Simturax

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⚠️ STATUS DISCLAIMER

Current Kodi Version: 🟢 Kodi 21.3 “Omega” (Stable – December 2025)

Next Major Release: 🔵 Kodi 22 “Piers” Beta 1 (June 2026)

Last Verified: August 3, 2026

⚠️ CRITICAL NOTE: Kodi does not automatically scan your media folders. You must manually add a source, set the content type, and scan to import files into the library. Proper file naming and folder structure is essential for accurate metadata scraping.

🔥 What’s New in 2026:

• Kodi 21.2 “Omega” restored the speed of adding movies to the library back to the level of Kodi 20 “Nexus”
• Kodi 21.3 “Omega” further improved the speed of video library rescans and fixed multi-episode files overwriting the first episode
• Library Watchdog add-on now provides instant automatic library updates when new files are added or removed

📁 What This Guide Covers:

• Organizing your media files for Kodi (Movies, TV Shows, Music, Pictures, and Home Videos)
• Adding local video, music, and picture sources
• Setting up scrapers (The Movie Database, TVDB, MusicBrainz, etc.)
• Scanning content into the library
• Using NFO files for manual metadata control
• Troubleshooting common import issues

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📋 “No-Click” Quick-Reference Cheatsheet

For experienced users—skip the reading and import now.

Media Type	File Organization	Add Source	Set Content	Scraper
Movies	Movie Name (Year)/Movie Name (Year).mkv	Videos → Files → Add videos	Movies	The Movie Database Python
TV Shows	Show/Season XX/Show - SXXEXX - Episode.mkv	Videos → Files → Add videos	TV Shows	The TV Database (TVDB)
Music Videos	Artist/Song Name - Artist.mkv	Videos → Files → Add videos	Music Videos	The Movie Database Python
Music	Artist/Album/Song.mp3 (with ID3 tags)	Music → Files → Add music	Music	MusicBrainz / Universal Scraper
Pictures	Folder/Subfolder/Image.jpg	Pictures → Add pictures	Pictures	N/A (no scraper)
Home Videos	Any custom folder structure	Videos → Files → Add videos	None (access via Files)	N/A (no scraper)

Pro Tip: For network storage, use SMB (Windows sharing). UPnP cannot be used to create a library.

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What Is the Kodi Library?

Kodi is an award-winning, free, and open-source media player and entertainment hub that can be installed on virtually any device—Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, tvOS, Fire TV, Xbox, and more. It transforms your device into a powerful home theater system capable of playing local media, streaming online content, and running thousands of add-ons.

The Kodi library is a metadata-rich database that organizes your local media files into a stunning, Netflix-like interface. Instead of browsing through a list of filenames, the library displays:

• 📸 Posters and fanart for each movie and TV show
• 📝 Synopsis and plot summaries
• 🎭 Cast and crew information
• ⭐ Ratings and reviews
• 📅 Release dates and genres
• 🎬 Trailer links

Target Audience: This guide is for all Kodi users—from beginners setting up their first library to power users managing massive media collections across multiple devices.

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🔥 2026 Evolution: What’s New in Kodi Library Management

Kodi 21.2 “Omega” (January 2025)

• Library performance restored – The speed of adding movies to the library is back to the level of Kodi 20 “Nexus”
• UPnP server enhancements – Smoother playback with software like UMS and Gerbera

Kodi 21.3 “Omega” (December 2025)

• Faster video library rescans – Significant speed improvements when scanning for new content
• Multi-episode file fix – Fixed issue where multi-episode files were overwriting the first episode
• HDR support on Xbox One – Enhanced picture quality for Xbox users

Library Watchdog Add-on

The Library Watchdog add-on now provides instant automatic library updates when new files are added or removed, eliminating the need for manual scanning.

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📁 Step 1: Organize Your Media Files

This is the most important step. Kodi relies on proper file naming and folder structure to correctly identify your media.

Movie File Structure

For movies, Kodi recommends this structure:

Movies/
├── Avatar (2009)/
│   └── Avatar (2009).mkv
├── Inception (2010)/
│   └── Inception (2010).mp4
└── The Dark Knight (2008)/
    └── The Dark Knight (2008).mkv

Key rules:

• Each movie in its own folder
• Folder name = Movie Name (Year)
• Video file name = Movie Name (Year).extension
• Use English titles for best scraper results

TV Show File Structure

For TV shows, the structure is:

TV Shows/
├── Breaking Bad/
│   ├── Season 01/
│   │   ├── Breaking Bad - S01E01 - Pilot.mkv
│   │   └── Breaking Bad - S01E02 - Cat's in the Bag.mkv
│   └── Season 02/
│       └── Breaking Bad - S02E01 - Seven Thirty-Seven.mkv
└── The Office/
    └── Season 01/
        └── The Office - S01E01 - Pilot.mkv

Key rules:

• Show name folder → Season folders → Episode files
• Episode naming: Show Name – SXXEYY – Episode Title.extension
• SXXEYY = Season number (XX) and Episode number (YY)

Music File Structure

For music, Kodi relies primarily on ID3 tags rather than folder structure:

Music/
├── Artist Name/
│   └── Album Name/
│       ├── 01 - Song Title.mp3
│       └── 02 - Another Song.mp3
└── Another Artist/
    └── Album Name/
        └── 01 - Track Name.mp3

⚠️ Important: While Kodi can scan minimal tags into the library, proper tagging using MusicBrainz Picard is highly recommended to ensure accurate library population.

Pictures Structure

Pictures/
├── Family Photos/
│   ├── Vacation/
│   │   └── beach.jpg
│   └── Holidays/
│       └── christmas.jpg
└── Screenshots/
    └── screenshot01.png

Home Videos / Personal Recordings

Important distinction: Home videos, personal recordings, and other user-generated content cannot be added to the Kodi library because there is no online metadata to scrape. Instead, they must be accessed directly through the Videos → Files section.

Home Videos/
├── Family Videos/
│   ├── Birthday Party 2024.mkv
│   └── Summer Vacation.mp4
├── Concerts/
│   └── Live Show.mkv
└── Work Recordings/
    └── Presentation.mp4

Key points for Home Videos:

• No scraping – Kodi will not fetch metadata for home videos
• No special naming required – You can name files whatever you like
• Access via Files – Navigate to Videos → Files → Home Videos to watch them
• Custom folder structure – Organize them however makes sense for you

💡 Pro Tip: Good naming is essential for accurate scraping. If a movie doesn’t scrape correctly, check that the folder name matches the movie title on TMDb and includes the year.

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🗂️ Step 2: Add Video Sources in Kodi

Once your files are organized, tell Kodi where to find them.

⚠️ IMPORTANT FOR ANDROID TV / GOOGLE TV USERS (Android 11+):

Before adding sources, you must grant Kodi file permissions. Otherwise, Kodi will not see your media files, and you may think the source addition failed.

To grant permissions:

1. Go to your device’s Settings → Apps → Kodi
2. Select Permissions → Files and Media
3. Choose “Allow all the time”

Without this step, Kodi will not be able to browse or access your media folders!

For Movies

1. Open Kodi and go to the Movies section from the home screen
2. Select “Enter files section” (or “Add videos…”)
3. Click “Add videos…”
4. Click “Browse” and navigate to your Movies folder
5. Select the folder and click “OK”
6. Enter a name for this source (e.g., “Movies”)
7. Click “OK”

For TV Shows

1. Open Kodi and go to the TV Shows section
2. Follow the same steps as above
3. Browse to your TV Shows folder
4. Name the source (e.g., “TV Shows”)
5. Click “OK”

For Music Videos

1. Open Kodi and go to Videos → Files
2. Click “Add videos…”
3. Browse to your Music Videos folder
4. Name the source (e.g., “Music Videos”)
5. Click “OK”

For Home Videos / Personal Recordings

1. Open Kodi and go to Videos → Files
2. Click “Add videos…”
3. Browse to your Home Videos folder
4. Name the source (e.g., “Home Videos”)
5. Click “OK”
6. Do NOT set content – leave it as “None” since home videos cannot be scraped

For Network Storage (NAS / SMB)

If your media is on a network drive:

1. In the Browse dialog, select “Add network location…”
2. Choose protocol: SMB (Windows sharing) is recommended
3. Enter the server IP, share name, and credentials if required
4. Browse to the folder and add it as a source

⚠️ Note: UPnP cannot be used to create a library—use SMB instead.

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⚙️ Step 3: Set Content and Configure Scrapers

After adding the source, you must tell Kodi what type of media it contains and which scraper to use.

Step 3.1: Open Set Content

1. Navigate to Videos → Files from the home screen
2. Highlight your newly added source
3. Press the Context Menu button (usually C on keyboard or the menu button on remote)
4. Select “Set content”

Step 3.2: Choose Media Type

• For Movies: Select “Movies” as the content type
• For TV Shows: Select “TV Shows” as the content type
• For Music Videos: Select “Music Videos” as the content type
• For Home Videos: Leave as “None” (no scraping)

Step 3.3: Select a Scraper

1. Under “Choose information provider”, select your scraper
2. Movies: The Movie Database Python (TMDb) is recommended
3. TV Shows: The TV Database (TVDB) is the standard
4. If your preferred scraper isn’t listed, click “Get more…” to install it

Step 3.4: Configure Scraper Settings

Click “Settings” to adjust scraper options:

• Language: Preferred metadata language
• Preferred artwork: Poster/fanart preferences
• Rating source: IMDb, TMDb, etc.

Step 3.5: Important Settings

Setting	Recommendation	Explanation
Movies are in separate folders	✅ Enable	Kodi uses folder name to scrape
Scan recursively	✅ Enable	For deep folder structures
Exclude path from library updates	❌ Disable	Prevents scanning if disabled

Step 3.6: Save and Scan

1. Click “OK” to save the content settings
2. Kodi will ask: “Would you like to refresh information for all items in this path?”
3. Click “Yes” to scan the content into your library

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🎵 How to Import Music to Kodi Library

Importing music follows a similar process but with some important differences.

Step 1: Organize Your Music

• Ensure your music files have proper ID3 tags (artist, album, track, genre)
• Use MusicBrainz Picard for accurate tagging

Step 2: Add Music Source

1. From the Kodi home screen, select Music
2. Click “Enter files section” (or “Files”)
3. Click “Add music…”
4. Click “Browse” and navigate to your Music folder
5. Select the folder and click “OK”
6. Enter a name for the source (e.g., “Music”)
7. Click “OK”

Step 3: Set Content and Scan

1. Kodi will ask: “Do you want to add the contents of this source to your collection?”
2. Click “Yes” to scan
3. Kodi will process the files and organize them by genre, album, or artist

⚠️ Important: Kodi uses tags (ID3, etc.), not folder or filenames, to populate the music library.

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🖼️ How to Import Pictures to Kodi Library

Importing pictures is the simplest process as no scraping is involved.

Step 1: Add Picture Source

1. From the Kodi home screen, select Pictures
2. Click “Add pictures…”
3. Click “Browse” and navigate to your Pictures folder
4. Select the folder and click “OK”
5. Enter a name for the source (e.g., “Pictures”)
6. Click “OK”

Step 2: Access Your Pictures

1. Go to Pictures from the main Kodi menu
2. You will see the source you just added
3. Click on it to browse through subfolders and view images

💡 Pro Tip: Subdirectories are automatically registered in Kodi, so you only need to add the top-level directory.

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🔄 Step 4: Scan New Content Later

After the initial setup, when you add new files:

Option A: Update Library from Settings

1. Go to Settings → Media → Library
2. Select “Update library”

Option B: Context Menu on Source

1. Navigate to Videos → Files
2. Highlight the source folder
3. Press the Context Menu button
4. Select “Scan for new content”

Option C: Automatic Updates (Library Watchdog)

Install the Library Watchdog add-on for instant automatic updates:

1. Go to Add-ons → Download → Program add-ons
2. Install Library Watchdog
3. It will automatically watch your media sources for changes and update the library instantly when new files are added or removed

Option D: Library Auto Update

Install Library Auto Update for scheduled updates:

1. Go to Add-ons → Download → Program add-ons
2. Install Library Auto Update
3. Configure the update schedule (e.g., every 6 hours)

💡 Pro Tip: After scanning, if content doesn’t appear, check Settings → Media → Library → “Show empty TV shows” and “Show empty movies” are enabled.

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📝 Advanced: Using NFO Files for Full Control

NFO files give you complete control over metadata, bypassing online scrapers.

What Are NFO Files?

NFO files are XML files that contain all the metadata Kodi needs for a movie or TV show. The order of importing metadata into the Kodi library is:

1. NFO file – If present, Kodi uses it first
2. Scraper – If no NFO exists, Kodi uses the scraper
3. Local Info Only – If set, nothing is scraped

NFO File Naming

Media Type	NFO File Name	Notes
Movie	<VideoFileName>.nfo	Recommended format
Movie	movie.nfo	Only works if “Movies are in separate folders” is enabled
Episode	<VideoFileName>.nfo	Same as video file name with .nfo extension
TV Show	tvshow.nfo	Placed in the show’s root folder
Music Album	album.nfo	Placed in the album folder
Music Artist	artist.nfo	Placed in the artist folder

Where to Place NFO Files

Place the NFO file in the same folder as the video file:

Avatar (2009)/
├── Avatar (2009).mkv
├── Avatar (2009).nfo
├── poster.jpg
└── fanart.jpg

NFO File Example

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<movie>
  <title>Avatar</title>
  <originaltitle>Avatar</originaltitle>
  <year>2009</year>
  <plot>Jake Sully explores the planet Pandora...</plot>
  <director>James Cameron</director>
  <genre>Action</genre>
  <rating>7.8</rating>
</movie>

Exporting Existing Library to NFO

1. Go to Settings → Media → Library
2. Select “Export library”
3. Choose “Multiple files” or “Single file”
4. Kodi will create NFO files for all your media

💡 Pro Tip: NFO files created by Kodi’s export function can be edited and refreshed back into the library.

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🧰 Troubleshooting: Common Import Issues

Issue	Solution
Library shows as empty	Check that content type is set correctly. Select “Set content” on the source and verify the media type.
Kodi can’t see files on Android TV (Android 11+)	Grant file permissions: Settings → Apps → Kodi → Permissions → Files and Media → “Allow all the time”.
Movies not scraping correctly	Verify folder names match TMDb (include year). Check “Movies are in separate folders” is enabled.
TV shows not recognized	Use proper SXXEYY naming. Verify Season folders are correctly named.
Music not showing in library	Check ID3 tags are properly filled. Use MusicBrainz Picard for accurate tagging.
“Update Library” missing	Check advancedsettings.xml configuration. Try using context menu on source.
Phantom/incorrect entries	Remove the source, restart Kodi, then re-add it.
Artwork not displaying	Delete Textures13.db and the thumbnail directory to refresh the cache.
NFO files being ignored	Ensure NFO matches the correct naming format. For movie.nfo, enable “Movies are in separate folders”.
Home videos not showing in library	Home videos cannot be scraped—access them via Videos → Files.
Slow library scanning	Kodi 21.3 improved scan speeds. For large libraries, use Library Watchdog for incremental updates.
Firestick can’t see external drive	Ensure the external drive is properly formatted (FAT32 or exFAT). Use SMB for network storage.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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🔒 Safety & VPN Recommendation

Why you should use a VPN with Kodi:

• 🛡️ Privacy: Your ISP can see all your online activity. A VPN encrypts your connection.
• 🔓 Bypass geo-restrictions: Access content that may be blocked in your region.
• 🚫 Prevent throttling: ISPs sometimes slow down streaming traffic. A VPN prevents this.

Recommended VPN for Kodi users: Surfshark – unlimited device connections, strong encryption, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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✅ Conclusion

Importing local content into the Kodi library transforms your media collection from a list of filenames into a beautiful, information-rich browsing experience.

Key takeaways for 2026:

1. 📁 Organize first – Proper file naming and folder structure is essential
2. 🗂️ Add a source – Tell Kodi where your media is stored
3. ⚙️ Set content – Choose media type and scraper (TMDb/TVDB)
4. 🔄 Scan to library – Let Kodi fetch metadata automatically
5. 📝 Use NFO files – For complete manual control over metadata
6. 🔧 Troubleshoot – Use the solutions above if content doesn’t appear
7. 🚀 Automate updates – Use Library Watchdog for instant updates
8. 📱 Android TV permissions – Grant file permissions before adding sources
9. 🏠 Home videos – Cannot be scraped; access via Videos → Files

Media Type	Library Supported?	Scraping	Access Method
Movies	✅ Yes	TMDb scraper	Library view
TV Shows	✅ Yes	TVDB scraper	Library view
Music	✅ Yes	MusicBrainz tags	Library view
Pictures	✅ Yes	N/A	Library view
Home Videos	❌ No	N/A (no scraper)	Videos → Files

Remember: Kodi’s library is one of its most powerful features. Taking the time to properly set it up will give you years of seamless media browsing and playback.

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