Why Is My Samsung TV Slow? Samsung’s Cold Boot Fix

Last updated: October 2026

🕒 3 min read

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If you keep asking “why is my Samsung TV slow?”, Samsung has a short answer on its US support page, “Samsung TV takes a while to turn on or has other glitches”. It ties slowness to memory and offers two ways to clear it, both described below.

Why Is My Samsung TV Slow? Samsung’s Explanation

According to Samsung, a smart TV uses memory the same way a phone or PC does. Running more apps uses more memory, and once memory runs low the TV can slow down.

Samsung lists three signs of this:

The TV takes a while to turn on.
Apps take longer to start.
The menu takes longer to load.

Samsung’s fix is a “cold boot”, also called discharging the TV. Samsung says it clears the memory cache so the TV can speed back up.

Cold Boot With the Remote

Use this method if your Samsung remote is at hand.

Leave the TV turned on.
Hold down the remote’s power button.
Keep holding it while the TV switches off and then back on.
Once it is back on, the cold boot is done. Samsung says the memory cache is cleared and the TV “should run more smoothly”.

Cold Boot Without the Remote

Samsung gives a second method that uses the power cord instead of the remote.

Leave the TV turned on, then unplug its power cord from the outlet.
Wait 30 seconds.
Plug the cord back in.
Turn the TV on.

Samsung calls this discharging the TV. It says the memory cache is cleared and the TV “should start running normally again”.

Software Updates

Samsung adds a note saying to keep the TV’s software up to date. The page points to a separate Samsung page for the update steps, and this article doesn’t cover them.

What Samsung’s Page Doesn’t Say

The page doesn’t list which TV models or years it applies to, and it doesn’t show a date. It also doesn’t say how long it takes to notice an improvement or how often to repeat a cold boot. Samsung’s wording on results is “should run more smoothly”, so treat it as a first step rather than a guaranteed fix. The page also covers Samsung’s Odyssey Ark gaming screen, which this article leaves out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my Samsung TV slow to turn on?

Samsung says low memory can make a smart TV slow, including slow to turn on, slow to start apps and slow to load the menu. Its suggested fix is a cold boot.

How do I cold boot a Samsung TV?

With the TV on, hold down the remote’s power button until the TV switches off and back on. If you don’t have the remote, unplug the power cord, wait 30 seconds, plug it back in and turn the TV on.