Where Is the Power Button on a TCL Roku TV?

I've poked around for this button on two TCL Roku TVs — a 5-Series (55S546) in the living room and an older 3-Series (32S327) in the bedroom. My honest take: the 55 uses a little joystick under the front-center that you can actually steer around the menu, while the 32 has a plain labeled button on the back that only does power. Knowing which one you have changes what you can do without a remote.

Below is where the button sits on each Roku model, then everything you can do with it — power the set on and off, navigate the Roku home screen on joystick sets, and tell the button apart from the reset pinhole. If you just want the set on with no remote by any means, the fuller playbook (connected device, Roku app, voice) is in how to turn on a TCL Roku TV without a remote. And if the button does nothing at all, that's a power fault, not a button one — see TCL TV won't turn on.

Find your power button in 30 seconds

Before you assume there isn't one, run your fingers along these three spots in order. TCL hides the control in one of them on nearly every Roku set, and it's a single button or stick, never a row.

1. 1Center-bottom underside: reach under the front panel behind the TCL logo — most 2019-and-newer Roku TVs put a single button or joystick right here.
2. 2Back lower-right corner: on older and larger sets, a labeled power button sits back here, usually next to the HDMI ports and a recessed RESET pinhole.
3. 3Left or right underside nub: slim 5- and 6-Series models use a tiny joystick you press in to power on and nudge to navigate — feel for a movable stick, not a flat button.

Method 1: Locate the button on your TCL Roku TV

Where the button lands depends on when your Roku TV was made and how slim it is. Knowing the pattern for your series saves the blind bezel hunt. Here are the three designs TCL has shipped on US Roku TVs.

1. 1Back-mounted button (older 3- and 4-Series): a labeled, clearly marked power button on the rear panel, usually lower-right near the inputs. Easiest to see with a flashlight from the side.
2. 2Center-bottom button (recent flat models): a single recessed button underneath the front, dead center behind the TCL logo. You feel for it rather than see it.
3. 3Joystick nub (slim 5- and 6-Series QLED sets): a small stick under the front-center. Press in for power; it also moves to control Roku, which the plain button can't.

Catch: placement varies by model year even within a series, so treat this as the typical layout, not a guarantee. Look up your exact model number on TCL's support site if you're stuck. Not sure whether your TV even runs Roku? Our TCL remote finder tool sorts the platform in a few taps, and the Roku remote identifier names your exact remote and its size if you're replacing a lost or broken one.

Method 2: Turn the Roku TV on and off with it

This is the one job every TCL Roku TV button does the same way, joystick or plain button alike. No Wi-Fi, no app, no setup — just the button. Here's the exact sequence, including the standby-light check most people skip.

1. 1Find the single power control. Feel along the center-bottom underside behind the TCL logo first — that's where most 2019-and-newer Roku TVs hide it. Older and larger sets put a labeled button on the back lower-right, near the HDMI ports. You want one recessed button or a small stick, not a row of keys.
2. 2Tap once to power the Roku TV on. Press the button and let go. The standby light changes and the Roku boot logo appears in five to ten seconds — a Roku TV takes a touch longer than a plain set. If the first tap does nothing, hold it for two seconds from a fully-off state.
3. 3Press again to drop it to standby. A single short press from the Roku home screen powers the set back down. On joystick models you press the stick straight in to toggle power, so a sideways nudge navigates Roku instead of turning it off.
4. 4Read the standby light if it won't respond. No reaction means you're either pressing the reset pinhole by mistake or the set has no power. Confirm the standby light is lit and you're on the real power control. A dark light points to the outlet or cable, not the button.

Catch: if the standby light is lit but a correct press does nothing, the Roku is likely frozen, not broken. A 60-second power drain fixes it — unplug the TV, hold the button 15 seconds, then plug back in. The full walkthrough — plus the fix for a set stuck looping on the Roku logo — is in our TCL Roku TV won't turn on guide.

Method 3: Navigate Roku with the joystick nub

Here's the part that sets Roku joystick sets apart: the nub can move you around the Roku menu without a remote at all. It won't replace a full remote, but it's enough to reach a connected device or restart a stuck app. What you can do depends on your control type.

1. 1Joystick models: press in to power on, nudge up and down for volume, and left and right to switch inputs. On many 5- and 6-Series sets, the same nudges also move the highlight around the Roku home grid, and a press selects.
2. 2Plain single-button models: a short press is power only. It can't scroll Roku channels, change volume, or select anything on screen — the button does one job.
3. 3Every model: the control can at least reach your HDMI inputs, so you can jump to a game console or Fire Stick even with no remote in the room.

Catch: even a joystick can't type a search or sign into a channel — there are no letter keys. To pick a specific source once you're past power, see how to change the input on a TCL Roku TV. For input-switching details across every TCL platform, not just Roku, see the cross-platform TCL TV power button guide.

Fix 4: Power button not responding

A Roku TV button that ignores you usually isn't broken. Nine times out of ten it's one of three things — you're on the reset pinhole, the set is frozen, or there's no power reaching it. Work through these in order before you assume a fault.

1. 1Check you're on the power button, not the reset pinhole: the RESET hole is a recessed pinhole you can only press with a paperclip, usually labeled and right next to the ports. Pressing it does nothing by hand — the real power control is a button or joystick you can press with a finger.
2. 2Power-drain a frozen Roku: unplug the TV at the wall, hold the power button 15 seconds to clear residual charge, then plug back in and try again. This clears the freezes that make a lit-but-unresponsive set look dead.
3. 3Confirm the set has power: a dark standby light means the outlet, cord, or power board — not the button. Test the outlet with another device and reseat the cable at both ends before anything else.

Catch: don't hold the RESET pinhole for 15 seconds to fix a power problem — that triggers a full factory reset and wipes your Roku accounts. Roku's own steps are in its restart and reset guide. If the remote is the real problem, not the TV, start with TCL Roku TV remote not working.

Method 5: When the button can't do the job

The button is great for power and inputs, but it can't browse channels or type a search. That's where your phone takes over. You have two real options: Roku's own free app, or a universal app like Smart TV Remote, which gives you the full button layout, a D-pad, and a keyboard over Wi-Fi.

1. 1Get the TV on first: use the power button once, since a fully-off Roku drops its Wi-Fi unless Fast TV Start was already enabled under Settings > System > Power.
2. 2Install a remote app and join the same Wi-Fi: put your phone on the exact network the TV uses, not a guest SSID or a 5 GHz-only band the TV can't see.
3. 3Open the app and tap your TCL Roku TV: it lists the set by name, then gives you power, volume, a D-pad, and a real keyboard for search.

Honest catch: to power the TV on from the app when it's fully off, Fast TV Start must be on first — otherwise the button gets you in, and the app takes over from there. More on the phone route is in control a TCL TV with your phone.

What each control does on a TCL Roku TV

The physical button, a joystick, and a phone app each reach a different amount of the TV. Use this to pick the right one for what you need right now — powering on, switching an input, or actually searching Roku.

My advice: find the button once and note where it is, then set up a phone app so you never crouch for it again. The button is the reliable power-on fallback; the app is your day-to-day Roku remote. If your remote is the real problem, start with turning the Roku TV on without a remote instead.

Frequently Asked Questions