LG TV Blue Tint (Try THIS Fix First)
So your LG TV has a blue tint – the backlight is on and “working”, but it’s blue! This can be incredibly frustrating, especially when it happens on a brand new TV.
Luckily, it’s usually only a temporary issue – I’ve found a several proven ways to fix it.
If you try each and every one of these solutions, I am extremely confident one of them will work for you.
LG TV Blue Tint
If your LG TV has a blue tint, you need to reset it. Unplug your TV and wait a full 60 seconds. While the TV is unplugged, press and hold the power button for 30 seconds. After the 60 seconds are up, plug your LG TV back in and it should work.
9 times out of 10, power cycling a TV will fix the blue tint issue you’re seeing.
Of course, there are times when the above solution does not fix the problem. In that case, the problem is usually a hardware issue.
However before we troubleshoot the hardware, there are several other practical, and easy troubleshooting steps you should try.
Unplug LG TV from wall
Again, while this fix sounds obvious, unplugging your LG TV from the wall socket (power-cycling) is the most common way to get rid of the blue tint you’re seeing.
The key here is to actually wait the FULL 60 seconds. Have a little bit of patience and make sure it’s been at least a minute before plugging it back in.
While the TV is unplugged, find and hold the power button on your LG TV for 30 seconds. Make sure you are holding the power button on your TV, and not your remote!
This will help to drain any residual power left in the TV and allows the TV to soft reset itself. This is different than simply switching the remote on and off!
Once you plug the TV back in after the 60 seconds, you should see it power back up no problem.
While this fix should work for about 90% of cases, the remaining 10% can be a bit trickier. If your LG TV still has a blue tint, try the fixes detailed below.
Check all HDMI connections
If power cycling your LG TV didn’t do the trick, then the very next thing you should check are your HDMI connections.
If you have anything connected to your TV via HDMI, make sure that the connections are snug! That means unplugging them and then plugging them back in securely.
With the rise in popularity of HDMI streaming devices like Roku and Firestick, more and more LG TV owners are reporting seeing a blue tint.
And it’s often due to a bad HDMI connection.
Bad HDMI connections come in a few forms:
- Loose HDMI connection
- Faulty HDMI port
- Bad HDMI cable
If you confirmed the connection is secure, go ahead and double-check that you are on the right Input channel as well.
To do this, look at the back of your TV and find the HDMI port you’re using. Above the HDMI connection, there should be a label, or some writing on your TV, indicating which HDMI port number it is.
Take note of that number (HDMI “2” in the example above).
Then grab your LG TV remote (NOT your Roku or Firestick remote, if you’re using those) and click SOURCE (or INPUT). You’ll likely need to toggle this several times until you find the corresponding input on your TV
If the connection is secure, and you’re on the correct input, I would try connecting to a different HDMI port.
LG TVs often have multiple ports, sometimes up to four! Use a different port and see if you get the picture back to normal.
If not, the last possible fix here is to replace the HDMI cable you’re using and see if that does the trick.
Run a TV picture test on your LG TV
Often the cause of a blue tint on your LG TV has to do with your TV’s picture settings. The first thing you should do is run a TV picture test.
To run a picture test on your LG TV go to Settings > All Settings > Support > Screen Self-Diagnosis.
The test will guide you through the process and suggest what adjustments you should make to ensure your screen is working properly.
Hopefully this fixes your flickering problem! But if not, there are several additional steps to try.
Update LG TV OS
Your LG TV can run into a lot of issues if the software isn’t up to date. To correct this problem, simply check for any new LG TV OS updates.
All you need to do is look for the newest firmware update available for your TV model. Most of the time these updates happen automatically, but occasionally they get missed.
To check automatic updates:
- Press the Home/Start button on your remote
- Select Settings
- Choose All Settings
- Select General
- Go down to About this TV
- Ensure that Automatic updates is checked. You can also Check for updates here.
If automatic updates are not working for whatever reason, you can update your LG TV software manually.
To update your LG TV software manually:
- Find the applicable Product Support Page
- Go to the LG Support Home Page
- Type in and select your TV model number
- Download the file and unzip it (right click, Extract All)
- Put the file on the USB
- On the root of the USB drive, create a folder and name it “LG_DTV”
- Place the unzipped file into this folder (file type should be EPK)
- Insert USB into the back of your TV
- Follow the instructions on the screen
You’ll want to ensure you update your LG TV often to keep up with the newest software!
Factory reset LG TV
If updating the OS didn’t resolve your blue tint problems, it’s time for a full factory reset.
With the TV powered on click the Gear icon at the top of your remote.
Then go down to All Settings (Advanced Settings) > General > Reset to Initial Settings. Your TV will turn off and on again and then display the initial setup screen.
This will essentially restore your LG TV to the settings it had on the day you purchased the television. That means all account settings will be removed, and any installed apps will be deleted!
Factory reset LG TV without remote
If for whatever reason you do not have access to your TV’s remote, you can still factory reset your LG TV.
To do this find the power button on your TV. Depending on the model you have this may be on the right hand side, left hand side, or very bottom of the device.
With the TV on, press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds. If that doesn’t work, use the joystick panel control on the TV to navigate to Menu > All Settings > General > Reset to Initial Settings.
If you’re having trouble finding these buttons on your TV, or if you TV is mounted in a tight spot, there are other options.
First, consider plugging in a USB keyboard directly into the back of your LG TV.
You can then use the keyboard to navigate and reset your TV.
Another option, if you have a LG Smart TV, is to download the the LG ThinQ app to your smart phone.
After connecting your TV to the app, you can use your smart phone as a remote!
A final possibility is to grab a universal remote you have lying around and enter the appropriate LG code for the remote to get it working.
At this point you should have fully resolved your blue tint issues, but if you’re still seeing blue, you most likely have an issue with your TV’s LED backlight strips…
Replacing LG LED backlight strips
The backlights on TVs consist of strips of LED lights. Each of the individual LEDs on the strip have a yellow film covering that helps to modulate the color/tint of the LED.
Occasionally this yellow film covering cracks, breaks and/or deteriorates. When this happens, a blue tint occurs.
This can happen on a handful of the LEDs, or all of them. But regardless, it’s easier to replace the entire strip than it is to replace a single malfunctioning LED light.
You can order a set of backlight LED strips for your exact TV model online.
Replacing the LED backlight strips is a bit of a hassle because there are lots of screws to remove and you need to disassemble all the bezels.
You will also need to remove the glass panel, which is fragile and very expensive to replace.
In other words, I would only recommend replacing LED backlight strips if you’re familiar with disassembling TVs.
If you don’t want to take on the project, you could use a LG technician or TV repair store to do it for you, although it will cost more.
In most cases replacing the LED backlight strips will cost between $100 and $200, depending on how many strips you need. The majority of TVs have 9 to 12 LED backlight strips, but some will have more depending on the size.
Replacing the LED backlight strips on your TV is a risky project, but it will likely resolve your blue tint issue and save you hundreds of dollars on official repairs.
LG TV support
If you tried all the troubleshooting steps above and your LG TV still has a blue tint, you should contact the LG TV support team directly.
They can be reached at 1-833-378-0003.
- Monday – Sunday, 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM EST
(Shortest wait times are Monday – Friday, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST).
You can also try using their Text Message support or Live Agent chat.
LG TV warranty
This is always a last-ditch effort, but you should check if you have an active warranty on your TV.
After you describe what the issue is and LG makes their determination of whether or not it is covered under warranty, they will either repair or replace your TV.
They even offer in-home services if this ends up being covered under your warranty. It’s worth a shot!
Conclusion
If you’re seeing a blue tint on your LG TV, don’t panic, there are several proven fixes you can try:
- Power cycle your TV
- Check all your HDMI connections
- Run a TV picture test
- Update your TV’s software
- Factory reset your TV, with or without your remote
- Replace your TV’s LED backlight strips
- Contact LG TV support
- Check your LG warranty
Hopefully one of these fixes worked for you!
