There are hundreds of different streaming devices out there, however, Nvidia’s Shield TV often stands out for its unique looks and functionality. That said, as much effort as Nvidia has put into the Shield to make it an enjoyable user experience, it still faces some occasional bugs and glitches from time to time.
In this article, we’re talking about Nvidia Shield remote not working, its causes and what you can do to fix the problem.
What causes this error?
The issue can be caused by a number of problems including but not limited to the following.
- Low remote battery level.
- The remote IR sensor is obstructed.
- The Remote is out of range.
- Pairing issues with Nvidia Shield.
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How to fix this?
Here are seven fixes you need to try out.
Check for a blocked signal
TV remotes use IR signals that require a clear line of sight between the remote and the device it’s operating. If there’s something like a wall or a piece of furniture between the TV and the remote, the remote isn’t going to work. Check to see if there are any obstructions in between and that you’re in the remote’s recommended range. If you’re too far away, the remote won’t work either.
Check the power
Checking if your TV is getting power or not is a good idea too. If there’s no power in the outlet, it’s pretty obvious that the TV won’t power up no matter what fixes you try. Try plugging the TV into another power outlet as well to root out the issue.

Additionally, if the batteries on your remote are dead or don’t have enough charge for the remote to work properly, it can lose pairing with the TV and stop working. Try swapping out the batteries for a fresh pair and see if the remote works.Â
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Broken remote
There’s also a good chance that the issue is being triggered by a broken or stuck button on your remote. Any other physical damage to the remote (by liquids for example) can also cause this problem. The best thing to do in such situations is to just order another remote. However, you should regularly clean the remote and make sure you regularly clean.
Check for Shield TV updates
Updating your Shield TV to the latest update available can also often fix such problems. Here’s how.

Step 1: Head over to the Settings tab and click Device.
Step 2: Click About
Step 3: Finally, click System Upgrade to manually check for an update and install one immediately if available.
Alternatively, you can also try updating your remote’s firmware.
Step 1: Head over to the Settings tab and click Remote & Accessories.
Step 2: Click Shield Accessories.
Step 3: Click Shield Remote.
Step 4: Finally, click Update firmware to check for and download the latest update available for your remote.
Restart your TV once the update is complete and the error should be gone by now.
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Re-pair your remote
Pairing issues between the Nvidia Shield and its remote can also cause the remote to stop working. Here’s how to re-pair the two devices.
First up, we need to unpair your remote. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Head over to the Settings tab and click Remote & Accessories.
Step 2: Click Shield Accessories.
Step 3: Click Forget all accessories to unpair your remote.
Once that’s done, press and hold down the Select button on your remote in the centre of the D-pad until there’s a blinking green or blue light on your remote depending on the model. Wait for some time and the pairing instructions should show up on the screen. From there, follow along to pair your remote to the Shield again and your problem should be a thing of the past.
Clear Shield cache
Having too big of a cache on your Shield can make the device unresponsive and can cause lags which might make it seem like your remote isn’t working. Here’s how to clear the Bluetooth cache on your Shield.

Step 1: Head over to the Settings tab and click Apps.
Step 2: Select System Apps.
Step 3: Click Bluetooth and select Force Stop.
Step 4: Finally, click Clear cache and data to clear all memory.
Restart your device and try re-pairing the remote now
Factory reset the remote
Finally, if nothing else works, try factory resetting the remote. All you have to do is press and hold the Back and Select buttons together for 15 seconds until the indicator LED on the remote goes off. Keep in mind that you’ll have to re-pair the remote after this but that should solve your problem.
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