Compatibility & scope
Based on TCL UK's English multi-product user manual for TCL and iFFALCON TVs, downloaded from the TCL UK product page for the 85X11L (the file has no revision number; the PDF was created in September 2025). TCL says the features in this booklet are common to most models and that some may be missing from your TV. TCL TVs with other operating systems (for example Fire TV) have different menus and are not covered. The booklet does not list what Erase everything removes, does not say exactly which password or PIN the reset asks for, and gives no default password. It describes two passwords you may have set: the strong password the TV asks you to create at first startup (p3–4) and the parental-control (Lock) password (p18). It prints a super password for a forgotten parental-control password; this page repeats it only in that context and does not claim the reset prompt accepts it. The full on-screen setup after the reset is described only in outline. Documentation reviewed; no TV hardware tested.
In this guide
Factory reset is under System → About → Reset
On TCL Google TVs covered by TCL UK’s multi-product booklet, press the dashboard (gear) button on the remote, then go to All settings → System → About → Reset → Factory reset. Choose Erase everything, enter a password or PIN if the TV asks for one, and confirm. The TV returns to its factory settings and starts again at the Welcome screen, as it did the first time it was switched on.
You need the remote: the button on the TV can’t open the settings menus. TCL describes the booklet’s features as common to most models, not all, so your menus may differ slightly. TCL TVs that run other systems, such as Fire TV, reset differently.
Before you reset
- Expect to set the TV up again. After the reset, the TV goes through the first-time setup: language, network, channel scan and more. Have your Wi-Fi password ready.
- Expect to sign in again. TCL doesn’t list what Erase everything removes. The name and the return to the Welcome screen suggest your accounts, apps and settings go with it, so be ready to sign in to them again.
- Know your password. The TV may ask for a password or PIN before it resets (see below).
- You may need to create a new password. TCL’s booklet says the TV asks you to create a strong password at first startup (at least 8 characters, with an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a number and a special character). The reset returns the TV to first-time setup, so expect that step again.
Reset the TV
- Press the dashboard button on the remote. It shows a gear (filled or outlined, depending on the remote).
- Select All settings and press OK.
- Go to System → About → Reset → Factory reset and press OK.
- Select the Factory reset option and press OK.
- Select Erase everything and press OK to confirm.
- If the TV asks for a password or PIN, enter it. TCL’s wording is “the password you have set or the PIN”, as the prompt on screen asks.
- Select OK and press OK to confirm.
The Welcome screen appears when the reset is done.
Set the TV up again
The Welcome screen walks you through the initial setup: choose the language, connect to the network, scan for channels and so on. TCL says you can make a choice or skip each step, and anything you skip can be set up later from the settings menu. The booklet describes this setup only in outline; follow the screens.
If the TV asks for a password you don’t know
TCL’s reset step says only “the password you have set or the PIN”, as the prompt on screen asks. The booklet describes two passwords you may have set:
- The password created at first startup. TCL says the TV asks you to create a strong password when first started, to protect access to system settings and user accounts.
- The parental-control password, set in Settings → System → Lock. The TV also asks for it elsewhere, for example when you change the country for a channel scan.
TCL doesn’t say which of these the reset asks for. Try the one you remember setting.
For a forgotten parental-control password only, TCL’s booklet, under Password in Parental Control, gives a super password, 0423, and says that if you forget your code, the super password overrides any existing codes. TCL doesn’t say whether the reset prompt accepts it.
If neither password works, or the prompt asks for a PIN you don’t recognise, the booklet doesn’t cover it. Stop there and contact TCL support with your model number.
If you can’t find the Reset menu
- No About → Reset path: your model’s menus may differ from the booklet. Open the TV’s on-screen User Guide (press the Home button, then Apps → User Guide). It’s TCL’s electronic manual for the TV, and TCL notes that features vary with the software version.
- The remote doesn’t work: check its two AAA batteries, and that the sensor window on the front of the TV is clean and not under strong fluorescent light. Those are the checks TCL lists.
Common questions
Is there a reset button on the TV itself?
Not in TCL’s booklet. The single button on the TV opens a small menu for standby, channels, volume, source and OK. It has no reset option.
Sources & scope
Pages 3–4, 9, 11–13, 15–16, 18
View sourcePDF pages; the printed page numbers (EN 1–19) are the same. The booklet has no revision number; the PDF was created in September 2025. TCL UK's X11L page (www.tcl.com/uk/en/tvs/x11l, which redirects to the 85X11L page) lists this file as the 85X11L User Manual. Consulted: Reset to factory default settings (p15–16), Initial setup (p11), Cyber security requirement (p3–4: the strong password created at first startup), Password in Parental Control (p18: the Lock menu and the super password), the Lock password prompt in Installing channels (p13), Using Settings menu and Using User Guide (p12), the remote legend (p9) and the multi-product notice (p3). Rendered p9, p12, p15, p16 and p18 checked for the button icons and text.
These instructions are based on manufacturer documentation. They have not been device-tested for this guide.
Based on TCL UK's English multi-product user manual for TCL and iFFALCON TVs, downloaded from the TCL UK product page for the 85X11L (the file has no revision number; the PDF was created in September 2025). TCL says the features in this booklet are common to most models and that some may be missing from your TV. TCL TVs with other operating systems (for example Fire TV) have different menus and are not covered. The booklet does not list what Erase everything removes, does not say exactly which password or PIN the reset asks for, and gives no default password. It describes two passwords you may have set: the strong password the TV asks you to create at first startup (p3–4) and the parental-control (Lock) password (p18). It prints a super password for a forgotten parental-control password; this page repeats it only in that context and does not claim the reset prompt accepts it. The full on-screen setup after the reset is described only in outline. Documentation reviewed; no TV hardware tested.