If your Vizio TV turns on by itself, it’s most likely because you have HDMI-CEC turned ON. Some HDMI devices (like your DVD player, for example) turn your TV on automatically when they turn on. To turn HDMI-CEC OFF, go to SETTINGS > SYSTEM > CEC > OFF. This should fix your TV!

Disable HDMI-CEC

HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI-CEC) is an HDMI feature that helps your connected devices work better together.

It gives your HDMI-connected devices partial control over your TV and your TV partial control over your devices.

For example, with HDMI-CEC, you could control your DVD player with your TV remote. Or your DVD player could automatically change your TV’s input to HDMI when it turns on.

In some cases, by default, HDMI devices are configured to turn the TV on automatically when they power on.

Vizio TVs have this feature, and since your TV is turning on by itself, you should start your troubleshooting process here.

Click the SETTINGS button on your remote and go to SYSTEM > CEC > and finally, OFF.

Keep in mind that you will no longer be able to use your TV remote to control any other devices.

Wait to see if disabling CEC solves your issue. If it doesn’t, there are several other likely reasons that your Vizio TV is turning on by itself.

But before we get into those, there are a few more simple steps you absolutely should try before things start to get complicated.

Disable Eco mode

Vizio TVs also come equipped with something called Eco mode. This mode automatically controls various settings on your TV to save power whenever possible.

Sometimes, these settings can take on a life of their own, and it’s worth turning them off if you’re already experiencing some issues.

To disable your Eco mode, first select SETTINGS on your remote control.

Next, scroll down to SYSTEM and then POWER MODE.

Check to see if this setting is on “Eco Mode.” If it is, turn it off by switching it to “Quick Start.” This fix is likely to solve your problem.

Power-cycle your Vizio TV

Everyone likes to skip this step, but power-cycling your TV, or any electronic device for that matter, solves most issues!

To power-cycle your Vizio TV, unplug it from the wall and wait for 60 FULL seconds.

After the 60 seconds are up, press and hold the power button on the TV (not the remote) for 10-15 seconds. This helps to drain any residual power stored up in the TV.

Now go ahead and plug the TV back in. See if this reset helped at all.

Remove batteries from Vizio remote

If unplugging and re-plugging your TV in didn’t fix the problem, try taking out your remote batteries.

Be sure to remove both batteries from the remote. Sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised!

With the batteries removed, proceed to hold down the power button on the remote for 15 seconds. Again, do this for a full 15 seconds! Not 5 seconds, 15!

After the full 15 seconds are up, put the batteries back in the remote and turn on the TV. It should power back on with no issues. It will hopefully stop turning on by itself going forward.

If this finally fixes your problem, but then a few weeks later, you run into the same issue, you’ll need to try factory resetting your TV for a more permanent solution.

Factory reset Vizio TV

A factory reset essentially restores your Vizio TV to the settings it had on the day you purchased the television.

With the TV powered on, click the SETTINGS button.

Within the menu, there should be a “SYSTEM” option; click it.

Then find “Reset & Admin” and “Reset TV to Factory Defaults.” Sometimes, the Vizio TV will ask for a code before resetting the TV. If it does, the default code is four zeros, 0000.

Factory reset Vizio TV without remote

Luckily, you can still factory reset your Vizio TV without a remote.

In order 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 volume down and source buttons at the same time. After a few seconds, your TV will tell you to press and hold the input button.

Press and hold the input button for at least 10 seconds.

This will turn off the TV, reboot it, and factory reset it. The reboot and reset process will take about a minute or so.

Tighten power supply cable

Depending on which year/model Vizio TV you own, there may or may not be a covering on the back of your TV that is removable. This will expose the power supply cable.

I suggest that you disconnect this cable and then reconnect it, making sure it is snug and fully plugged in.

This fix has been reported to work for many owners of older Vizio TVs.

Regardless of whether or not this covering exists, it’s a good idea to just make sure all your cables and cords are in good condition and are firmly connected!

Update your TV’s software

Running old versions of Vizio software on your TV can cause a variety of problems. In most cases, your TV will automatically download the latest version for you but sometimes that doesn’t happen.

I would just make sure that your TV’s software is up-to-date. You can see step-by-step instructions for how to do this here.

FYI – after a software update, your video and audio settings may reset back to their defaults.

Disable sleep timer

Sleep timers are good ways to conserve energy and are typically used to automatically shut your TV off at a certain time.

I know your issue is about the TV turning on by itself, but let’s just make sure the sleep timer is disabled.

To disable your sleep timer, first select SETTINGS on your remote control.

Scroll down to TIMERS and select it by pressing OK. Next, scroll down to SLEEP TIMER and then select OFF.

Turn “Auto Power Off” OFF as well!

Vizio TV support

If you tried all the troubleshooting steps above and your Vizio TV is still turning on by itself, you should contact the Vizio TV support team directly.

They can be reached at 1-844-254-8087.

Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM CST
Saturday – Sunday, 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM CST

Pro tip: The shortest wait times are Monday – Friday, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM CST.

You can also try using their Text Message support or Live Agent chat.

Vizio TV warranty

Also, I suggest that you check online to see if your TV is covered under Vizio’s warranty.

Unfortunately, Vizio TV warranties typically only last 1 year, and most of the cases where TVs turn on by themselves are with older TVs.

Still worth a shot!

Conclusion

Vizio TVs have a history of turning on by themselves.

There are a number of things you should try to fix it:

Disable HDMI-CEC
Disable Eco mode
Power-cycle your TV
Remove batteries from the remote
Factory reset your TV with or without your remote
Tighten power supply cable
Update your TV’s software
Disable sleep timers

If none of those steps fix your TV, you should call Vizio support and see if you can get a certified Vizio technician to take a look.

I’d also check to see if your TV is still covered by warranty!

Good luck and thanks for reading!

Vizio TV turns on by itself