How to turn on any Roku player

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Roku 4Roku

  • Roku players are low-power devices intended to be left on 24/7 so they are always ready to receive software updates, and can be played instantly when needed.
  • If you power off a Roku (usually by unplugging it), you can turn it on just by plugging it back in.
  • The Roku 4 is the only Roku player with a menu to turn it off, and you can turn it back on by pressing the Home button on its Roku remote.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

If you have a smart TV, you know the feeling of having access not just to traditional cable and broadcast television, but also a wealth of streaming channels — content from services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Now, YouTube, and more.

In fact, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of mainstream streaming services. But if you don’t have a smart TV, you’re not out of luck — streaming players like Roku turn your ordinary TV into a smart one.

But how do you turn it on?

Your Roku never needs to be turned off

Now, for the short answer: In general, you probably don’t need to turn on a Roku player. Your Roku is designed to be powered on all the time, and it’ll stay that way unless you unplug it.

Roku 3Dave Johnson/Business Insider

Unlike traditional electronics — TVs, air conditioners, radios, and computers — a Roku player doesn’t have an on and off switch. Instead, Roku players are devices that draw very little power when they’re not in use, so they can stay on 24/7. They do this for two reasons:

  • They are ready to work instantly when you want them, with no boot-up or startup time.
  • They can receive system updates anytime that Roku sends them, so they can stay up to date by installing new software and content in the middle of the night when you aren’t using it. You’ll never run into a situation in which Roku needs to install updates while you’re watching a movie, in the way that Windows installs updates and reboots while you’re using it.

How to turn on a Roku player that has been turned off

All that said, there might be times when you have decided to power off a Roku player. There are two primary ways to power it back on:

  • If your Roku has been turned off by being unplugged from its power source, when you plug it in the device will power on automatically. The startup should only take about a minute, and then it will be ready to use.

on 2Dave Johnson/Business Insider

  • If your Roku is powered by being plugged into a TV or home theater component, the Roku will turn on as soon as you turn the TV or home theater on. As soon as the Roku receives power, it’ll restart and be ready to use in about a minute.

How to turn on a Roku 4

The Roku 4 is a bit of an exception — because it has a fan inside to help keep it cool, you can power it off via the on-screen menu. Once it is off, you can restart it by pressing and holding the Home button on the remote control.

rokuDave Johnson/Business Insider

If this does not work, you can restart the Roku by unplugging it, waiting a minute, and then plugging it back into power.

How to turn on a Roku that is misbehaving

If your Roku isn’t working properly, or won’t turn on at all, you should unplug the Roku player and leave it unpowered for at least two minutes. Then plug it back in and see if that fixes the problem. Be sure that you are plugging it into a working outlet (or a working USB port) and that your TV’s input is set to the one you’re using for the Roku.

If this does not work, you may need to either perform a factory reset on the device or contact Roku’s technical support for servicing.

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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Dave Johnson)

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