Sky Q Box Stuck On Amber or Red Light? (here’s what to do)

Like any computerised device, the Sky Q box can get stuck and need rebooting from time to time. If your Sky Q box is stuck on either the amber or red light, you’re going to need to reboot it. There are two types of reboot, a hard reboot or a soft reboot.

We suggest you always start with a soft reboot as this is less invasive to the box which means you won’t lose any of your recordings by performing a soft reboot. If this doesn’t work, you’ll need to perform a hard reboot which does mean losing all of your recordings but at least the box will work again.

Performing A Soft Reboot On The Sky Q

Performing a soft reboot on the Sky Q box is a simple process, just do the following;

• Turn off the electricity supply at the plug
• Allow 30 seconds to pass and then turn the plug back on
• Allow 4 minutes to elapse, then press the standby button on the Sky Q box

The Sky Q box should now work correctly. In some cases the remote will need to be repaired to the box. If this is the case, just;

•  press and hold 7 and 9 until it flashes 4 times
• Then press and hold 1 and 3
• Follow the instructions on screen

If your box is still stuck on amber or red light mode, you’ll need to perform a hard reboot.

Performing A Hard Reboot On The Sky Q Box

If you have to perform a hard reboot on the Sky Q box you will lose all of your recordings as the box has to update all its software and reformat the hard drive. Performing a hard reboot on the Sky Q box is also a simple process but it takes longer than a soft reboot. Just do the following;

• Switch the power supply off at the plug
• Press and hold the standby button (on the front of the Sky Q box)
• Whilst still holding the standby button, switch the plug socket back on
• The red and amber lights on the Sky Q box will alternate, once this happens, release the standby button (If the alternating lights don’t appear after 30 seconds, repeat the first 3 steps, if it still doesn’t work, contact Sky as you need a replacement box)
• The reboot can take between 15 to 20 minutes, after which time the box will turn off and return to a single red light
• The box will restart automatically
• After the on screen messages disappear, press “Home” on the remote (if the box doesn’t switch on after pressing home, press the standby button on the Sky Q box). If the box turns on, there’s a problem with the remote.

In some cases the screen freezes on one of the two updating steps (Updating Software Step 1 of 2 or Step 2 of 2) instead of going to the start screen as normal if this does happen you should;

• Switch the box off from the plug socket, and then switch it back on
• When “Hello” appears on the screen, hold in the standby button on the box, the screen should now display “Updating Software Step 2 of 2”

In many cases the features will work straight away but they can take upto 5 minutes to start. If the box still doesn’t start, you’ll need to contact Sky for a replacement box.

Problems With The Remote

If the remote control on your Sky Q has stopped working the first course of action is to check that none of the buttons are stuck. If any seem to be stuck just push and move the button to free it.

If there are no buttons stuck, or after freeing the button the remote still isn’t working, replace the batteries. After replacing the batteries press the “?” on your remote. The green LED light should flash, if not check the Sky Q box.

Press the standby button on the front of the Sky Q box the light should turn from green to amber, or from red to amber then green.

To repair your remote to your box;

• Press and hold 1 and 3 together
• Select “Continue”
• Enter the brand of your TV
• Select “Find it for me”
• Press the volume control on the remote and check on screen if the volume changes, if not
• Select “No, try another” if it still doesn’t work perform a factory reset

Remote control factory reset

If after all of the above, your remote is still not working, it’s time to perform a factory reset. Simply;

• Press and hold 7 and 9 until the light on the remote flashes 4 times

Once you can change the volume using the Sky Q remote, you can finish the repairing process.

General Housekeeping Issues Connected To Sky Q Boxes

With Sky Q boxes (and other computerised equipment) problems can occur through the box overheating. This can be caused unintentionally by not allowing your box adequate ventilation. You should never place the box;

• On carpet 
• In an enclosed space (closed cabinets etc)
• On top, underneath or beside any other devices
• Near any sources of heat (radiators, sunlight, vents from other appliances) 

Frequently Asked Questions