Tech Vault

Set up a Jellyfin media server

Install Jellyfin, add your films and shows, and watch them on your TV, phone and browser, at home or away.

30 minutesEasyNo terminal neededChecked 9 November 2026

1. Put your files in order

Jellyfin works out what each file is from its folder and its name. Get this right and the posters, descriptions and episode lists appear by themselves. Make two folders, Movies and Shows, and arrange your files like this:

Movies
└── Big Buck Bunny (2008)
    └── Big Buck Bunny (2008).mp4
Shows
└── Show Name (2015)
    └── Season 01
        ├── Show Name S01E01.mkv
        └── Show Name S01E02.mkv

The rule: a film’s folder and file are named Title (Year), and an episode’s file includes S01E01 for season 1, episode 1. If you have nothing to test with, Big Buck Bunny is a short film the Blender Foundation released under an open licence, free to download.

2. Install Jellyfin

Windows PC, No terminal

  1. Go to Jellyfin’s downloads page, choose Windows, and download the installer.
  2. Run the installer with its normal settings. It asks whether to install Jellyfin as a service; the simpler normal install is fine.
  3. When it finishes, Jellyfin is running, with a small icon near the clock.
  4. Put your Movies and Shows folders somewhere easy, like D:\Media or your Videos folder.
  5. Open http://localhost:8096 in your browser to start the setup wizard.

Mac, No terminal

  1. Go to Jellyfin’s downloads page, choose macOS, and download the disk image (DMG).
  2. Open it and drag Jellyfin into your Applications folder.
  3. Open Jellyfin from Applications. Click its icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen and choose Launch.
  4. Put your Movies and Shows folders somewhere easy, like your Movies folder.
  5. The setup wizard opens in your browser, at http://localhost:8096.

ZimaOS home server, No terminal, one click

  1. In ZimaOS’s Files app, open the Media folder and create your Movies and Shows folders inside it. Copy your files in; you can drag them from your computer into the Files window.
  2. Open the App Store, search for Jellyfin, and install it.
  3. Open it from the dashboard. It’s at your server’s address on port 8097, for example http://192.168.1.50:8097.

Inside Jellyfin, ZimaOS’s Media folder is called /Media, so your films are in /Media/Movies.

Docker on Linux, Uses the terminal

Put your folders in /srv/media, then save this as compose.yaml in a new folder:

services:
  jellyfin:
    image: jellyfin/jellyfin
    container_name: jellyfin
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8096:8096"
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config
      - ./cache:/cache
      - /srv/media:/media:ro

Start it with docker compose up -d and open http://your-server:8096. Inside Jellyfin your films are in /media/Movies. The :ro means Jellyfin can read your files but never change or delete them.

3. Run the setup wizard

  1. Choose a language and create your admin account.
  2. Choose Add Media Library. Set the content type to Movies and add your Movies folder. Use Shows for the second library and add your Shows folder.
  3. Accept the remaining defaults and finish.

Jellyfin scans the folders in the background. A small library appears within a minute; a big one takes longer the first time.

Make an account for each person in the house under Dashboard, then Users, so everyone keeps their own watch history and place in each show.

4. Watch it on your TV and phone

Search for Jellyfin in the app store on your TV, streaming box or phone. When the app asks for a server, it often finds yours automatically; if not, type the same address you used above, with the server’s address instead of localhost, like http://192.168.1.50:8096 (or port 8097 on ZimaOS). Sign in with your account.

5. Watch away from home

Install Tailscale on the computer running Jellyfin and on your phone. Tailscale gives the server a second address that works from anywhere, and you use that address in the Jellyfin app when you’re out.

Check it worked

Play something on the TV. While it plays, open Dashboard in Jellyfin on a computer: the TV should be listed as an active device, along with what it’s playing.

If it breaks

The library is empty. The folder is almost always the cause. Check the files are really in the folder you added, and that the names follow the pattern in step 1.

A film has the wrong title or no poster. Rename its folder and file to Title (Year). Then open the film in Jellyfin, choose the three-dot menu and Identify.

Playback stutters or keeps buffering. The server is converting the video into a format your device can play, and its processor can’t keep up. In the app’s playback settings, raise the quality to maximum so it plays the original file. For a lasting fix, turn on hardware acceleration using the official page linked beside this guide.

The TV app can’t find the server. Type the address by hand, including http:// and the port number. Check the TV and the server are on the same home network.