How to set up and use your Amazon Fire TV Stick

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If you got a Fire TV Stick this holiday season and you’re ready to set it up, you may be looking for guidance on how and where to start. We’re here to help.

Here's everything you need to know about setting up and using a Fire TV Stick, no matter which model you own.

How to set up your Fire TV Stick

Of course, the first thing you'll want to do when you get a new Fire TV Stick is set it up. Thankfully, that’s easy to do. Here's how.

Plug the Fire TV Stick into your TV's HDMI port and then power it on by plugging the included power adapter into a wall outlet.
Put batteries in your Fire TV Stick's remote.
Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your Fire TV Stick. You'll be asked to connect your Fire TV Stick to Wi-Fi, as well as create or sign in to your Amazon account. You'll also be able to set your preferred language.
Once you've set up your Fire TV Stick, you can start using it right away. Enjoy streaming movies and shows from a variety of services including Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV+.

Using your Fire TV Stick

A TV with a Fire TV Stick remote nearby.

Using your Fire TV Stick may be even simpler than setting it up. You'll use the directional buttons on the remote to navigate the interface, and the central button on the middle to select items. There's a back button, a home button, and a menu button.

One of the easiest ways to use the Fire TV interface is through Alexa. Simply press and hold the Alexa button on the remote and say, "Alexa" followed by what you want it to do. For example, "Alexa, launch Prime Video" and your Fire TV Stick will automatically open the app for you. Or, you can say "Alexa, show me popular comedies" and your Fire TV Stick will pull up a list of recommended comedy movies and shows.

You can also use the Fire TV app on your smartphone to control your Fire TV Stick. You'll be able to change settings, launch apps, search for content, and enter text using the keyboard. If you prefer a touch screen, it's a great alternative to the remote or Alexa.

Fire TV tips and tricks

Now that your Fire TV Stick is up and running and you know the basics, there are plenty of neat features for you to take advantage of. Here are some of our favorites:

Change the name of your Fire TV Stick
Giving your Fire TV Stick a good name can make it easier to manage in the context of a smart home. It'll help you manage your devices in the Alexa app, and know which Fire TV Stick you're controlling. To change the name of your Fire TV Stick, go to the Manage Your Content and Devices page on Amazon.com, hit the Devices tab, and select the device you want to rename. Then tap the Edit button and rename it.

Disable autoplay
Autoplay is a great way to get a taste of content without having to press a single button. However, if you’d like to disable auto-play on the Fire TV Stick, go to Settings > Preferences > Featured Content, and then toggle off the Autoplay option. That's all there is to it.

Learn more about what you're watching
X-Ray is an exclusive set of features on Prime Video that helps you experience more of the stuff you love to watch, while you watch it. Available on your favorite movies, series, and live sports, X-Ray allows you to find out more information about content that you're watching on Prime Video. For example, you can pull up information like IMDb ratings, plot synopses, actors and characters, and more. To turn X-Ray on, just press the up button on your Fire TV remote when you're watching something.

Get access to free content
Did you know that you can watch tons of content completely for free? , an ad-supported streaming service, lets you watch all kinds of movies and TV shows anytime, anywhere. To access Freevee content, you can download the Freevee app, or access Freevee content through the Prime Video app.

Connect Bluetooth headphones
If you want to watch your favorite movies and TV shows without disturbing the rest of house, you can connect a pair of Bluetooth headphones to the Fire TV. To do so, head to the Fire TV Settings > Controllers and Bluetooth Devices > Other Devices > Add Bluetooth Device. Then, turn on your headphones and pair them with the Fire TV Stick.

Set up parental controls
For those of you who have children in your household, Fire TV Stick has built-in parental controls. You'll be able to set age restrictions on content and control in the Fire TV's parental controls. That will require a PIN code to access certain content. To set up parental controls on the Fire TV, head to Settings > Preferences > Parental Controls.

Upgrade old smart TVs with your Fire TV Stick
Before you replace your old TV with a new one, trying using your Fire TV device to upgrade it. By hooking up a Fire TV Stick, you’re able to offload all processing to the Fire TV Stick from the TV, which makes your experience much smoother and faster.

Control your other devices too
Your Fire TV Stick device can control other devices in your home theater too, as long as they support the right tech. That's through a standard called HDMI CEC, which allows devices to talk to each other through HDMI cables. So, your Fire TV remote could control devices like your cable box, soundbar, and more, turning them on, controlling volume, and more. To enable HDMI CEC, go to Fire TV Settings > Display and Sounds > HDMI CEC Device Control. You can then tweak the settings for CEC depending on your living room setup.

Now that you have the tips for setting up your Fire TV Stick, learn everything you need to know about Prime Video.