Jellyfin guides
How to do it by hand, step by step, for Jellyfin on Windows, a Mac or a NAS. Each guide ends with the one-click way, if you'd rather Reelhost did it.
Watch away from home
- Jellyfin behind CGNAT: remote access on Starlink and 5G home internetPort forwarding does nothing behind carrier-grade NAT. How to tell if you're behind CGNAT, and how to reach Jellyfin anyway: IPv6, Tailscale or a tunnel.
- Jellyfin HTTPS: a free SSL certificate with a reverse proxyPut Jellyfin on HTTPS with Caddy and a free Let's Encrypt certificate: DNS record, ports 80 and 443, Known proxies, and when Jellyfin's own option fits.
- How to access Jellyfin remotely, outside your home networkWatch Jellyfin away from home safely: private access with Tailscale, or a public HTTPS address through a reverse proxy. Why forwarding port 8096 is risky.
Install Jellyfin
- How to install Jellyfin on a MacInstall Jellyfin on a Mac: the right download for Apple silicon or Intel, the Gatekeeper prompt, launch at login, the firewall, sleep and network shares.
- How to install Jellyfin on a Synology NAS with Container ManagerRun Jellyfin on a Synology NAS with Container Manager: a compose project, the right user, config and cache folders, read-only media and Quick Sync.
- How to install Jellyfin on TrueNAS SCALEInstall the Jellyfin app on TrueNAS SCALE (Community Edition): datasets for config, cache and media, the apps user 568, GPU passthrough and the web port.
- How to install Jellyfin on UnraidInstall Jellyfin on Unraid from Community Applications: which template, appdata and media paths, PUID 99 and PGID 100, and Intel or NVIDIA graphics.
- How to install Jellyfin on Windows 10 and 11Install Jellyfin on Windows step by step: the installer, service or not, the setup wizard, the firewall, sleep and network drives, and faster video.
Leaving Plex or Emby
- Emby vs Jellyfin: which media server should you run?Emby and Jellyfin share a past. How they differ today: license, Emby Premiere prices, hardware transcoding, live TV, apps and plugins, compared fairly.
- How to run Jellyfin and Emby on the same computerJellyfin and Emby clash on one PC: the same port, discovery, DLNA and artwork files. Four changes on Jellyfin's side let both run without touching Emby.
- A Plex alternative without a subscriptionJellyfin, Emby, Kodi and Infuse compared for people who want off Plex Pass: what each costs, what you give up, and how to watch away from home for free.
- Plex Pass vs Jellyfin: what each really costs over 1, 3 and 5 yearsPlex Pass, the Remote Watch Pass and Jellyfin added up over one, three and five years, with the costs people forget: a domain name and your own time.
- Migrate from Plex to Jellyfin and keep your watch historyMove from Plex to Jellyfin without starting over: same folders, read-only so Plex keeps working, users, and three ways to bring watched history across.
Make it better
- Jellyfin not showing on your TV: fixing DLNASince Jellyfin 10.9, DLNA is a plugin. Install it, allow UDP 1900, keep the TV on the same network, avoid Emby or Plex clashes. Or use a Jellyfin TV app.
- Jellyfin hardware acceleration: Quick Sync, NVENC, AMF, VideoToolboxTurn on Jellyfin hardware acceleration with Intel Quick Sync, NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF or VideoToolbox, pass the GPU into Docker, and check it works.
- Jellyfin live TV with HDHomeRunAdd an HDHomeRun to Jellyfin live TV, pick guide data, map channels, set the recording folder and padding, record series and handle commercials.
- Jellyfin subtitles out of sync: why it happens and how to fix itWhy Jellyfin subtitles run early or late, the quick offset fix in the player, and fixing the file for good with ffsubsync, alass or Subtitle Edit.
- Jellyfin themes and custom CSSWhere Jellyfin's Custom CSS box is, how one @import line adds a community theme, which apps it reaches, the risks, and how to undo it.
- Jellyfin watch party with SyncPlay: set it up and stay in syncHost a Jellyfin watch party with SyncPlay: give people access, create and join a group, bring in friends outside your home, and keep everyone in step.
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