Roku's secret menus: How to unlock them
Roku devices hide secret menus behind remote-control key sequences, giving users tools for diagnostics, sideloading and resetting. Here's how to access them.
The menus have existed for years but remain unknown to many owners, the tech outlet notes. Accessing them resembles typing a video-game cheat code: users press a combination of Home, arrow and playback buttons on their physical remote or on the Roku mobile app.
The developer menu, one of the most useful, enables installing custom applications and managing a developer account. To reach it, press Home three times, Up twice, then Right, Left, Right, Left, Right.
For network information, pressing Home five times and then Right, Left, Right, Left, Right opens a screen where users can view IP and MAC addresses and turn on bandwidth-saver mode. A separate Wireless Secret Screen, reached by pressing Home five times followed by Up, Down, Up, Down, Up, shows signal strength, glitch rate and lets users run speed tests or reset their network connection.
Other hidden screens focus on user experience. The so-called Secret Screen 2, opened by Home five times, Up, Right, Down, Left, Up, cycles through ad-service options and screenshot output settings. A device restart may be needed for ad preferences to change.
The Platform Secret Screen reveals memory usage, remote battery level and device temperature, plus advanced diagnostics such as IPv6 settings and RF remote information. Its combination is Home five times, Fast Forward, Down, Rewind, Down, Fast Forward. An HDMI settings screen, accessed via Home five times, Down, Left, Up, Up, Up, allows users to check refresh rates and resolution performance.
The Channel Info Menu, entered with Home three times, Up twice, then Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, lists versions of installed apps such as Netflix and Kanopy, and lets users troubleshoot, uninstall or reboot a specific channel. For more serious problems, pressing Home five times, Fast Forward three times, Rewind twice opens a screen that enables a factory reset, software update and USB port test. Users who simply need to restart can press Home five times, Up, Rewind twice, Fast Forward twice.