How to enter an activation code, step by step

The pattern every activation code follows

When you open a streaming app on a smart TV, streaming stick or game console and choose to sign in, the screen usually shows a short code made of letters, numbers or both, plus a web address on the service's own domain. Many apps also show a QR code. The TV is now waiting. Your job is to prove you own an account by entering that code on a second device where you can sign in comfortably.

1. Leave the TV on the code screen. Do not close the app or switch inputs. The code is only valid for a short time, and the TV needs to stay on that screen to receive the signal that you have approved it.
2. On your phone or computer, open the activation page. Type the exact web address printed on your TV, or scan the QR code if there is one. Avoid searching for "activate" and clicking an ad: copy the address from your own screen instead.
3. Sign in to your account on that phone or computer if you are not already. The account you sign in with is the account the TV will use.
4. Type the code exactly as shown and select Continue, Activate or Submit.
5. Confirm if asked. Some services show a confirmation screen naming the device or app. Check it, then approve. Within a few seconds the TV should move past the code screen on its own.

Typing the code without mistakes

Most failed activations come down to one wrong character. A few habits avoid that:

• Watch for look-alike characters. The number 0 and the letter O, the number 1 and the letters I and L, the number 5 and the letter S, and 8 and B are easy to mix up from across a room. Walk closer to the TV if you are unsure.
• Upper or lower case. Many services accept the code in either case and ignore the dash in the middle, but not all of them do, so type it the way it appears.
• Watch out for autocorrect. Phone keyboards sometimes capitalise, add a space or "correct" a code into a word. Look at the box before you press Continue.
• Do not add spaces unless the code on screen is split into separate boxes on the web page too.
• One code, one try at a time. If you ask the TV for a new code, the old one stops working. Always type the code that is on screen right now.

Phone, tablet or computer: which should you use?

Any device with a web browser works. A phone is usually quickest because you can scan the QR code and are often already signed in to the service in its app or browser. A computer is easier if you need to reset a password or read the account settings. If you share a computer and the wrong person's account opens on the activation page, use a private or incognito browser window so you can sign in fresh. To skip typing altogether, see signing in on your TV with a QR code.

Your phone does not have to be on the same Wi-Fi as the TV for most services, as long as both have a working internet connection. A few services do check, so if a code keeps failing at home, connecting the phone to the same Wi-Fi as the TV is a quick test.

Which account to sign in with

The activation page links the TV to whichever account is signed in on your phone or computer at that moment. Before you type the code, check the account name or email shown on the page. This matters most in households with more than one subscription, and for network apps that use a pay-TV login: those apps ask you to sign in with your cable, satellite or live TV service rather than a streaming account. Our guide to signing in with your TV provider covers that path.

Reading the confirmation screen

Many activation pages show what you are about to approve, such as "Sign in on a TV" or the name of the app. Take a second to read it. If it describes a device you are not setting up, or you did not start the sign-in yourself, stop and close the page. A real activation is always started by you, on the screen in front of you, and it is always free. If a website asks for a fee, card details, remote access or a phone call to "activate", read how activation code scams work before going any further.

After the TV activates

• Choose your profile on the TV if the app asks, then start something playing to make sure the link worked.
• If the app asks you to sign in again a few days later, that is usually a session or software update, not a fault. Enter a fresh code the same way.
• To remove the TV from your account later, use the device or sign-out settings in your account on the service's own website.

Device-by-device walkthroughs

The code step is the same everywhere, but installing the app first differs by device. Pick yours:

• Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Fire Stick, Apple TV and Android TV / Google TV
• Samsung TV, LG TV, VIZIO TV and any other smart TV

For problems with the device itself, use the maker's official help site, for example Roku Support, Apple TV Support or Google TV Help. For account or billing questions, use the streaming service's own help pages.

Cannot see a code at all? Start with where to find the activation code on your TV. Code rejected? Work through fixing a code that will not work.