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To add personal videos to Kodi, add their folder as a video source, set its content to Movies, and scan it into the library. To add music, use the Music file browser to add its folder and scan the embedded tags. The two workflows differ: Kodi matches video titles using filenames or folder names and an information provider, while its music library reads tags in the audio files.
Prepare your files and sources
Organize movie files so Kodi can identify them. A separate folder for each movie, named with the title and release year where useful, reduces ambiguity when Kodi matches titles to an online information provider. See Kodi’s video library guidance.
For music, check that the files have accurate embedded tags, particularly artist and album. Kodi’s music library uses those tags rather than matching tracks by filename in the same way it matches video. Kodi explains the distinction in its music tagging guide.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Keep movies and music in separate Kodi sources. A source should contain one media class, but you can add multiple sources for folders on different drives or storage locations. Kodi’s source folder documentation covers source management.
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Add movie files to the library
- In Kodi, open Videos > Files > Add videos.
- Browse to the folder containing the movies, select it, and give the source a recognizable name.
- Set the directory’s content to Movies. Choose or configure an information provider if needed.
- Accept the prompt to scan the source into the library. Kodi will try to match the files and may retrieve metadata and artwork from the selected provider.
The exact scan time depends on the collection and setup. Kodi’s video-source guide gives an illustrative estimate of about 30 seconds for one movie and over an hour for 400; that is not a performance guarantee. Follow the steps in Kodi’s guide to adding video sources.
Fix movies Kodi does not match
Check Kodi’s Event Log for files that were not added. Incorrect or ambiguous naming is a common cause, so correct the movie filename or folder name and scan again. Matching also depends on the information provider: if a title is unavailable there, the scrape may not provide the details you expect.
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For home movies or other titles missing from provider catalogs, you can supply local metadata in an NFO file. Kodi’s NFO file guide recommends naming a movie’s NFO file to match the video filename with an .nfo extension. The alternative name movie.nfo works when the separate-movie-folder setting is enabled; consult the guide for supported naming patterns.
Add music files to the library
- Open Music and enter the music file browser.
- Choose Add music, browse to the folder, and give the source a recognizable name.
- Accept the prompt to add the source to the library and scan the tags.
Once scanning has added the tagged files, retrieving extra artist, album, or artwork information is optional. It is not required for the music files to appear in the library. Kodi’s music scanning guide describes adding and scanning a source.
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Choose local or network storage
You can add media stored on a local hard disk or in a shared network folder; the library steps do not require buying new storage if your current folders are accessible. For a network share, Kodi’s video-source guide recommends a file-sharing protocol such as SMB. Kodi says UPnP cannot be used to create a library, so choose a supported shared-folder path instead. See Kodi’s video-source instructions for network source details.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Check Kodi’s version and menu labels
Kodi’s FAQ lists v21.3 Omega as its most recent stable release and explains that the music library is created from embedded tags. Release status and interface labels can change, so check the Kodi FAQ and Kodi’s download page if you are following instructions against a different version.
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- 【Ultra-Fast Data Transfers】 - Pairing this external hard drive with JMicron 578 solution USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 interfaces enables blazing-fast data transfer. It boasts theoretical read speeds of up to 125MB/s and write speeds of up to 103MB/s."
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