The Fire TV Settings menu contains many options that can significantly improve your Firestick experience. This guide covers the most useful settings and what each one does.
How to Access Settings
From the Fire TV home screen, scroll to the top row of icons and select the Settings gear icon. Alternatively, press and hold the Home button on the remote, then select Settings.
Display and Sounds
Display
Under Settings > Display & Sounds > Display, you can set the resolution manually. The Firestick usually auto-detects the best resolution, but if your picture looks wrong, set it manually here. Options typically include 1080p (HD models) or 4K Ultra HD (4K models).
HDMI CEC
Under Settings > Display & Sounds > HDMI CEC Device Control, you can enable your Firestick remote to control your TV's volume and power. Enable this if your TV supports HDMI-CEC (Samsung Anynet+, LG SimpLink, Sony Bravia Sync etc.).
Audio
Under Settings > Display & Sounds > Audio, you can configure the audio output format. If you have a surround sound system, enable Dolby Digital or DTS as appropriate. For standard TV speakers, PCM Stereo is usually best.
Network Settings
Under Settings > Network, you can view your current Wi-Fi connection, forget and reconnect to a network, or check the status of your internet connection. If you are experiencing buffering, check the signal strength here. For more, see our Firestick internet guide.
Application Settings
Under Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications, you can view all installed apps, clear their cache, clear data, force stop, or uninstall them. Clearing the cache is often the first step in fixing a slow or misbehaving app.
Installing from unknown sources
If you need to sideload an app (install from outside the Amazon Appstore), go to Settings > My Fire TV > Developer Options > Apps from Unknown Sources. Enable this only for trusted sources.
Preferences
Featured Content
Under Settings > Preferences > Featured Content, you can disable auto-playing trailers on the home screen. This is a popular setting — it removes the video that plays automatically when you stop on content.
Data Monitoring
Under Settings > Preferences > Data Monitoring, you can see how much data your Firestick has used. You can also set a data usage limit if you are on a metered connection.
Parental Controls
Under Settings > Preferences > Parental Controls, you can set a PIN to restrict content by age rating, prevent app purchases, and restrict profile switching. This is useful if children use the device. We cover this topic in full in our Firestick parental controls guide.
Privacy Settings
Under Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings, you can opt out of interest-based advertising, device usage data collection, and collecting app usage data. These settings are worth reviewing if privacy is a concern.
About / System Info
Under Settings > My Fire TV > About, you can view your device's serial number, software version, and storage usage. You can also check for software updates here. See our Firestick update guide for more.
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Shop Firestick PackagesFrequently Asked Questions
From the home screen, select the Settings gear icon in the top row of icons. Or press and hold the Home button on the remote.
Go to Settings > Preferences > Featured Content and disable the Featured Autoplay option.
Alexa is integrated into the remote but can be largely disabled. Go to Settings > Alexa and disable active listening features if preferred.