How to Turn Off a Fire Stick

And what to do if you have trouble shutting it down

By
Sandra Stafford
Headshot of Sandra Stafford
Sandra Stafford
Writer
  • Fayetteville State University
Sandra Stafford is a writer who specializes in tech and writes about all sorts of gadgets—tactical flashlights, blue light-blocking glasses, therapy lamps and more.
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Updated on April 17, 2022
Reviewed by
Ryan Perian
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Reviewed by Ryan Perian
  • Western Governors University
Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions.
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What to Know

  • The easiest option: Long press the Home button, then press Sleep.
  • Use a key combination: Press and hold the Select and Pause/Play buttons for 10 seconds.
  • If it’s not working: Unplug the Fire Stick.

The Fire Stick draws a small amount of power from your TV, so the only way to really turn it off is by unplugging it. That doesn't mean you have to leave it running all the time, though. Here's what you can do.

Can You Turn Off a Fire Stick?

Putting the Fire Stick to sleep is essentially the same as turning it off. It will consume less power and remain in sleep mode when you’re using other smart TV apps or other input devices, but software updates will still happen as usual.

These methods won’t work if your Fire TV is frozen or unresponsive. In that case, unplug the Fire Stick or follow other troubleshooting steps.

Here are a few ways to put the Fire Stick to sleep:

  1. Press and hold the Home button on your Fire TV remote. After a few seconds, the menu will open. Select Sleep.

  2. If you’re on the Fire TV home screen, go to Settings > My Fire TV > Sleep.

Amazon Fire TV App

If you have the Amazon Fire TV app installed, you can use it instead of your Fire TV remote. First, tap the gear to open Settings, then tap Sleep.

Settings > App Remote Settings > Sleep on Amazon Fire TV app

This app is available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

Why Can’t I Turn Off My Fire Stick?

Putting the Fire Stick to may not work if it is frozen or unresponsive. As long as you can reach your TV, you can still turn the Fire Stick off by unplugging the Fire Stick. Wait one minute and then plug it back in.

When the Fire Stick is unplugged, it isn’t receiving any power and won’t perform software updates.

FAQ
  • How do you turn off the voice on Firestick?

    You can make the Fire Stick stop reading the screen by turning off VoiceView. On the remote, press and hold the Back and Menu buttons for several seconds. Alternatively, go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceView and confirm that you want to turn off VoiceView.

  • Can you turn off Alexa on a Firestick?

    There is no way to disable Alexa on an Amazon Firestick. However, Alexa only turns on if you hold down the microphone button.

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