If you own a physical Amazon Fire TV remote, chances are you've only used it for the basics -- play, pause, rewind, select, and so on. Most people stick to loading their next show, controlling playback, doing simple navigation, and then call it a day. But did you know there are special button combinations you can press that let you do so much more with your Fire TV device?
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These hidden remote shortcuts are fun to try and let you unlock menus, reset your device, reveal developer tools, and fix glitches -- all without digging through settings. Below are the most useful ones I've found, tested, and verified.
1. Adjust your display resolution
Shortcut: Hold Up + Rewind for 5 seconds
Sometimes when you start or stop streaming in 4K Ultra HD, Amazon says your screen may flicker or go black for a few seconds. If that happens, or if your TV displays "unsupported format," press and hold the Up and Rewind buttons together on your Fire TV remote for 5 seconds. This will let you cycle through all the available resolutions (720p, 1080p, 4K) until you find one that works.
When you see the resolution you want to try, just press Select on your Fire TV remote.
2. Restart your Fire TV
Shortcut: Hold Select + Play/Pause for 3-5 seconds
If a streaming app freezes or the Fire TV interface starts lagging, one of the quickest and safest ways to reboot your device is by pressing and holding the Play/Pause and Select buttons together on your Fire TV remote for 3 to 5 seconds. The screen will go black and then your Fire TV will restart -- no need to unplug the power cable.
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3. Factory-reset from the remote (last resort)
Shortcut: Hold Back + Right for 10 seconds
If you're selling your Fire TV device or it won't boot properly no matter what you've tried, there's a remote shortcut that triggers a factory reset. Just press and hold the Back button and the Right side of the navigation ring together for 10 seconds. Keep in mind this erases all your apps, logins, and data -- so only use it if you're sure.
Once the reset is complete, on-screen instructions will appear for you to pair your remote again.
4. Reset your Fire TV remote
Shortcut: Hold Left + Menu + Back for 12 seconds
I've covered how to reset a Fire TV device, but what about the remote itself? Yes, you can do that too, directly from the remote. Press and hold the Left, Menu, and Back buttons at the same time for 12 seconds. After releasing them, wait 5 seconds, then remove the batteries. This process hard-resets most Fire TV remotes.
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5. Pair (or re-pair) a Fire TV remote
Shortcut: Hold Home for 10 seconds
If you've just factory-reset your Fire TV device or Fire TV remote, or your remote won't automatically pair for whatever reason, you can manually enter pairing mode by holding the Home button for 10 seconds. You'll need to be within 3 feet of your device, and you should see an on-screen confirmation once it connects.
6. Open Quick Settings from anywhere
Shortcut: Long-press Home for 5 seconds
Speaking of pressing the Home button... If you long-press the Home button on a paired Fire TV remote for 3 to 5 seconds, rather than 10, a Quick Settings menu will appear. This menu lets you jump into Wi-Fi, picture modes, profiles, sleep, mirroring, and more -- all without leaving what you're doing.
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The menu overlays on top of whatever you're watching or browsing, with your content still visible in the background, so there's no need to exit apps. It works from anywhere and makes switching settings easy.
7. Change Picture mode
Shortcut: Hold Home button, then select Picture
I've already mentioned how to launch Quick Settings, but one feature within it that's worth calling out is Picture mode. To access different modes and change them with your Fire TV remote, press and hold the Home button and then select Picture from the Settings menu. From there, you can choose a mode such as Vivid, Standard, Energy Saving, Sport, Game, Film Maker Mode, Movie Bright, or Movie Dark.
Tip: If certain options don't appear, try playing content first, since the full menu may only show up while streaming or when an HDMI input is active.
8. Show Text Banners (on-screen labels)
Shortcut: Hold Rewind + Fast-Forward for 2 seconds
Text Banner is an accessibility feature that displays descriptive text for people with a restricted field of view or those who have difficulty seeing what's selected or being shown on their Fire TV screen. It consolidates on-screen text into a large, high-contrast banner. To toggle Text Banner on or off with your Fire TV remote, press and hold Rewind and Fast-Forward for two seconds.
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Tip: You can customize the font, box size, color, and even the position of the banner.
9. Turn on Screen Magnifier (zoom)
Shortcut: Hold Back + Fast-Forward
Need to zoom in a bit more to see certain interface elements? There's a remote shortcut that enables or disables Screen Magnifier. Once on, you can zoom or pan around the UI, too. To quickly toggle it on or off, hold Back and Fast-Forward on your remote for a couple seconds. Once it's enabled, use Menu + Fast Forward/Rewind to zoom in or out, and Menu + arrow keys to pan. Not all video content is compatible with zoom, however.
10. Use VoiceView (screen reader)
Shortcut: Hold Back + Menu for ~2 seconds
Amazon offers an accessibility feature called VoiceView that reads interface elements aloud. To toggle it on, just hold the Back and Menu buttons for 2 seconds. You should hear "VoiceView Ready" when the feature is activated and ready to use. When you turn the feature off, you'll hear "VoiceView Exiting."
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11. Open Developer Tools menu
Shortcut: Hold Select + hold Down for 4 seconds; release both, press Menu
The Developer Tools menu provides real-time metrics and other information useful for troubleshooting, development, and testing. As the name suggests, it's mainly for developers and may not be very helpful if you're not one. To open it with your remote, press and hold the Select button on the directional pad and the Down button. Keep holding both for about 3 to 4 seconds, then release them, and press the Menu button.
Tip: If the above doesn't work, try pressing Select and then Down in sequence rather than at the same time.
FAQs
Do these shortcuts work on every Fire TV and every remote?
The shortcuts mentioned above should work on all current Fire TV remotes.
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That said, availability can vary by your Fire TV model, Fire OS version, and Fire TV remote. For example, some Developer Tools options aren't available on older hardware, and certain accessibility toggles require newer remotes and firmware. I suggest making sure your Fire TV's software is up to date, and that you have a newer Fire TV device and remote, before trying a remote shortcut.
How do I update my Fire TV device?
To make sure your Fire TV software is up to date, go to Settings > My Fire TV (or Device and Software) > About > Check for System Update. If an update is available, it should install automatically. This Amazon support page details the latest Fire OS releases.
How many Fire TV remotes are there as of 2025?
Amazon sells several current Fire TV remotes, including Alexa Voice Remote (3rd Gen) , Alexa Voice Remote Lite , Alexa Voice Remote Pro (with two customizable buttons and backlighting), and Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced (bundled with Fire TV Cube 3rd-gen ).
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Older Gen 1/2 remotes are discontinued.
My remote still won't pair. What now?
You can also use the Fire TV mobile app as a temporary remote.
Is there a remote shortcut to subtitles/CC?
No, but during playback on a TV show or movie, you can press Menu to open the Subtitles/Audio controls, then select Subtitles. It's not a long-press combo, but it's the quickest way.
Any Pro-only tricks?
The Alexa Voice Remote Pro adds two customizable buttons you can map to actions (apps, input switching, etc.). To assign an action, just press and hold 1 or 2 for five seconds.
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