How to find movies and TV shows using Roku Search
From the latest blockbusters and trending shows to your favorite cult classics, Roku Search includes 500,000+ movies and TV episodes across a wide variety of more than 500 top streaming channels. You can browse unbiased search results ranked by price, letting you easily find movies and TV shows available to stream for free along with subscription content and rentals and purchases. When you have an antenna connected to your Roku TV™, your results also include "over-the air" broadcast television from your local area.
To use Roku Search, you can type using the on-screen keyboard or the keyboard on the free Roku mobile app for iOS® and Android™, or you can speak your search phrase in a conversational tone using voice search. With all your entertainment choices appearing in one place, Roku Search makes it easy to find the perfect thing to watch on your Roku streaming device.
- Roku Search is available in English in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
- Channels included in search results may vary by region. View Roku search partners for a list of the channels included by region. Some channels and content requires payment.
What can I search for?
To find specific content or see related choices, you can search by title, actor, or director. When you want to browse a wider range of content, you can search for popular genres like “Comedy” or “Action" to see Roku Zones with a variety of categories that may include free offerings, subscription content, on-demand titles, 4K movies and shows, and more. Try searching for content that interests you most – not just in-season TV shows and recently released movies. Roku Search displays results across a vast selection of comedy, news, sports, international and niche content.
- Note: Seeing genre Roku Zones in search results is only supported in the United States on Roku devices running Roku OS 9.2.0 or higher.
Search using the on-screen keyboard
After pressing Home
on your Roku remote, navigate up or down and select Search. Start typing the first few letters of the movie, TV show, actor, director, genre, or channel, and Roku Search will update the results as you complete the word or phrase. When you find the entertainment choice or channel you are looking for, select the entry to see more details including viewing options.
- Note:
- If you choose a viewing option on a channel that is not installed on your Roku device, you will be prompted to add the channel.
- Search results for “over-the-air” broadcast television include programs currently airing along with future showings. When you select a program for a future time slot, your Roku TV will switch to the Live TV input and tune to the correct channel – it will not set a reminder.
Search using your mobile device
You can search on your smartphone or tablet by accessing the Search bar from the free Roku mobile app. To get started, launch the Roku mobile app and follow the instructions below.
- To access the search page, tap the search bar at the top of the Home page
- When the keyboard appears, start typing the first few letters of the movie, TV show, actor, director, genre, or channel, and Roku Search will update the results as you complete the word or phrase. When you find the entertainment choice you are looking for, tap the entry to see more details including viewing options.
- Tip: Type in today’s date (e.g. “1 17” for January 17th) to see the latest news headlines from over a dozen news channels. Note, you must enter a space between the month and day to see news results.
- Note:
- If you choose a viewing option on a channel that is not installed on your Roku device, you will be prompted to add the channel.
- Search results for “over-the-air” broadcast television include programs currently airing along with future showings. When you select a program for a future time slot, your Roku TV will switch to the Antenna TV input and tune to the correct channel – it will not set a reminder.
Search using voice
With voice commands like "show me action movies", you can search your Roku player or Roku TV with your voice. To take advantage of the latest enhancements to voice search and voice control, make sure your compatible Roku device is running Roku OS 9.4 or higher, and you have one of the following:
- Roku Voice Remote
- Roku Enhanced Voice Remote
- Roku Voice Remote Pro
- Roku mobile app for iOS and Android
Learn more about using your voice to search for movies, TV shows and more.
Last updated at 2/19/2026 7:02:28 PM
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