Fix Disney+ Not Working On Roku [Free Online Tool]
Table of Contents
If you’re struggling to get Disney+ working on your Roku, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we list several confirmed fixes, listed in the order that will get you the fastest results.
Once you find the solution that works for you, don’t forget to vote (no registration required), so we can help others with the same issue.
In a rush? Here’s the short answer.
The most common reason for Disney+ suddenly not working on Roku is a broken WiFi connection. You can usually fix this by restarting your WiFi router. Other common solutions include restarting your Roku (by unplugging it), checking for software updates, or removing and reinstalling the Disney+ app.
We’ve also included some useful information at the bottom of this article, including:
- The most common fixes (according to real data from our users)
- Charts showing any recent spikes in issue activity
- Widespread historical issues
- A complete list of error codes with associated fixes
Is your Roku device compatible with disney+
If you’re trying to install Dinsey+ but can’t find it on the channel store, it may be that your Roku device isn’t compatible.
The following Roku model numbers do not support Disney plus: 2400, 3000, 3050, 3100, 2450, 2500, 3400, 3420.
To check you’re not sure what model number you have, you can check via:
Settings > System > About
Check your internet connection
There are several internet connection issues that can prevent Disney+ from working properly on your Roku.
Even if you’re reading this article on the same internet connection as your Roku, make sure to check these common issues:
- Is your WiFi working (is it connected to the internet)?
- Is the WiFi signal too weak?
- Do you have a slow download speed?
- Is a VPN causing connection issues?
With the first issue, Disney+ won’t load at all.
If it’s one of the other three issues, Disney+ may load, but be very slow and have buffering issues.
Is your wifi working?
Try to access your WiFi on another device, such as your phone.
Or run a network connectivity test on your Roku via:
settings > network > check connection
If it doesn’t work, you’ve likely found your problem – the WiFi is down.
You can usually fix WiFi issues by restarting your router and checking all the physical connections are in place. If this doesn’t fix it, you’ll need to contact your provider.
Is your wifi signal strong enough?
If the WiFi is working, the next thing to check is your signal strength (this is a common issue if you’ve just moved or set up your Roku).
Run a network connectivity test on your Roku via settings > network > check connection.
The results will show you two important metrics.
- Signal strength
- Internet download speed
If they’re both fair, good, or excellent, skip the next steps until you reach restart your Roku.
If either of the results are poor, keep reading.
Signal strength
If the signal strength is poor, your Roku and Disney+ are going to suffer from performance issues.
There are two solutions to poor signal strength:
- Move the TV / Roku
- Use a WiFi extender
Move the TV / Roku
Your Roku could be too far from the WiFi router, in which case you’ll need to move it (and the TV closer).
Your Roku could also be in a ‘WiFi dead zone’, which is a small area of weak signal, sometimes close to the router. Some surprising things can affect WiFi signals, such as fish tanks or plants.
If this is the case, moving the Roku around slightly can help.
Elevating the Roku or moving it from directly behind the TV are good places to start (a HDMI extender can come in very useful here).
Use a wifi extender
If you can’t (or don’t want to) move the Roku, you can bring the WiFi closer to the TV with an extender.
WiFi extenders boost the signal in areas where it’s a bit patchy.
I have several of these TP-Link RE315 extenders dotted around my house. They’re super reliable little workhorses that barely cost anything. Money well spent if you’re constantly running into weak connection issues.
Internet download speed
If your signal is fine, but the internet download speed is poor, it could be that another device on the WiFi is ‘stealing’ all the power by streaming or downloading big files.
Or you could just have slow internet.
If you have a compatible Roku device, try using an ethernet connection instead of a wireless connection. This generally results in faster speeds.
If this doesn’t work, contact your ISP (internet service provider) to discuss upgrade options.
What download speeds do you need for Disney+ on Roku?
- 1.5 Mbps for library content
- 5.0 Mbps for High Definition content.
- 25.0 Mbps for 4K UHD content
reset network settings
If you or anyone you live with has tampered with the network settings on your Roku or WiFi router (e.g by adding custom DNS settings), this could be affecting Disney+.
To fix this, reset your network settings to default.
Or you can change to another well know DNS server, and see if this fixes the issue.
There have been a few instances reported on Reddit where changing the DNS server has fixed people’s issues with Disney+.
Check the DNS settings on the router. I had a bad DNS address that caused error 42 [on Disney+]. When I used the google DNS IP addresses that solved the issue.
stafuss – reddit user
Turn off VPN (if you’re using one)
Using a VPN is technically against Disney’s terms of service, so if they detect you’re using one, the app won’t work.
Or the VPN could have a weak connection which is causing problems with the internet.
I personally notice this when using cheaper, less stable VPNs. It can be extremely frustrating, especially as you’re not given any warning that the VPN is facing connection issues.
Simply turn your VPN off and see if this fixes the problem.
If it did, it may be time to consider a new VPN provider.
Restart your Roku
If the WiFi is working fine, the next thing to do is restart your Roku. Restarting your device can solve a whole host of problems.
There are three ways to restart your Roku.
Manual restart
- Unplug the Roku from the wall
- Wait for at least 10 seconds (but I’d say 30 to make sure)
- Plug the Roku back in and turn it on
Menu restart
- Navigate to the Roku homepage (you can press the home button on the remote)
- Select Settings
- Select System
- Select Power (if you don’t see this option, skip to the next step)
- Select System restart
- Wait for the Roku to restart
Remote restart
- Press the home button 5 times
- Press the up arrow 1 time
- Press the rewind button 2 times
- Press the fast forward button twice
- This should force a restart
Once the Roku has restarted, check to see if Disney+ is working again.
And don’t worry, resetting the Roku won’t do anything to the setup of your device (but a Factory reset does, more on this below). You’re just clearing the cache.
All your settings and channels will remain (although you may have to log back into certain channels).
Verify that Disney+ isn’t the problem
The problem could also lie with the Disney+ app itself.
Try to access Disney+ via another device. If this works fine you can skip these steps.
If you have a problem on the second device too – you need to troubleshoot Disney+.
Is Disney+ down?
This is unlikely to be the issue, but it’s quick and easy to check.
To check if Disney+ is down, you can:
- Check on a site like down detector
- Check for updates on the Disney plus Twitter account
If there is indeed a user-wide problem with the app, all you can do is wait.
You could also check with Roku (via Twitter) and see if they are aware of any issues.
Check for updates
Software updates happen all the time. Your Roku should update automatically but for various reasons, this might not have happened.
And if your software isn’t up to date it can cause issues (like Disney+ not working).
You can manually check for updates by following these steps. You need to check both Roku and Disney+.
To check for Roku updates
- Navigate to the Roku Homepage (you can press the home button on the remote)
- Select Settings
- Select System
- Select System update
- Select Check Now to manually check for updates
To check for Disney+ updates
- Navigate to the Disney+ app
- Press the * button on your remote
- Select Check for updates
Note: sometimes updates can contain bugs, which cause issues. In this case, you may have to wait for a patch to be released!
Sign in and out of Disney+
This is a simple solution, but it often works and is less hassle than the next option (which is to completely uninstall the Disney+ app.)
In the Disney+ app, navigate to the settings menu.
You should then see the option to ‘log out’ at the bottom of the menu.
Sign back in and test if the problem is fixed.
Uninstall and reinstall Disney+
Sometimes apps corrupt for a variety of complicated technical reasons.
To fix this, you can uninstall and reinstall your Disney+ app.
Note: if you purchased your Disney+ subscription through Roku, then you will be unable to remove the channel unless you cancel your subscription.
To uninstall the Disney+ app
- Navigate to the Disney+ app on your Roku
- Press the * button on your remote
- Press Remove app
You will then need to restart the Roku
This is very important – this will clear its memory so all traces of Disney+ will be gone.
After restarting the Roku, you can reinstall Disney+:
- Press the Home button on your Roku remote
- Scroll down to ‘Streaming channels’. This will take you to the channel store.
- Press Okay
- Scroll down and select Search channels
- Type in Disney+
- Scroll to the right and select Disney+
- Press Add channel (you may be asked to enter your pin)
Disney+ will be at the bottom of your channel grid when it reinstalls, but you can move it up if you wish (via the * button on the remote).
You will have to re-login to Disney+ when you open it.
Factory reset
This should be the last port of call because doing a factory will completely erase the Roku.
It will be back to how it was when you bought it.
But if nothing else has worked, it’s worth trying.
There are two ways to perform a hard reset.
- Press the physical reset button on the Roku device for 10 seconds (you may need something thin like an earring, a straightened paper clip, or a sim opener). Then wait for the device to reset.
- Reset via settings
To Factory reset the Roku via settings
- Press Home on your Roku remote
- Select Settings
- Select System
- Select Advanced system settings
- Select Factory reset
- If you have a Roku TV, select Factory reset everything. Otherwise, move to the next step.
- Follow the on-screen instructions
Once you have turned the Roku back on you will need to set it up again. You can follow the on-screen instructions to do this.
Contact support
Finally, you can always contact Roku or Disney+ customer support.
- Roku customer support: https://support.roku.com/contactus
- Disney plus customer support: https://help.disneyplus.com/csp
Roku & Disney+ Issues Over Time (5-Year Chart)
Check this chart to see if there are more Disney+ and Roku issues right now compared to usual. This is a good indicator of a more widespread outage versus something wrong with your device or app.
Most Common Fixes For Disney+ Not Working On Roku
Roku Specific Disney+ Error Codes
Disney Plus Error Code | Cause | Most likely solution |
Error Code 83 | Catch all | Internet, Restart, Updates |
Error Code 42 | Internet connectivity issue | Internet |
Error code 24/43 | Internet connectivity issue | Internet |
Error code 41 | Playback issue | Wait |
Error code 76 | Internet connectivity issue | Internet |
Error Code 13 | Device limit issue | Log out of other devices |
Error Code 9 | You’ve been logged out | Log back in |
Error Code 86 | Account blocked | Contact customer support |
Error Code 38 | Problem with date and time settings | Reset settings |
Error Code 25 | Internal error | Restart |
Error Code 29 | Internal error | Restart |
Error Code 35/36/11 | Blocked content | Turn off VPN |
Error Code 22/28 | Restricted content | Check if you have kids mode on |
Error Code 73/31 | Location issue | Turn off VPN |
Historical issues
There are no notable historical issues with Disney plus on Roku.
If you know of one, or there is one happening right now – reach out to let us know and we’ll update this section.
- Check your internet connection is working.
- Check Disney+ is not down (via down detector).
- Reboot your Roku device (by unplugging it for 10 seconds).
- Check for software updates (for both Roku and Disney+).
- Uninstall and reinstall the Disney+ app.
- Factory reset the Roku (do this as a last resort).
- .Contact support.