How do you turn a Roku off?

If you’ve got a Roku device connected to your TV, you might have one very simple question. How do you turn the bloody thing off? Don’t worry, it’s a rite of passage for all new Roku owners. If you’ve just spent ten minutes forlornly searching for a power switch or off button on the remote, you’re not alone. Here’s how to turn a Roku off. Or not.

How to turn a Roku off

Most Roku streaming devices don’t have a power button or an off switch. If you press the Home button on the device’s remote control to return to the main menu and leave the device idle for a few minutes, it will power down by itself. You can, of course, turn the television off as normal.

You don’t need to worry about this being a waste of electricity. Roku devices consume very little power and the few minutes it takes for the device to fall back into standby will add a tiny fraction of a penny to your electricity bill, even with today’s madly inflated prices.

How do you restart a Roku

If something’s gone wrong with your Roku and you want to restart it, you can do that from the Settings menu. Press Home on the remote control, navigate to the Settings option, then select System > System Restart.

If you hit a brick wall via that method, then simply pulling the power cord out of the Roku device or removing it from the TV’s HDMI/USB ports (if you’re using a Streaming Stick) is your best bet.