How to Display Hidden Menus on an LG TV: 5 Easy Ways

Most LG TV models have at least one secret service menu with special features. This menu is hidden from your TV's other menus because it has more advanced functions—the kind that can break your TV if you do the wrong thing! If you're setting up a commercial LG TV, such as for a hotel or hospital, you'll also have an Installer menu you can open using the Installer remote. This wikiHow will teach you how to find the hidden service and installation menus on your LG TV.

Accessing the LG TV Service Menu

On an original LG remote, enter 0413 on your LG remote to bring up the service menu. Here, you can change your region, adjust HDMI, & more.
On an LG Magic Remote, press the Mute button 3 times to open the secret menu.
You can also access secret service menus using an LG service remote (found on Amazon) or with a free app called ColorControl.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Service Menu (Original LG Remote)

Download Article

1
Get your LG TV's original remote. While some non-LG, third-party, or universal remotes can be used to open your TV's service menu, you'll have the greatest chance of success if you use the remote that came with your TV.
- This method will not work with the LG Magic Remote (the one that's voice-activated and comes with modern OLED TVs), but you can use a service remote.
- If you have an LG Magic Remote, jump to Service Menu (LG Magic Remote).
This opens the list of inputs on your TV.^{[1]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
3
Enter 3195 first. On some models, this will bring up the service menu right away—you'll see "Factory Setting" at the top of the menu.
- If that didn't work and you wind up somewhere other than the input menu, press INPUT again and continue to the next step.
4
Press and hold the MENU button until you're prompted for a passcode. This should work on several LG TVs, but they're all different. If you don't see the channel info and a place to enter a passcode after holding down this button for 10 seconds, try one of these options:
- If there's no MENU button on your remote, press and hold the one called SETTINGS, or the one with a gear. If that doesn't work, try pressing and holding the HOME button.
- Try pressing and holding your remote's MENU button and the TV's MENU button at the same time.
- Also, try to press and hold the OK button on both the remote control and the TV.
If you see channel information rather than a place to enter a passcode, you can still try to enter the passcode on the next step.
6
Type the passcode and press OK or ↵ Enter. The passcode is going to be different depending on your model.^{[2]
X
Research source} Try these passcodes until one works to bring up a "service," "factory," or "EZ ADJUST" menu:^{[3]
X
Research source}
- 0413
- 0000
- 7777
- 8878
- 8741
- 8743
- 3195
7
Browse the menu. You can typically use the service menu to change settings such as your TV's network settings (IP Control Set Up), USB options, HDMI options, region, volume levels, and firmware.
- Changing these settings could make your TV unusable. Before making any changes, take a photo of (or write down) the current settings so you can restore the defaults if something goes wrong.
- Consider taking a picture of the screen or writing down the current settings so that you can reset your TV to its defaults if you accidentally change an important setting.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Service Menu (Service Remote)

Download Article

1
Get a service remote. The LG service remote (or installation remote) is a special remote meant for technicians who are setting up TVs in commercial environments. Service remotes don't come with consumer TVs, but they do come with commercial models (such as those designed for hotels or hospitals). But even if you don't have a commercial TV, you can buy an LG service on Amazon.
- Look for "Factory SVC Remocon," or the model number MKJ39170828.
- These remotes are pretty cheap, running anywhere from $6-$20 USD.
- If you have an Android with an IR blaster (this is rare these days), you can use an app called AnyMote Universal Remote in place of the service remote. This app has the button you'll need to enter the setup menu. If you don't have an IR blaster, you may be able to attach one through your charging port.
- Alternatively, if you have a Windows PC, you can use an app called ColorControl to access your LG TV's service menu.
Turn on your LG TV. You don't have to be on any particular menu or screen to access the service menu—just make sure the TV is on and something is on the screen.
3
Press the INSTART button. It's in the upper-left area of the service remote. You'll see a password entry field on the screen.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- If you're using AnyMote on an Android, swipe left and then tap INSTART.
4
Enter 0413. This should instantly bring up the service menu on nearly all LG TVs. Now you can adjust HDMI settings, change your region, and numerous other features.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Changing these settings could make your TV unusable. Before making any changes, take a photo of (or write down) the current settings so you can restore the defaults if something goes wrong.
- Consider taking a picture of the screen or writing down the current settings so that you can reset your TV to its defaults if you accidentally change an important setting.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Service Menu (LG Magic Remote)

Download Article

1
Press Mute 3 times to open the secret menu. If you have an LG Magic Remote, which is the default remote that comes with most LG OLED and other modern LG TVs, this will open a service menu with secret options, including the ability to:^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Disable the LG logo during shutdown.
- Remove the "No signal" image.
- Automatic power syncing.
- Control set-top box power.
- Reset all AV settings.
- Access auto-tuning features.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Service Menu (ColorControl App)

Download Article

1
Add your TV to your Windows PC as a device. The ColorControl app lets you access a secret service menu on your LG TV from your computer as long as your LG TV is connected to the internet. You'll also be able to access a digital version of the service remote. First, you'll need to make sure your PC can find your TV:^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Make sure your LG TV is turned on and connected to the same network as your PC.
- Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
- Expand "Digital Media Devices."
- If your LG TV is listed here, you can move to the next step. If not, you'll need to add it.
- To add it, open the Start menu and go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > + Add device.
- Add your TV when found.
You can download it from the developer's GitHub page. The app requires NET Desktop Runtime 9 and .NET ASP.NET Core Runtime 9 to be installed–if either is missing, you'll be prompted to install it.
3
To get the app on your PC:^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Go to the ColorControl release page on GitHub.
- Click ColorControl.zip to download the file to your PC.
- After a few moments, the ZIP file will save to your computer.
- Open your Downloads folder and unzip the file.
- In the extracted ColorControl folder, double-click ColorControl.exe.
- You'll get a warning that looks kind of shady, but don't worry–it's just because the app isn't an official Windows app. Click More Info on the warning and select Run anyway.
- If prompted, follow the on-screen instructions to install .NET and ASP if needed, then run ColorControl.exe again.
Here, you will find many presets and other tools to customize hidden features of your LG TV.
5
Enable advanced options in ColorControl. If you want to access the service menu, you'll need to enable it. Here's how:^{[9]
X
Research source}
- On the LG Controller menu, click Settings at the top-right.
- Scroll down and check the box next to "Show advanced actions under the Expert button (Service Menu).
- Click Save.
To do so, click the Expert… button, then select either InStart or EZ-ADJUST, depending on the TV. This opens the service menu, which allows you to access all the features you'd normally only be able to access using the service remote.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Installer Menu (Commercial Models)

Download Article

1
Grab the installer remote for the TV. If you're setting up a commercial LG TV from the Hospitality, Healthcare, and Signage lines, you can use your installer remote to access the installation menu. Don't use one of the standard remotes that come with each TV—only the installer remote will work.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- If you have a non-commercial TV, you may find an installation menu using your original LG remote or a service remote, but it's not common.
You'll usually need to hold down the button for between 5 and 7 seconds.^{[11]
X
Research source}
3
Release the button when you see the TV's info on the screen. You should see some information about the TV and possibly a password entry field.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- Some models require you to press the MENU button repeatedly instead of holding down one of these buttons. If the previous step didn't work, try pressing the MENU button over and over again until you see a menu called "Function" and/or a menu that displays some TV settings.
4
Enter 1105 on the remote and press ↵ Enter. This is the code that most LG TVs use to access the installation menu.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- If that code doesn't work, try 9876 or 2663 instead.
5
Review the installation menu. In the installation menu, you may find the option to enable USB mode for your TV. You might also find other options, such as a "Hotel Mode", that affect the way your TV works.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- Changing these settings could make your TV unusable. Before making any changes, take a photo of (or write down) the current settings so you can restore the defaults if something goes wrong.
- Consider taking a picture of the screen or writing down the current settings so that you can reset your TV to its defaults if you accidentally change an important setting.

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

What is hotel mode?

Community Answer

Hotel mode is a feature that can be enabled on LG televisions that removes the setup and channel search options from the regular television settings.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 46 Helpful 116
Question

How can I display the time on the screen?

Community Answer

If you have an LG TV with the "Magic Remote," the easiest way is to activate the pointer and click the top of the screen. This will display either the input the TV is set to, or the channel it's tuned to. Click on that display and you will then see the time. Keep in mind that ALL digital TV stations send out time information, and the smaller ones may not be accurate or updated for daylight/standard time changes.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 39 Helpful 29
Question

What buttons are used to access the secret menu?

Community Answer

Some LG TV models require you to press and hold the OK menu on the remote and TV at the same time, while on others you press and hold the MENU buttons.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 81 Helpful 84

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

Many LG TVs use different names for similar buttons. For example, one TV's MENU button might be another TV's HOME or SETTINGS button. The same goes for remotes.

Thanks
Helpful 6 Not Helpful 1
Don’t change advanced settings if you don’t know how the different options or functions are used. Changing service or installation menu items can prevent your LG TV from working correctly.

Thanks
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 4