How to Change the Input on a Vizio TV

Get your device on the screen

We'd follow the video cable to the TV first because its port label tells you which input to choose. If no menu or input message appears, follow the dark-screen checks.

An input selects a connection; it cannot make a sleeping device send video. A box connected by HDMI needs its numbered HDMI input. An antenna connected directly to the TV uses TV or Antenna, while a cable box uses the input for its video cable.

Press INPUT on the remote to cycle through inputs. If an input menu opens instead, highlight the port with the arrows or INPUT and press OK. On a TV with an INPUT button or a combined Power/Input button, brief presses while the TV is on move through the inputs.

The right input says No Signal

1. Wake or restart the connected device using its own controls. Select the HDMI input whose number matches the TV port, and wait for the device to finish starting. Its menu or picture should replace No Signal; if it doesn't, inspect the cable.
2. Look at the socket without opening the TV. A bent or displaced connector is visible damage; No Signal by itself can also come from an off device, a loose cable, or the wrong input. Never force a plug into a loose or damaged socket. Turn off the TV and device before moving their HDMI connection. Pull the cable from both ends, then seat both plugs firmly and turn the devices back on. A picture that stays steady points to a loose connection; continued No Signal calls for the next test.
3. If the source runs through a receiver, soundbar, or HDMI switch, turn off the equipment, then connect its HDMI output directly to the TV and select that TV port. A stable picture directly, but not through the middle device, narrows the fault to that route. If the direct connection fails too, continue.
4. Reboot the TV, then restart the source. Open Menu > Admin & Privacy > Reboot TV; a menu with All Settings may put Admin & Privacy beneath it, and the reboot control may read Restart TV or Soft Power Cycle. Select the same input after both devices start. A returned picture ends this test; continued No Signal sends you to the cable-and-port tests below.

Find out whether the cable, device, or port failed

Change one thing at a time with a cable and source that work elsewhere. Look at the socket without opening the TV. Never force a plug into a loose or damaged socket. The HDMI connection checks compare these parts across TVs.

1. Keep the same source and TV port, but substitute a working HDMI cable. Turn off the devices before changing the connection, then restart them and select the same input. If the picture returns, the original cable or its seating was the problem. If it doesn't, keep the substitute cable for the next test.
2. Turn off the TV and source, move the same cable to a second TV HDMI port, turn both devices back on, and select that port's input. A stable picture there narrows the problem to the original port or its setting. If both ports fail, test the source.
3. Connect another working source to the suspect TV port. If it shows a picture, examine the original source's video output. You can also try the original source on another display: a picture there points back to the TV path, while failure there points to the source or cable. If several working sources and cables fail only on the same TV port, record that result for service.

If other sources work but one older device still cannot show a picture, check whether your TV offers HDMI Mode; the documented path on a 2022 D-Series is Menu > Picture > Input Picture Settings > HDMI Mode. If HDMI Mode is available, try its legacy setting and look for a stable picture. Record the original mode so you can restore it if the test fails. For a source with adjustable output, 1080p at 60 Hz is a useful first test when both the source and TV list that format; set it on the source and see whether its picture appears.

An HDMI input is missing from the list

1. Open Menu > System > Hide from Input List. If your menu begins with All Settings, open All Settings > System first. Find the numbered port you read on the TV.
2. Highlight that port. When it has a visibility control, press Left or Right to change Hidden to Visible. Return to the input list: the port should now appear and be selectable.
3. If the port has no visibility toggle or still does not appear, reboot the TV and open the list again. If it remains inaccessible, test the source and cable on a selectable second port, then use the reset steps below if the original input is still missing. A physical port still absent after those checks and a reset belongs in the service handoff.

INPUT will not change the source

Try Volume or Menu on the remote. If that command works but INPUT does not, the INPUT key is the likely problem. If nothing responds, aim at the TV sensor, move anything blocking it, and match fresh batteries to the + and − marks inside the battery compartment.

With the TV on, give its INPUT or combined Power/Input button one short press at a time until the correct port appears. Look near the TV's sensor and along its back or side for the control. Release it after each press: holding a combined button can turn off or reset the TV. If this button changes inputs while the remote cannot, focus on the remote.

On a compatible smart TV already connected to Wi-Fi, put your phone on the same network and open the VIZIO mobile app (opens in a new tab). Select the TV, enter the four-digit code displayed on its screen, then tap Input and choose the device's port. A switched input and a stable device picture confirm it worked. Pairing by code requires the TV to display that code.

If no control opens a menu, identify the TV model and confirm its documented Power/Input hold time. Don't keep holding through the factory-reset threshold. To restart, hold the button for 3 seconds on documented HD/FHD sets or 5 seconds on the V6 button design, then release when the TV turns off. Press once to restart, turn on the device, and select its port. A stable picture means the restart worked.

Finish reboot and the cable, source, and port comparisons before a physical-button factory reset. Identify the TV model, record your settings, and have your Wi-Fi and account details ready. This reset erases saved Wi-Fi, account, picture, and other settings. If its instructions document a Power/Input reset, hold 12 seconds on supported HD/FHD sets or 20 seconds on V6 sets. Complete setup and retest the same working source and cable on the affected port. A stable picture confirms recovery; continued failure is a result to report for service.

The input still fails after the tests

1. If the TV menu opens and you have not already factory-reset it, open Menu > Admin & Privacy and choose Reset to Factory Settings when that control appears. If the menu begins with All Settings, open that first. Older menus place Reset to Factory Defaults under Menu > System > Reset & Admin.
2. Confirm the factory reset and complete TV setup. Connect the same known-working source and cable to the affected port, turn on the source, and select that port. A stable picture shows the input works again; a missing entry or continued failure is a result to report for service.

The owner checks end when a port is damaged or remains absent, several working sources and cables fail on it while another port works, or no control selects an input after reboot and reset. Contact VIZIO support if warranty may cover it; otherwise, get a qualified TV shop's written quote. Give them the model and serial number, receipt, affected port, tested sources and cables, other ports' behavior, and reset result.

US TV diagnosis is $50 to $150 for inspection and a quote; repair parts, labor, and a home visit cost extra. Bench work on an existing HDMI connection without a new part uses 1 to 2 hours at $60 to $125 an hour. Connector or input-port repair is $120 to $350 for labor and port work; a separately billed new part, diagnosis, and home visit add to that price. Main-board replacement is $200 to $450 with the board and installation labor included; diagnosis and a home visit are extra. Compare the itemized full quote with an equivalent replacement TV.

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