There can be a few causes of your LG Magic remote cursor not working, but all of them are easily solvable in nearly all cases.

The problem is either within the remote itself, which is not properly connecting to your TV, or the issue is with your TV being unable to process the signal from your remote.

Either way, you can follow the simple steps below and I’m confident you’ll quickly be able to get your Magic remote working normally again.

LG Magic Remote Cursor Not Working?

If your LG remote pointer is not working, remove the batteries, clean the battery contacts with 99.9% isopropyl alcohol, hit the remote against your palm a few times then try new a new set of batteries in the remote and re-pair it by holding the Home and Back buttons for 5 seconds.

This should solve most people’s problems, but if this doesn’t work, then follow the complete set of troubleshooting steps below to fix a remote with some buttons not working. You should take a look at the linked guide if your LG TV remote doesn’t work at all.

For a quick overview of the troubleshooting steps, you can take a look at my video below, with the full detail for each step in this guide.

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1. Push the Scroll Wheel Up or Down

As soon as you use the cursor buttons on your Magic remote, the cursor disappears, and it’s not obvious how to get it back.

If the cursor has just disappeared for you, try scrolling the central wheel up or down to get it to re-appear.

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2. Replace the Batteries and Shake Your Remote

The most common reason why your LG remote pointer doesn’t work is that the batteries are dead or dying.

This might seem like an obvious point, but it always pays to try changing your batteries, preferably first trying them in an appliance that you know works, so that you can confirm that they hold charge.

You can also try cleaning the battery contacts in the remote. As batteries age, they can leak and cause corrosion within your remote’s contacts.

A quick dab of 99.9% isopropyl alocohol is usually enough to remove any gunk that would otherwise prevent the batteries making a proper contact within your remote.

You might struggle to open the Magic remote’s case to get at the batteries, in which case a credit card comes in handy, which you can see in the below video.

If your Magic remote cursor is not working, but you are sure the batteries are ok, then try removing the batteries, holding down the power button for 10 seconds to drain any residual power, then forcefully mash every button on the remote, slapping it against your palm a few times.

You might have to repeat this several times.

You will also need to put quite a bit of force into pushing the buttons. Don’t be afraid of damaging your remote – as long as you are only hitting it against your hand and only using your fingers to push the buttons it will be fine.

Over time, your remote’s buttons can begin to stick, and just like with a computer keyboard there is a limit to how many simultaneous button pushes the remote will recognize.

So, one or more buttons stuck in the “on” position can prevent other buttons on the remote or the cursor from working.

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3. Update Your TV

It’s important to keep any electronic devices up to date with the latest firmware, none more so than smart TVs.

You should follow the system update procedure on your TV as this has been known to fix issues with the remote, particularly with the wireless Magic remotes.

Smart LG TVs support auto-updating of firmware, but you can’t assume that this is turned on for you.

To check that auto-updating is on for firmware / software on your smart LG TV:

1. Press the Settings button on your remote and go to All Settings.
2. Click Support.
3. Then Software Update.
4. Agree to any terms and conditions that may popup, then switch on Auto Update if off.
5. You can also manually check for updates here.

For older LG TVs:

1. Press the Settings button on your remote and go to All Settings.
2. Go to General.
3. Then About This TV.
4. Check Auto Updates are on, and use the Check for Updates button to manually see if you are running the most recent firmware version.

For some LG TVs, you’ll need to update the firmware by USB. To do this:

1. Go to the LG Software Drivers site.
2. Enter your TV’s model number and find it on the site.
3. Put a USB stick into your computer and create a folder on it called LG_DTV.
4. Right-click the firmware ZIP file on LG’s site and Extract All to the folder on your USB stick.
5. Once complete, eject your USB stick.
6. Insert the USB stick into your TV’s USB port and switch it on.
7. The TV will automatically search for the folder you created and should display USB UPDATE READY.
8. Select Install.
9. Follow the on-screen instructions, then switch off your TV for 10 seconds and power back on to complete the update.

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4. Reset Your Magic Remote

The LG Magic remote relies on Bluetooth or your home Wi-Fi network to connect to your LG TV.

This enhanced LG remote does not require a line of sight to your TV to work, but can be less reliable than a standard IR remote and can become unpaired from your TV.

Try unpairing and re-pairing your Magic remote to get the pointer working again:

1. First check your remote is getting power from its batteries by pressing any button. The Power button should light up.
2. Press and hold the Home button and Back button at the same time for at least 5 seconds to de-register your remote. Your TV should say that “Remote registration is disconnected.”

2. Make sure your phone has Bluetooth switched on.
3. Start scanning for new Bluetooth devices on your phone.
4. Press the central scroll wheel on your remote and check if your phone sees the remote as a new Bluetooth device with the name LGE MRXX. Your remote should also re-register with your TV.
5. If neither of these happen, you might need a new remote, but try the rest of the steps below first.

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5. Factory Reset Your LG TV

Resetting your TV and remote can help resolve any issues.

Power cycling your TV will clear out any issues with non-permanent memory and reset your main board without losing your personal settings.

This is quick and painless and won’t cause you to lose any of your saved settings.

1. Switch off and unplug your TV.
2. Hold down the physical power button on the TV for at least 15 seconds.
3. Wait for at least 30 minutes for any residual power to drain from the TV’s capacitors (which are capable of storing charge for several minutes).
4. Plug your TV back in and try switching it on. You should see a red light if you have been successful.

Make sure you do wait for the full 30 minutes before plugging your TV back in – you would be surpised how long the components within your TV can hold charge, and you want to make sure it has fully reset.

Although this seems a very basic step, don’t overlook it because in the vast majority of cases a simple soft reset fixes most issues.

Returning your TV back to its factory settings is a more extreme step, as it will delete any personalization features, downloaded apps or connected devices, but it’s always worth a shot when other methods haven’t worked.

To factory reset an LG Smart TV:

1. Press the Home button on your remote and go to All Settings.
2. Then General.
3. And System (or skip to the next step on older models).
4. Choose Reset to inital settings.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions and hit Confirm.
6. Enter your PIN, which by default is 0000 (four zeroes) or 1234 for LG.
7. Then select Restart in the popup.

If you have changed your LG TV’s PIN and can’t remember what it is:

1. Press the Home button on your remote and go to All Settings.
2. Then Support.
3. Go to Advanced Settings.
4. Then Safety.
5. And Reset Password.
6. On your remote, press Channel Up twice, then Channel Down once, followed by Channel Up once.
7. Put 0313 in the box.
8. Then 0000.
9. Then choose a new PIN that you can remember.

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6. Check for Damaged Components

If none of the other fixes have worked for you, then it’s likely that there is some mechanical damage within the remote.

To fix this, you can disassemble your remote, clean the components with isopropyl alcohol, and confirm that there is no damage to the circuit boards.

Although this seems a fairly extreme step, the only other option is to order a replacement remote, so why not give it a go?

To disassemble your LG TV remote:

1. Remove the batteries.
2. If there are no screws to open the remote’s case, use a flat head screwdriver with the tip pushed in between the two halves of the remote.
3. Twist the screwdriver and the case should pop open.

Then carefully remove the circuit board and buttons, swab with 99.9% isopropyl alcohol and remove any dirt or gunk that might have got caught under the buttons.

Check that the battery leads are not corroded and once you have given all parts a good clean, put it back together again and test.

TV remotes are actually very simple devices and this is unlikely to take you more than a couple of minutes even if you’ve not done anything like this before.

Take a look at the video below for a demonstration of how to open and clean an LG smart TV remote.

What if Your LG TV Remote is Still Not Working?

If your LG TV remote is still not working, then you have two choices:

• Use the LG app.
• Buy a replacement LG TV remote.

The LG TV Plus TV app is a very easy to use replacement for the remote, and will work with all LG Smart TVs.

Simply download the App from the Android Play store or the Apple App store and install on your phone.

As long as your TV is on and connected to the same local WiFi network as your phone, you will be able to easily control it using the app.

There are also plenty of generic LG TV remotes available to buy from any of the big box stores if you would prefer.

LG Remote Pointer Not Working? How to Fix

If your LG TV remote cursor is not working, then to fix it:

1. Use the central scroll wheel to get the cursor to re-appear.
2. Remove the batteries, clean the contacts and replace with a fresh set of batteries.
3. Slap the remote into your palm a few times and mash the buttons in case any are stuck.
4. Restart your LG TV.
5. Run any updates on your TV.
6. Try to re-pair your Magic TV remote.
7. Check for liquid damage.

If your LG TV remote is still not working, then you can either use the LG app or buy a new generic remote from most big store retailers.

Or let me know if you still have a problem in the comments below and I’ll try my best to help.

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