Amazon Fire TV Stick not working? Here's how to fix it

Amazon’s Fire TV Stick is an excellent streaming device that helps you make any TV smart at a fraction of the price. All you have to do is plug it into a TV’s HDMI port to enjoy all the features Fire TV OS has to offer, along with easy access to your favorite streaming apps. If your Amazon Fire TV Stick is not working after an update, if you see a blank or black screen, or if apps don’t load or load slowly, here’s what you can do to fix it.

Restart the Fire TV Stick

Turning it on and off again is a go-to troubleshooting step for any electronics, and it also applies to the Fire TV Stick. There are a few ways you can restart a Fire TV Stick. The simplest option is to unplug the power cord and remove the Stick from the TV’s HDMI port before connecting everything again.

You can restart the streaming device using the remote if the screen is frozen or blank. Press and hold the Select (large circle button) and the Play/pause button simultaneously for at least five seconds to restart the Fire TV Stick. If Fire TV OS is loading but slow and sluggish, you can also restart the device through the Settings menu. Go to Settings > Device and software and select Restart.

Check the TV’s HDMI port and input to fix the black screen issue

The Fire TV Stick is not working properly and showing a blank or black screen could be because of problems with the TV’s HDMI port. Try using another HDMI port to see if it fixes the issue. Ensure that the streaming device is plugged in correctly, and remove it gently when trying to unplug it to ensure you don’t damage the port. Check the source input on your TV to see if the correct HDMI port is selected.

If you are using an HDMI extender, try plugging the Fire TV Stick directly into the TV to fix the problem with the device not working and showing a blank or black screen.

Check the network connection

Apps not loading or loading slowly or buffering could be because of network connectivity issues or problems with the app itself. Streaming devices requires an active Internet connection to access apps, so check that you’ve set up Wi-Fi on the Fire TV Stick correctly. Ensure you aren’t having any network connectivity problems by checking the Internet connection on other devices. Check out our guide on how to fix problems with Wi-Fi connections. You can also try checking and boosting the Wi-Fi signal strength to ensure no interference.

Update or delete and reinstall apps

Slow-loading apps or streaming services not working could be because of the app itself. Check a site like Down Detector to see if others are reporting problems with a particular streaming service. You can also check other apps to see if they’re working correctly and whether the issue seems to only be with a specific app.

Ensure you update these apps since software updates bring bug fixes that might solve your issue. If nothing works, the best option is to remove and reinstall apps on the Fire TV Stick.

Fix problems with the Fire TV Stick remote

Your Fire TV Stick might appear not to work if there are problems with the remote. Check out our guide on fixing issues with the Fire TV Stick remote to see if it solves the problem.

Clear the cache and update the Fire TV Stick

You can try and fix slow and sluggish performance by clearing the cache and data on the Fire TV Stick. And apart from keeping your apps updated, ensure that the streaming device is running the latest software by updating the Fire TV Stick.

Fix sound delays on the Fire TV Stick

If you notice a lag or delay between the sound and video, it’s a fixable sync issue. Go to Settings > Display and sounds > Audio > AV Sync tuning and go through the steps to fix the audio sync issue.

Factory reset the Fire TV Stick

If nothing else works, you might have to factory reset the Fire TV Stick. This will reset everything to factory defaults, so you will have to set everything up again, from signing in to your Amazon account to downloading, installing, and signing into streaming apps. To factory reset the device, go to Settings > My Fire TV > Reset to factory defaults.