How do I speed up a smart TV that has become slow?

Why televisions get sluggish after a few years, what genuinely helps, and the cheap external option that is usually a better answer than replacing a perfectly good screen.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 30 min
Read: 4 min

Short answer

Clear the app caches and remove apps you never open, restart it properly by pulling the plug rather than using standby, put it on a wired connection or move it closer to the router, and turn off the ambient features it is running in the background. If it is still slow, a small streaming stick plugged into an HDMI socket replaces the whole interface for very little money, and the panel itself is almost certainly fine.

The screen in a television lasts far longer than the small computer bolted to the back of it. That computer was modest when the set was new, and several years of app updates written for newer hardware make it slower every year. Nothing is broken; it has been outgrown. That is worth knowing before anyone is persuaded to replace a picture that is still perfectly good.

Step by step

Do a genuine restart, not a standby.Switch it off at the wall, wait a minute, and switch it back on. Standby keeps the software running, so the usual reason a restart 'did not help' is that no restart actually happened.
Clear the caches of the apps you use most.In the applications section of the settings there is usually a per-app option to clear cache, and separately to clear data. Clear cache first — it removes accumulated temporary files without signing you out.
Delete apps you never open.Storage on a television is small and several of the apps update themselves in the background whether or not you use them. Removing them frees space and, more importantly, stops the background work.
Check how much storage is left.A set with almost no free space slows down badly, in the same way a full phone does. If clearing apps has not freed much, it may simply be a set with very little storage to begin with, which no amount of tidying fixes.
Improve the network connection to it.Much of what feels like slowness is the set waiting for data. Plug an ethernet cable in if the router is reachable, or move a mesh node nearer. A television behind a wall from the router is a very common cause.
Turn off ambient and voice features you do not use.Screensaver art, always-listening voice assistants, viewing recommendations and usage reporting all run continuously. Switching off the ones you never use returns some of the machine to you.
Install pending software updates, then stop.An update may include fixes, so apply what is offered. But be aware that on an older set updates sometimes make things slower rather than faster, because they are written with newer hardware in mind.
Consider a streaming stick before considering a new television.A current stick or small box plugged into an HDMI socket bypasses the set's own software entirely, and the difference is dramatic. You use the set as a screen and the stick as the computer, which is the sensible division of labour anyway.
Use a factory reset only as a last resort.It will clear years of accumulated state, and it also signs you out of everything and loses your picture settings and channel list. Note your picture settings first.

Tips

If only one app is slow and the rest are fine, that is the app, not the television. Removing and reinstalling it is worth doing before anything drastic.
A streaming stick also keeps receiving updates long after the television's own apps have been abandoned, which is what usually strands an older set.
Switching the set's input with the stick's own remote means the household never has to learn which remote does what.

Common mistakes

Replacing the television because the menus are slow — The panel, the backlight and the sound are the expensive parts and they are unaffected. A cheap stick replaces the part that has actually aged.
Clearing app data rather than app cache as a first move — Clearing data signs you out and resets the app completely. Cache is the harmless one and usually enough.

If it doesn't work

The whole interface is slow, including the settings menus

Cause: Storage is nearly full, or the hardware has simply been outgrown — Fix: Free storage by removing apps first. If the menus are still slow with space free, add a streaming stick rather than fighting it.

Apps take a long time to start but run fine once open

Cause: Slow storage in the set, plus background updating — Fix: Clear caches, remove unused apps, and check whether automatic updates can be limited.

Video stutters or drops resolution but menus are quick

Cause: A network problem rather than a speed problem — Fix: Test with a wired connection. This is a buffering issue and is fixed at the network end, not on the television.

It has become slow since a software update

Cause: Newer software on older hardware — Fix: There is usually no way to go back. Reduce background features, and treat the streaming stick as the fix.

Questions people ask

Will a factory reset make it like new?

It removes accumulated state and often helps noticeably, but it cannot make the hardware faster, and current app versions will reinstall themselves. It is worth trying once, with expectations set.

Does turning it off at the wall damage the TV?

No. Modern sets handle it perfectly well, and it uses slightly less standby power. The only thing to check is whether it needs to be on to receive an overnight update you are waiting for.

Is a stick better than the built-in apps even on a new TV?

Often, yes — sticks are updated for longer and tend to be faster. It also means the household's apps and logins move to the next television with the stick.