LG Magic Remote pointer not showing on a 2023–2025 webOS TV

Shake the remote, then check Audio Guidance

On a 2023–2025 LG webOS TV, point the Magic Remote at the TV and shake it gently left and right, or turn the wheel. The pointer should appear. It hides by design when you press the arrow buttons or leave the remote unused for a while.

If shaking doesn’t bring it back, check Audio Guidance. LG’s guides for all three years say the pointer does not appear while Audio Guidance is on. If neither fixes it, re-register the remote by holding Home + Settings for more than 5 seconds.

These steps are for LG’s 2023–2025 webOS user guides. 2014 LB-series TVs work differently; see the LB-series pointer guide.

Why the pointer hides on its own

The remote is still paired in these cases, and the arrow buttons and Wheel (OK) keep working:

• You pressed an arrow button. Pressing up, down, left or right hides the pointer, and the Magic Remote then works like an ordinary remote. Shake it to get the pointer back.
• The remote wasn’t used for a while. The pointer disappears after a period of no use. LG doesn’t say how long. Shake the remote to wake it.

Turn off Audio Guidance

Audio Guidance is a spoken guide for people with a visual impairment: the TV talks when you change programme, adjust the volume, or change settings and inputs. While it’s on, the Magic Remote pointer stays hidden. If the TV speaks as you move through the menus, Audio Guidance is probably on.

Use the arrow buttons and Wheel (OK) to move around, since the pointer isn’t available:

1. Press Settings (the gear button) on the remote.
2. Go to All Settings → General → Accessibility → Audio Guidance.
3. Set it to Off.
4. Shake the remote. The pointer should now appear.

The 2024 and 2025 guides also give a shortcut: press Home and select Accessibility on screen (in the 2024 guide, then Vision Features → Audio Guidance). LG notes that Audio Guidance isn’t available on every model or in every language; if you don’t see it, it isn’t the cause.

Re-register the remote

If the pointer still doesn’t appear and Audio Guidance is off, LG’s fix is to register the remote again:

1. Point the Magic Remote at the TV.
2. Press and hold Home and Settings together for more than 5 seconds, until instructions appear on the screen.
3. The TV removes the old registration and registers the remote again. Shake it to show the pointer.

If the TV asks you to replace the batteries, fit fresh alkaline batteries and try again.

If the pointer moves badly

• Move the pointer to the edge of the screen. LG says this resets it when it isn’t moving smoothly.
• Adjust the pointer. Press Settings, then go to All Settings → General → System → Additional Settings → Pointer Options. Tracking Speed changes how fast it moves, and Pointer Size makes it bigger.
• Check range and interference. Use the remote within 10 metres with nothing in the way. Wireless routers and microwave ovens can cause communication failures.
• Avoid knocks. LG warns that impacts can make the Magic Remote malfunction.

If nothing on the remote works, including the arrow buttons, the problem isn’t only the pointer. Check the batteries and the TV’s power first, then try the re-register step above. If a compatible remote still won’t work, contact LG support.