I lost my LG TV remote and now I’m stuck on one channel. I need to know how to change channels on an LG TV without a remote, whether by using the buttons on the TV, the LG ThinQ app, or another simple method.
Yes. I’ve done this on an LG with the remote missing, and there are three decent ways to switch channels.
First thing I’d try is the TV itself. On a lot of LG sets, there’s a small control stick under the middle of the screen, close to the LG logo, or tucked right behind it. On mine, pushing it up or down moved through channels. Pressing inward brought up a small on-screen menu. Older LG models are different. Those often have a row of physical buttons on the back or side panel. If you keep feeling around and come up empty, check the model number sticker on the back. That usually tells you which button layout the set uses.
Second option is LG ThinQ. If your TV is a smart LG and it’s already connected to your Wi-Fi, the ThinQ app works like a normal remote from your phone. You get channel controls and the guide. The pairing issue I hit once was dumb but common, my phone was on a different Wi-Fi network than the TV. Same network fixed it.
Third route, if ThinQ refuses to behave or you don’t want a separate app for every TV in your house, use a universal remote app. One example is universal app like TVRem. There’s also the main page for TVRem.
It works over Wi-Fi, same idea as ThinQ, and gives you channel up, channel down, and guide access. What I liked is one install covers more than LG. It also works with Samsung, Roku, Fire TV, Android or Google TV, and Apple TV. From what I saw, there’s no subscription mess or ad spam, and phone keyboard entry is way easier than pecking through letters on a TV screen. Voice search is there too. The rating sits at 4.8 with a few thousand reviews.
A couple things worth knowing.
If you use an antenna, changing channels usually means moving through the guide or channel list. It’s less like punching in numbers, more like scrolling till you land on the station you want.
If your LG is an older non-smart model, app control won’t help. No Wi-Fi means no phone pairing, period. In that case, use the built-in button or grab a cheap universal remote. I’ve seen those for about five bucks and they save a lot of time.
If you post the LG model number, I’d look up where the hidden button sits. On some of them it’s annoyingly tucked away.
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One more route, if you’re stuck on live TV and the remote is gone, is to bypass the TV tuner entirely.
If your channels come from a cable box, satellite box, or OTA box, change channels on that box instead of the LG. Many boxes have physical CH plus and minus buttons on the front. Some also have their own phone app. Xfinity, Spectrum, DirecTV, Dish, and many antenna DVR boxes do this. Your TV stays on the same HDMI input, and the box does the switching. People miss this all the time.
I’d also check if HDMI-CEC is on. LG calls it Simplink. If you have a Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or console hooked up, one of those remotes sometimes controls parts of the TV, including input and nav. Not always channel up and down, so I differ a bit from @mikeappsreviewer on app-first advice. If your signal comes from a box, the box remote is often faster than messing with ThinQ pairing.
Last option, buy a cheap replacement LG IR remote. They’re like $8 to $15 and usally work out of the box with no setup. If you post your exact model, people here can tell you whether your TV tuner, cable box, or app route makes the most sense.
One thing I’d add to what @mikeappsreviewer and @viajeroceleste said: make sure you’re changing the right device. A lot of people think the LG is “stuck on one channel” when the TV is really just sitting on HDMI 1 and the set-top box is the thing handling channels. If the box has no front buttons, check its app first. That’s often faster than fighting with TV controls.
Also, slight disagreement on apps being the best first move. If your LG was never signed into Wi-Fi before the remote vanished, ThinQ is kinda useless until you can navigate menus somehow. Catch-22, annoyngly.
Two more ideas:
- Plug in a USB keyboard or mouse. On some LG smart TVs, a mouse lets you click around menus and Live TV guide.
- If you have a streaming stick remote with HDMI-CEC/Simplink enabled, try that. It may not do classic channel up/down, but it can get you into the guide or inputs.
If it’s an antenna setup, sometimes a channel scan reset is why only one station shows. That’s a diff issue than the remote.