How do I reset my Freeview TV or set-top box?

If you're having a problem with your Freeview Play equipment (if your picture has frozen, for instance, or the function lights don't come on), often the problem can be fixed simply by resetting it.

To do this, switch off the power to your device at the wall and leave it for about five minutes. When you turn the power back on the box or TV will reboot its software. This will usually fix the problem.

If you're still having problems, you could try doing a full reboot and retune. This usually involves the following steps, but the process may vary slightly depending on your device.

How to reboot your digital box or TV

  1. Disconnect your device's aerial for a few minutes.
  2. Go to the menu and select retune or rescan. Your box or TV will warn you that you will lose existing channels – this is what you want to do, as with the aerial disconnected it will not find any new ones to store and will effectively clear its memory.
  3. Switch off the device's power source at the wall for about five minutes.
  4. Reconnect the aerial lead before turning the power back on.
  5. When your device has restarted, go to the menu again and select retune or rescan again.
  6. Once it's finished retuning, check to see it's functioning normally once more and if it has the full range of channels it had before.

If it's still not functioning properly, contact your device's helpline or look on its website for further advice.

Missing channels?

If you can't find the full range of channels that you had before, we recommend you have your aerial and cabling checked – it's possible that it's become damaged or corroded or been moved out of position slightly.

If you are having problems viewing channels we can help you to fix the problem

If this has not helped solve the problem the following websites to find a qualified aerial installer local to you:

Remember, it's always a good idea to get more than one quote.

Was this article helpful?