Setup & pairing
How to change the input on a TV without a remote
Nefarius Apps14 min read
To change the input on a TV without a remote, press the control button on the TV itself. On Samsung TVs, LG TVs and Roku TVs, this button opens a small menu or a list of inputs. If the TV is a smart TV on your Wi-Fi network, a remote app on your phone can also change the input. A third method needs no button on the TV. With HDMI-CEC on, most TVs change to a streaming player or a console when you start that device.
Which method fits your situation?
Answer two questions first. Is the TV on? Is it a smart TV that is connected to your home Wi-Fi network? The table shows the method for each situation.
| What you have | Method | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| A button on the TV | Open the button menu or the list of inputs | Nothing else; it works on a TV with no network connection |
| A smart TV that is on and on your Wi-Fi network | Use a remote app on your phone | The phone on the same Wi-Fi network, and a first connection to the TV |
| A streaming player or a console with its own remote | Start that device, and let HDMI-CEC change the input | HDMI-CEC on at the TV and at the device |
| A hotel TV | Ask the staff | The hotel can lock the input in the set-up of the TV |
| None of these | Get a replacement remote or a universal remote | The model code of the TV |
Change the input with the button on the TV
Samsung, LG and Roku document a control button, or a small group of buttons, on their TVs. Other brands vary, so look for the button first. Look below the bottom edge of the screen, near the standby light. Then look at the sides and the back of the TV.
The word on the screen depends on the maker. Samsung uses "source", LG uses "external input" and Roku uses "input". All three mean the HDMI port, or other connection, that the TV shows.
Samsung TVs
According to Samsung's support page for the Philippines, all Samsung TVs have a TV control button. Samsung says that this button can turn the TV on and change the volume and the source input. Samsung Australia puts the button at the bottom centre or the bottom right of the screen, usually where the red light is.
On a TV with a single button, do these steps:
- Make sure that the TV is on.
- Press the button one time. The Control menu shows at the bottom of the screen.
- Press the button again to move through the menu.
- When the item for the source has the focus, press and hold the button to select it.
Samsung does not list the names of the menu items, and it gives no steps for the list of sources. The two actions of the single button stay the same: a press moves the focus, and a press and hold selects.
Some Samsung TVs have a small control stick on the back, at the bottom right corner. Press the middle of the stick to show the menu options on the screen. The stick also moves up, down and to each side.
Samsung gives three cautions. Some models do not support the function. The button has limited functions, and some settings need a remote. On The Frame, Samsung says that you must leave Art mode before the Control menu can open.
LG TVs
LG calls its button the jog button. LG's help library describes two types. You can only press the first type. You can also move the second type up, down, left and right.
- Make sure that the TV is on.
- Press the jog button one time. A small menu opens.
- Move to Change External Input.
- Select the item.
| Action | First type | Second type |
|---|---|---|
| Move to the next item | Press the button again | Move the button |
| Select the item | Press and hold the button | Press the button |
The menu has four items. They turn the TV off, close the menu, change the external input and open the settings. LG's page stops at Change External Input and gives no steps for the list of inputs, so follow the instructions on the screen.
LG also uses a press and hold of more than one second to turn the TV off. Open the menu first, and then use press and hold only to select an item.
Roku TVs
A Roku TV is a TV that uses Roku's software. TCL is one of the makers. The Roku TV User Guide describes the buttons on the TV, which it calls panel buttons. The guide says that the panel buttons are not a substitute for the remote. It is from 2018, so a newer model can be different.
| Button layout | How to show the Input List | How to select an input |
|---|---|---|
| Single button | Short press when the TV is on | Short press again; each press selects the next input |
| Three buttons | Short press of the middle button | Left or right button to move; then the middle button, or no press for four seconds |
| Joystick | Press left or right | Each press moves one item; a pause selects the item |
| Four buttons | Press the Input button | Each press moves down one item; a pause selects the item |
On the single button, a short press is less than two seconds. A long press of more than two seconds turns the TV off. If you do not press the button for two seconds, the Input List closes.
Vizio and other brands
Some TVs have a separate input button. The Vizio user manual for the E40-C2 and related models, from 2014, is an example. It shows two buttons on the back of the TV: POWER and INPUT. A press of the INPUT button changes the input source.
On a TV from a different maker, look for a button with the word Input or Source. Then read the manual for your model to see what each button does. If the button shows no menu and has no input function, use one of the other methods.
Change the input from your phone
A phone app sends its commands through the home network, so three conditions apply:
- The TV is a smart TV, and it is on.
- The phone is on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV.
- On an iPhone, the app has Local Network access.
Samsung, LG and Vizio each have an app for their own TVs. The Roku mobile app is for Roku devices.
| App | TVs | How it changes the input | What it needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| SmartThings | Samsung | Samsung says that the remote in the app can change sources | A Samsung account, and the TV connected to the app first |
| LG ThinQ | LG | LG lists input selection among the controls | An LG account for the initial set-up, and a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network |
| VIZIO Mobile | Vizio | Vizio lists "change inputs" among the controls | A Vizio account, and a 4-digit code from the TV |
| The Roku mobile app | Roku TVs | Use the remote in the app to select an input on the Home screen | The TV already on and connected to your Wi-Fi network |
| Tivi | Samsung, LG, Android TV and Google TV | Use Home and the arrows to open the list of inputs of the TV | No account |
On a Roku TV, Roku's instructions are to press Home, move down to Inputs and select an input such as HDMI 1. Roku says that its mobile app can replace the remote, so the same steps apply in the app.
Google's app for Google TV and Android TV devices is the Google TV app. Google's help page lists playback, volume, power and text entry among its controls. The page does not list a control for inputs.
The brand apps do more than a remote does, and most of them ask you to sign in. In a home with more than one brand of TV, a universal app is simpler. Tivi is a universal TV remote app for iPhone from Nefarius Apps. It finds the TVs on your Wi-Fi network and controls Samsung, LG, Android TV and Google TV sets with no account. Tivi has no input button, so use its Home button and its arrows to open the list of inputs of the TV. Tivi does not control Roku, Vizio or Apple TV devices.
On a Samsung TV, Samsung's instructions for its own remote are: from the Home screen, press left, select Connected Devices and choose the input source. You can do the same steps with the Home button and the arrows of a phone remote. Samsung says that the function can vary by model and country. On other TVs, the position of the list depends on the maker.
For the full set-up, read how to use your iPhone as a TV remote. If the TV is not in the list of the app, use the checklist for a TV that doesn't show up in the remote app.
Connect the app for the first time without a remote
The first connection between an app and a TV needs a confirmation. The type of confirmation decides if you can do it without the remote.
- An LG TV shows a PIN on the screen, and you type the PIN in the app. See the LG pairing PIN.
- An Android TV or a Google TV shows a code, and you type the code in the app. See controlling an Android TV or Google TV from an iPhone.
- A Samsung TV shows a box that asks you to allow the device, and you must answer on the TV. See Samsung's allow-device prompt.
Thus on an LG TV, an Android TV or a Google TV, a lost remote does not stop the first connection. On a Samsung TV, try to answer the box with the control button of the TV. The Samsung pages about the control button do not say if the button can answer this box, so the result depends on the model.
Let the connected device change the input with HDMI-CEC
HDMI-CEC is a function of the HDMI connection. It lets devices that are connected by HDMI send basic commands to each other. With HDMI-CEC on, a device can tell the TV to change to its input, and you do not touch the TV.
Roku documents this function for its streaming players. Roku says that most TVs turn on and change to the Roku player input when you press a button on the Roku remote. The volume and mute buttons are the exceptions. Two settings must be on. The first is 1-Touch Play on the Roku player, in Settings, System, Control other devices (CEC). The second is CEC on the TV.
Google describes the same effect for its streaming devices. According to Google, you can cast to a TV that supports CEC while the TV shows a different source. The TV then changes to the HDMI port of the streaming device. Google adds that the streaming device must get its power from a wall outlet, not from a USB port on the TV.
HDMI-CEC has a different name on each brand of TV. Google's list includes Anynet+ on Samsung, SimpLink on LG, BRAVIA Sync on Sony, EasyLink on Philips and VIERA Link on Panasonic. Samsung says that Anynet+ is typically on by default on its 2022 and newer models. On an LG TV with webOS 22, LG puts the setting in All Settings, General, Devices, HDMI Settings, Simplink (HDMI-CEC).
This method has one limit. HDMI-CEC brings the TV to the device that you start, not to a list of all the inputs.
A Roku streaming player can do more than that. Roku's Switch TV inputs feature finds the HDMI devices on the TV and shows them as tiles on the Roku Home screen. You select a tile to change to that device. The feature needs HDMI-CEC on the TV, or a Roku TV on the same network as the player.
Make the TV start on the input you want
Some TVs can start on an input that you select. This setting does not help immediately, because you need a method to move through the menus. Set it when you have control of the TV, and the next start is easier.
- On a TCL Roku TV, TCL's support page gives the path Home, Settings, System, Power, Power On, where you select the input for the start. The default is the Home screen.
- On LG smart TVs from 2023 and 2024, LG's help library gives the path All Settings, General, System, Additional settings, Home settings, Power On Screen. The options are Home screen and Recent external input.
LG adds two limits. The setting applies only when you turn the TV on with the remote. If you use the power button on the TV, the TV can show a different external input screen. LG also says that the setting may not work when Quick Start is off.
Why a hotel TV refuses to change the input
A TV made for hotels can have a set-up menu for the hotel, and one of its settings can lock the input. LG's installation manual for one of its hotel TV ranges, from 2019, names this setting Input Source Change. When the setting is off, the manual says that the Input key does not work.
The lock is not a fault. Ask the front desk or the staff to change the input.
The same manual says that HDMI-CEC still works regardless of this setting. Thus it is possible that a streaming player with HDMI-CEC still gets its input on those models. The result depends on the model and on the other settings of the hotel.
When none of these methods works
If the TV has no button menu, no network connection and no device with HDMI-CEC, you need a physical remote. A phone cannot help, because an iPhone has no infrared emitter, and a TV without a network connection gets no commands from an app. Why an iPhone can't send infrared explains the alternatives.
On an LG smart TV, try a USB mouse or a USB keyboard first. LG says that its smart TV models released after 2012 accept them. LG also says that some screens restrict this type of input, and its page gives no steps for the list of inputs.
A universal remote or the remote for your exact model gives you a button for the input again. Samsung's instructions for a universal remote, for example, are to press its Source button. What to do when the TV remote is lost explains how to find the model code and where to get a replacement.
The short version
Press the control button on the TV first. On Samsung TVs, LG TVs and Roku TVs, it opens a menu or a list where you can select the input. If the TV is on your Wi-Fi network, a remote app on your phone can open the same list. If a streaming player or a console is connected, start it and let HDMI-CEC change the input.
When you have control again, set the TV to start on the input that you use most, if your TV has that setting. For the phone method, start with how to use your iPhone as a TV remote.
Common questions
How do I change my TV to HDMI without a remote?
Press the control button on the TV, and select the item for the input or the source in the menu that opens. Then select the HDMI port of your device. If the TV has no button that you can use, use a remote app on a phone on the same Wi-Fi network. You can also start the HDMI device and let HDMI-CEC change the input.
Can I change the input on a TV without a remote or buttons?
Yes, in two situations. If the TV is a smart TV on your Wi-Fi network, a remote app on your phone can open the list of inputs. If the connected device has its own remote and HDMI-CEC is on, most TVs change to that device when you start it. If neither situation applies, you need a physical remote.
Can I change the TV input with my iPhone?
Yes, if the TV is a smart TV that is on and on the same Wi-Fi network as the iPhone. The brand apps SmartThings, LG ThinQ and VIZIO Mobile include a control for inputs. With a universal app such as Tivi, use the Home button and the arrows to open the list of inputs of the TV. An iPhone cannot control a TV by infrared.
Can I change the TV input without Wi-Fi?
Yes. The button on the TV needs no network connection. HDMI-CEC needs none when you use the remote of the connected device. The phone method needs Wi-Fi, because the phone sends its commands through the home network.
Sources
- Samsung (2023). How to control a Samsung TV without a Remote.
- Samsung (2026). How to Control a Samsung TV without a Remote.
- Samsung (2026). How to use control menu without remote control?
- Samsung (2026). How to change the source in Samsung TV.
- Samsung (2026). Understanding Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) on your Samsung TV.
- LG (2025). How to Use the Jog Button.
- LG (2024). LG TV - How to Set Up the LG ThinQ App on Your LG Smart TV.
- LG (2026). LG TV - How to Set the Default Input.
- LG (2026). LG TV - How to Enable HDMI - CEC.
- LG (2026). LG TV: How to connect a keyboard, mouse, or gamepad to your LG TV.
- LG Electronics (2019). Installation Manual, LED TV LT340C and LT341H.
- Roku (2018). Roku TV User Guide, revision 8.2b.
- Roku (2026). How to use the 'TV Off' shortcut and control your TV with a Roku streaming player.
- Roku (2026). Switch your TV's HDMI inputs with your Roku streaming player.
- Roku (2026). How to set up and watch cable or satellite TV on your Roku TV system.
- Roku (2026). What to do when you have lost your Roku remote.
- TCL. Set What Your TCL Roku TV Displays Upon Power ON.
- Google. What is CEC?
- Google. Cast, connect & control your TV with the Google TV app.
- Vizio (2026). VIZIO Mobile App.
- Vizio (2014). User Manual, E40-C2, E40x-C2, E43-C2, E48-C2, E55-C2 and E65x-C2.