Roku’s software is a popular standard for “smart” HDTVs, especially among budget manufacturers. If you want your homescreen to be more organized, you can apply custom names and icons to your input device. Here’s how.
Previously, televisions running Roku software from manufacturers like TCL, RCA, Sharp, Insignia, and other low-cost brands could only select from pre-installed input names, like “Satellite” or “Antenna TV.” I had my Nintendo Switch set up on the “Wii” input, a name for a machine that’s over a decade old, and my Steam Link was simply labelled as “Game Console.” Now they’re properly labelled, easing just a bit of my technological OCD and making it easier to select inputs for people who are not me.
For the sake of precision: this guide is only for TVs running the standardized Roku software built-in, not sold-separately Roku devices. Roku TVs treat inputs like Blu-Ray players and game consoles as just another channel on the grid-based main menu, but the smaller Roku boxes don’t have any video input capability.
To start, turn on your TV and hit the “Home” button on your remote. Use the arrow buttons to select one of the inputs you’d like to change, and then press the “*” button to open the context menu.
Select the “Rename input” option, and then press your remote’s “OK” button.
A list of common, generic names for devices attached to TVs will appear. Use the arrow buttons to scroll all the way down to the “Edit custom name & icon” at the bottom, and then press the remote’s “OK” button.
Next, you’ll type a name for your device. Use the arrow buttons to select the letters and press the remote’s “OK” button to confirm them, one by one. The up arrow on the left side of the screen is a Shift key, but the one on the right side is Caps Lock. When you’ve entered the name fully, highlight the “OK” option on the screen, and then press the remote’s “OK” button.
On the next screen, you can set a custom icon. Keep in mind that these icons will look different if you change your Roku TV theme, but they’ll always be pretty much the same concept. Highlight the one you want, then press the remote’s “OK” button to select it.
And you’re done! Your selected input will now have a custom name and icon on your Roku home page.
You can use these steps to apply a custom name and icon to any TV input, but not to pre-programmed or downloaded Roku channels.
