Why Does Roku Keeps Going Back to Home Screen?

If you’re wondering why Roku keeps going back to home screen, then stay with us!

In this guide, we’ll explore the weird behavior of Roku TVs and Roku streaming sticks that simply go back to the home screen automatically.

The issue appears when watching content or simply while we perform any tasks on Roku when suddenly, you’re at the home screen again…

To prevent Roku from going to the home screen, test multiple channels and Roku apps to determine the origin of the issue.

In addition, perform some basic troubleshooting such as power cycle, firmware update, wiring inspection, and of course, clearing storage!

Let’s continue to unwrap…

Why Does Roku TV Keeps Going Back to Home Screen?

why roku tv keeps going back to home screen

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to pinpoint the exact reason why your Roku would automatically return to the home screen every now and then.

However, there are quite a few proven reasons for this weird Roku behavior so let’s take a closer look to familiarize ourselves with the most important:

The operating system is overloaded (out of RAM).
Roku is attempting to perform firmware updates.
The Roku player is overheating and crashing.
The power supply of the Roku is insufficient.
Initiating an incompatible or faulty Roku app.
Not enough free Roku system storage is available.
External flash drive or video port TV problem.

It’s important to note that there are many other surrounding factors that are addressed as well later in the troubleshooting guide.

So without further ado, let’s jump into the solution guide!

Roku Keeps Going Back to Home Screen – 8 Simple Solutions!

Tip: Follow the solutions in chronological order!

1. Reboot the Operating System

The first and easiest solution to perform would be to reboot the operating system by carrying out a power circulation.

It’s important to take the simple restart one step further since only turning on and off the television won’t be enough to refresh all of the operating system services.

Here’s how to perform the power circulation on Roku TV or streaming stick:

Turn OFF the Roku TV using the remote control.
Unplug (Roku streaming stick) from the TV HDMI.
Disconnect the Roku TV or stick’s power adapter.
Wait for at least 60 seconds for a power circulation.
Plug the Roku player’s adapter directly into the wall.
Avoid using any smart plugs or power extenders.
Turn on the Roku player using the remote and test.

Info: Test whether your Roku player will go back to the home screen, while you’re in the settings or at least, you’re not into an app, channel, or other source.

2. Eject the Roku Remote Batteries

We all know that the “Home” button on the Roku remote instantly takes the Roku player to the home screen, no matter what the player is currently doing.

On the remote, there is also a “Back” button that can theoretically, bring back the device to the home screen anytime.

In that set of thoughts any remote interference, especially from the “Home” or “Back” buttons can instantly bring your Roku to the home screen.

This is why the safest way to verify that the remote is not the culprit, would be by ejecting the batteries and trying to replicate the problem.

Tip: If your Roku TV goes back to the home screen, even without the remote batteries, then feel free to re-insert them and confidently exclude this possibility.

3. Carry Out Pending Roku Updates

It’s proven that your Roku streaming player is able to automatically go back to the home screen when the device is attempting to perform an update.

Hence, the update won’t start when there is an issue with the internet, which ultimately shows the home screen, and then nothing happens.

The solution would be to attempt carrying out any pending updates (manually):

Press the “Home” button on the Roku remote.
Then, press the “left” – (<) navigation button.
Next, go to Settings > System > System Update.
From there, simply select the “Check Now” option.
Your Roku will check for pending firmware updates.
In case an update has been found, select “Update”.
Info: The Roku updates might take up to 20 minutes!

Recommendation: Remain patient until your Roku player is up to date!

4. Free Some Available Roku Storage

Another very likable reason for the random home screen issue of your Roku is the lack of HDD available storage.

This means that apps on your Roku will not be able to generate cache data since there is no storage left, which ultimately leads to app crashing and home screen showing.

How to Uninstall Apps to Free Storage?

Begin by pressing the “Home” button on the remote.
Next, find an app you wish to uninstall from Roku.
Use the arrows to highlight and press the Options.
From there select “Remove Channel” to delete it.

Tip: You can also uninstall Roku channels from the mobile Roku app by going to the “Channels” tab and selecting the “My Channels” list view.

5. Connect Roku Into Different HDMI

Even if rarely, Roku’s operating system can be affected by factors such as the HDMI bond between the player and the TV.

Also known as “HDMI handshake”, this issue appears when the Roku player cannot distinguish unprotected content from HDCP high-value content, which then encrypts everything.

There are only two courses of action as follows:

You can either test with a different HDMI cable or…
Connect Roku to a different HDMI port on the TV

In case your Roku player still goes back to the home screen even if you’ve verified the HDMI connection, then proceed with the next solution…

6. Prevent Roku Player Overheating

Whenever a Roku application/channel crashes, you’re ultimately brought back to the home screen and apps crash or freeze when Roku is overheating.

Regardless of whether you’re using a Roku streaming stick or a Roku TV, overheating is a common issue during the summer.

To prevent overheating, unplug your Roku for 10 minutes to cool down!

In case the app doesn’t crash until the Roku player is still cool, it’s likely that the home screen starts appearing when Roku overheats and apps crash.

To prevent this simply ventilate the room, dislocate heat conductors in close proximity, and clear the Roku ventilation openings.

Info: Your Roku is expected to start overheating 3 to 5 minutes after streaming content.

7. Reinstall Corrupted Roku Apps

In case nothing so far has helped and the reason why Roku keeps going to the home screen is still unclear, it’s time to tighten the circle of possibilities.

We can easily do so, by testing multiple Roku apps and channels, to determine if the home screen issue happens globally on your Roku.

✅ In case the issue only appears on one single app, perform a clean reinstallation

✅ In case the issue appears on all apps/channels on your Roku, continue further!

Tip: Test only official applications downloaded from the Roku content store!

8. Factory Reset the Roku Player

Well, in case nothing else managed to stop the random home screens on your Roku player, it’s time for the ultimate solution – factory reset.

This method erases all content on your Roku player because it reinstalls the operating system in its entirety, hopefully solving all OS-related issues!

Here’s how to factory reset Roku TV or streaming stick in easy steps:

Press the “Home” button on the Roku remote.
Then, go to “Settings” and enter the “System”.
Next, choose “Advanced System Settings”.
Then, locate and enter the “Factory Reset” tab.
Select the “Factory Reset Everything” option.
Follow the prompts on the screen to start the reset.

Your Roku will take a couple of minutes to reset and you would know that the process is over when the device reboots.

Then you would be prompted to carry out the initial setup and when ready, you can re-download apps, reconfigure the settings and test for the home screen issue.

Still Here?

In some very rare cases, this issue could be caused by a malfunctioning circuit or other HW issue with your Roku.

The best next step would be to seek qualified help at Roku Support.

Quick Recap:

We now know that when Roku keeps going back to home screen we need to test whether the issue appears on multiple apps/channels.

If yes, we need to cleanly reinstall the problematic apps, update the Roku firmware version and perform a factory restoration.

For more Roku guides, follow our blog!

Finn Wheatley

Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.

Why Does Roku Keeps Going Back to Home Screen? – (Fixed)