How To Update Software On Samsung TV

Samsung TVs have been running over Tizen OS since 2015. Built with an intuitive design, Tizen pushes regular updates to comply with the changing requirements of broadcast systems and streaming applications. These updates also contain the latest security patches to fix the existing bugs.

You can easily update the Samsung TV software to the latest version using the built-in “Software Update” function. Or you can also choose to manually update the software using a USB drive.

Table of Contents

Before You Begin

The software update process on your Samsung TV is a simple yet risky process. If not done properly, you can brick your device, making it completely non-functional. So, you need to look after a few things before starting the update process.

Terminate all the apps running in the background.

Ensure a stable Internet connection.

Change the Source to TV mode. The Software Update function might gray out if the source is set to other modes.

Software updates might take a while. Do not turn off the TV or cut off the power supply during the update process.

You might lose some customized picture and sound settings after an update.

Auto-Update Samsung TV

If your Samsung TV has an active Internet connection, you can adjust the TV settings to automatically check and update the software whenever the latest version is available. Simply enable the Auto-update function in your TV’s support settings and you are good to go. The TV will download the updates in the background, then install them on the next restart.

Press Home button on your Samsung TV remote.
Now navigate to the lower left corner and open Settings.
Move down to the Support menu.
Tap Software Update on the right.
Toggle on Auto update option.

Update Manually Over Internet

Sometimes, the auto-update function on your Samsung TV might cease to work. In such cases, the TV can not install the updates automatically. So, manually updating the software can be helpful.

Launch Settings on your Samsung TV.
Use the directional pad on your TV remote and go down to Support.
Choose the Software Update option.
Tap Update Now.
Let the TV search for available updates. Download and install the updates if any are available.

Update Manually Using USB

Updating your TV via USB drive is generally preferred if you do not have an active Internet connection or if the built-in update function fails to show up the updates. Similarly, if the latest version of firmware starts causing lags on your TV, you can also roll back the TV firmware to the earlier versions using this method.

First, let’s see how to get the model number of your Samsung TV.
Open Settings.
Choose Support > About This TV.
Note down the Model Code. In our case it is, QN65Q900R.
Then open your computer and go to the official download center of Samsung.
In the Search your model number textbox, type the model code and search.
Under the Firmware section, press the Download button. It will download a .ZIP file on your computer.
Extract the ZIP file.
Now grab a USB flash drive of the appropriate size.
Erase all the data in the USB drive. You may either format it in NTFS or FAT32 file format.
After the formatting is complete, copy the extracted file directly into the root folder of the USB drive. You should not create any folder on the USB drive. Else, the TV will fail to recognize the firmware file.
Eject the USB flash drive from your PC and insert it into the USB port of your TV.
Then go to Settings > Support > Software Update > Update Now.
Choose Yes in the Browse Files on USB Flash Drive popup.
Again choose Yes in the confirmation popup.

Note: Please note that the firmware of all the TV models may not be available on Samsung’s website. In such cases, you can proceed with other options discussed above.