Sky is undoubtedly one of the better solutions to us in the UK if you want to get access to good quality channels. With their good variety of sports entertainment and kids channels for you to watch, it’s no surprise that there’s more than 10 millions users in the UK, and it’s still more popular than Virgin Media (although Virgin is catching up).
And as with any kind of technology in your household, you’re always going to find small problems with them on occasion. One of these is your Sky remote not working, which unfortunately can be a pretty common problem for many of us. It’s frustrating, and it can be difficult to know what to do to try and fix the issue.
Fortunately, even if your Sky remote isn’t working properly, there are things that you can do to fix the issue. So, let’s look at some of the solutions you could consider if you’re having problems with your Sky remote.
Sky Remote Not Working – Troubleshooting
If your Sky remote is not working properly, then there are some things that you can do to get it working again. This includes;
- Resetting your Sky Remote
- Re-pair the remote
- Make sure the box isn’t the problem
- See if you’re connected to the internet properly (for voice control)
- Unstick any stuck buttons
- Check that your batteries aren’t dead
If you go through all of these steps, then this should resolve your remote problem. Let’s run through them all in more detail so you know how to do all of these steps properly yourself.
How to Reset Your Sky Remote
The good news is that it’s very easy for you to reset your Sky remote back to factory settings. All you need to do is hold down 7 + 9 for 10 seconds. The red light on your remote should flash, which indicates that it has reset itself.
Doing this should fix your remote problems in the majority of cases. If this doesn’t help, or you can’t get the red light on your remote to flash, then you’re going to need to try a few more things to resolve the problem completely.
Tips on How to Get Your Sky Remote Working Again
Now, if your Sky Remote still isn’t working after you’ve reset it, then there are a few other things that you’ll want to run through. Doing this can ensure that there’s not just a simple problem with your remote control, and that it’s a fault with the remote’s hardware itself.
In some cases, there may be an issue with your Sky box not recording. This will typically be down to your Sky Q box, and will have nothing to do with your remote.
Re-pairing the remote
Once you’ve factory reset the remote control for your Sky setup, you’ll want to try and re-pair it up with your Sky Q box. You can do this pretty easily with the buttons on the remote itself.
All you need to do is hold down the buttons 1 + 3 at the same time. This will being up the setup menu. The navigation menu is where you’ll be able to do the majority of what you need to. From here, you’ll need to enter in the brand of TV that you’re using. Then, you can re-pair the two together again.
Restart your box and check it
Even if you’re having problems with your remote, it could actually be caused by your box – the remote may not necessarily responsible for the problem. So, you may need to reset your Sky Q box.
The first thing that you’re going to want to do is check your box is working okay. You can do this by using the button on the front of the box itself – when you press the standby button, your box should turn on or off. The colour should change from orange to green, or vice versa.
If this doesn’t work, then you’re going to want to go ahead and turn your Sky Q box off. Essentially, the best way for you to do this is turn it off at the wall and turn it back on again. Then, start your Sky box up as you normally would.
Connect to the internet
If you want your Sky remote to function properly and work as well as it can, then you’ll need your box to be connected to the internet in your house. This is important if you want to use the voice command function of your Sky remote.
Go to Settings > Status on your Sky box, you’ll be able to see if you’re connected to your home wifi or not. Doing this can ensure that you are, and a lack of connection isn’t causing the problem with your remotes voice control.
Make sure there’s no stuck buttons
You’d be surprised the amount of people that don’t realise this is what’s causing problems with their Sky + and Sky Q remote. If any of the buttons are stuck in on your remote, then this will stop your remote from working altogether. They could be stuck in very slightly and still be causing a problem.
Checking that all the buttons on your remote are as normal is definitely worth checking if you’re trying to work out what the problem is. Making sure the buttons aren’t stuck is key to getting the remote to work properly.
Check your batteries
Something that’s pretty common with remotes is that suddenly they stop working due to the batteries that you’re using with your remote. This can happen if you’ve been using the same set of batteries for a while.
Of course, the simple answer here is that you’ll need to go ahead and replace those batteries yourself. This is an easy one, but it’s worth checking before you go ahead and order a new remote. Try using a set of batteries from another remote so you know they’re okay.
Your remote is controlling other boxes
In some cases, you might find that your Sky Remote is actually interacting with other devices in your setup. This isn’t uncommon and it can actually occur with devices that aren’t even your television e.g. your DVD player or another box.
If this is the case, then you’re going to want to get in touch with the maker of the other box. There’s nothing Sky can do about this, but the other box will likely need a software update to ensure it’s not compatible with your Sky box.
Sky Q Touch remote – Touchpad not working
If you have the Sky Q touch remote, then you might not be surprised to know that it was discontinued by Sky in the end. The majority of the feedback that Sky received about the remote was negative, which led them to get rid of it altogether.
The main problem with the touch remote? The large touchpad that was really the whole point of the remote in the first place. Users noticed that it wasn’t very responsive, and in some cases, it would just stop working altogether.
If this is the case for you, then you can just contact Sky to get yourself a free replacement. It won’t be the same model as they’ve moved onto a different design now, but I just thought that this was worth mentioning for those that have a touch remote at home.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are various different remotes that Sky have released over the years. For the most part, they all have the same method of fixing them, though there are some aspects that are specific to each different model. But either way, if there’s not an easy fix for your Sky remote, then you can contact them for a replacement if it’s a hardware fault.
Hi it Toby
I’m leaving this comment for anyone who had the same problem as me, so my remote wasn’t working and I changed the batteries and still it didn’t work so I googled it and came across this website so on my remote I pressed 7+9 together nothing happened so I read the rest of this website and it said check the box was working and it didn’t so I needed to turn the box off and on again but my plug socket is behind my wardrobe so that wasn’t going to happen then I looked at the back of the sky box and there is a little reset button and I pressed it and it reset my sky box and reconnected itself and it works again 🥳 x
Thanks for the comment, Toby! I’m glad you were able to get it working.
Thanks released stuck button and that fixed it.
Glad we were able to help, James!
Hello John ,
I am 85 , not very tech savvy . My Sky receiver/remote , 20+ years old , stopped working today . I did an online search , came across your piece about how to solve problems . 7+9 : 10 seconds sorted it out . Thanks.
You’re very welcome, glad you got it sorted Will! 🙂
Jon, fair play to you! This article solved my issue within minutes after discovering my skyQ remote wasn’t working. Appreciate it, thank you!
Glad to hear it Linda! 🙂
Thank you so much for your help. Followed all the instructions but what worked for us was switching the reset button.
Awesome, Margaret! You’re very welcome 😀
Jan thanks a lot, I am 90+ Who said that you cannot teach a dog new trick ?
Joe
Haha, exactly Joe! You’re welcome and glad we were able to help! 🙂