Most people go through most of their lives without thinking about how their TV works.
If you’ve recently purchased a universal remote, you might need to find a component of your favorite device that you didn’t even know existed; the 4-digit code.
Finding the 4-digit code on your TV is surprisingly simple, regardless of what model or brand you own. You can find these codes in the TV’s user manual, online, or via the device’s manufacturer.
Does the process differ between television brands? What can you use your 4-digit code for?
How do you program your universal remote with these codes?
We’ve faced these issues before, so we’re happy to help walk you through these confusing technological processes.
Read on to learn how to find your 4-digit code.
It’s less confusing than you might think!
Table of Contents
Consult Your User Manual
As with any other device, the answers you’re looking for are probably in your user manual.
For this reason, we strongly recommend that you keep the user manuals for your devices- at least, keep them as long as you have the device itself.
Your user manual should have several pages containing codes for devices related to your television, such as DVRs or DVD players.
This four-digit code should reside in a section labeled “universal remote codes,” “programming codes,” or something similar.
The manual may also provide information on how to use these codes.
If not, don’t worry! We have the instructions you need here, as well.
Call Your Remote Or Television Manufacturer
If you don’t have your user manual, or can’t find the code inside of it, you can always rely on old-fashioned human contact.
Consider calling the manufacturer of your TV.
These brands will have their codes listed for internal use and a customer service associate may be able to help you.
Alternatively, consider calling the manufacturer of your universal remote.
These manufacturers may have a list of associated codes and might be able to provide you with one.
How To Program Your Universal TV Remote
If you’ve found your TV code, the next step is using it and programming your TV remote!
First, make sure your TV is on.
Sync the remote and your TV by pressing the ‘TV’ button, shortly followed by the ‘setup’ button.
Input your 4-digit code, point your remote at your TV and press the power button.
Your universal remote is now fully set up!
What Are The Most Common TV Codes By Manufacturer?
Each manufacturer may have an extensive list of 4-digit TV codes.
However, certain codes will appear more than others.
If you are manually searching through every possible TV code, it may be in your best interest to start with the most popular ones.
Here are the most popular TV codes from Sony, Samsung, Vizio, and LG.
Sony
The most common 4-digit TV codes for a Vizio TV are 1001, 1093, and 1036.
Samsung
The single most common 4-digit code for your Samsung TV is 0000, though this can vary widely between models.
Vizio
The most common 4-digit TV codes for a Vizio TV are 1785, 1756, and 0178.
LG TV
The most common 4-digit TV codes for an LG TV are 2065, 4086, 1663, and 1205.
Why Do You Need The 4-Digit Code On Your TV?
The 4-digit code on your TV is not particularly useful in most contexts.
However, you need this code to program any remote to your TV.
This code allows you to access essential functions of your TV, such as changing the volume or channels or even turning the device on or off.
Universal remotes will come with a unique code to connect to different TVs from each manufacturer, and as such, there is no universal code.
These varying codes make it vital that you find the right code for your TV so your new remote can work with it.
In Summary
Programming your TV remote can seem daunting, but ultimately, it’s not as much of a challenge as you might think.
The hardest part is finding your 4-digit code, and even then, it’s easy enough- you just have to know where to look!
We’ve struggled with finding our TV codes before, but you don’t have to.
As long as you follow the manufacturer’s instructions, you can’t go wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Easiest Ways To Find My TV Code?
If you don’t want to search through your user manual or parse through your TV’s settings, you might have an easier option available; the internet.
Many TV manufacturers, such as LG or Samsung, will have their TV codes publicly available and posted somewhere on their websites.
Alternatively, many tech forums will have listings of these codes.
However, these listings can have several hundred codes that can present a severe challenge to anybody attempting to sort through them.
Regardless of the source, these listings will often feature categorization breakdowns to help you easily identify which codes will work for your TV.
Typically, the manufacturers will categorize these breakdowns by the model and specs of each TV, listing the applicable codes for each one.
What Happens If My TV Doesn’t Have A Usable TV Code?
In almost every case, your TV will have an evident code that works with your devices, such as a universal remote.
However, if your TV is significantly newer than your universal remote, it might not feature an applicable code.
Thankfully, many remotes feature a way to work around this time-based limitation.
Your remote might have a function that cycles through every code available.
It typically carries a name such as “learning” or “discover.”
Check your user manual to learn how your remote can carry out this function, though it may require some manual labor, including multiple button presses.
Depending on the model of your remote, you may have to press a button upward of one hundred times.
