light starts flashing.
- Keep the remote near the Roku and wait up to 30 seconds for the on-screen 'remote paired' confirmation.
If there's no pairing button
Some newer remotes pair with a button combo instead — press and hold Back and Home together for about 5 seconds until the light blinks. A basic infrared remote has no pairing at all; if it's not working, it's batteries or line of sight, not pairing.
FAQ
- How do I know if I have a voice remote?
- A voice/enhanced remote has a microphone or search button (often near the directional pad) and a pairing button in the battery compartment. A simple remote has neither and works by infrared.
- My remote won't pair — what should I do?
- Put in fresh batteries, restart the Roku, then hold the pairing button again for 5 seconds. In the meantime you can control the TV with the Roly app over Wi-Fi.
Control your Roku from your phone
Roly is a free, ad-free Roku remote with private listening and voice control.
Download on the App Store