Jellyfin
Free and open-source media system for managing and streaming your personal media collection to any device.
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Self-hosted free media server – a fully open-source alternative to Plex and Emby with no paid features.
Core Features
- 100% free with no premium tiers or hidden costs
- Self-hosted for full privacy and data control
- Cross-platform server (Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker)
- Wide client support (web, mobile, TV, game consoles)
- Automatic metadata fetching and subtitle management
What It Can't Do
- •FFmpeg must be installed separately for transcoding. Hardware acceleration requires extra drivers (Intel QSV, NVIDIA NVENC). By default works best on local network; remote access needs reverse proxy or VPN. FreeBSD is not supported.
Use Cases
- Home media center for streaming movies, TV shows, and music to all family devices
- Private cloud for photos and music, accessible from anywhere
- Media sharing platform for small teams or organizations
Detailed Introduction
Jellyfin is a free software media system that gives you complete control over your media library. It lets you host your own movies, TV shows, music, photos, and more on a dedicated server, then stream them to any device via apps or web browsers. Unlike commercial alternatives like Plex or Emby, Jellyfin has no premium licenses, no hidden fees, and no feature limitations – everything is free forever. Built on .NET, it runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Docker. The project is community-driven with active development and a wide range of plugins for extra functionality like parental controls, metadata fetching, and hardware transcoding. It supports users, libraries, and sharing with family or friends.
Troubleshooting & FAQ (2)
TroubleshootingWhy does Jellyfin fail to remove episodes when the parent folder is missing?
This is a known bug where the library scan cannot mark episodes as missing if the parent folder has been deleted. The issue (duplicate of #16628) has been fixed in Jellyfin version 12.0. Upgrading to version 12.0 or later resolves the problem.
TroubleshootingWhy does the Jellyfin transcode folder fill up and cause stream cutoff when using a RAM disk?
Jellyfin's automatic cleanup of transcode segments relies on client websocket events, which are not guaranteed. This often leaves files in the transcode directory until daily prune, filling limited RAM disks quickly. Use a cleanup script like Jellyfin-Transcodes-cleanup (https://github.com/RTUnit/Jellyfin-Transcodes-cleanup). A pre‑adapted version for latest Jellyfin (10.11.x) is available via the linuxserver/jellyfin Docker image. This deletes played segments immediately, limiting RAM usage to ~1 GB. Alternatively, do not place transcode directory on space‑constrained storage.
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Getting Started
Download installer
Click the button above to download the installer for your system
Install the software
Double-click the downloaded installer and follow the prompts
Step 1: Download installer or Docker image from jellyfin.org/downloads for your platform
Step 2: Install and run the server. First launch will guide you through admin setup and library paths
Step 3: Add your media folders, wait for scan, then start watching on any client
- Step 1: Download installer or Docker image from jellyfin.org/downloads for your platform
- Step 2: Install and run the server. First launch will guide you through admin setup and library paths
- Step 3: Add your media folders, wait for scan, then start watching on any client
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Open Source Transparency
View GitHub SourceUninstall Info
Standard uninstall: Windows via Control Panel, macOS drag to Trash, Linux via package manager, Docker remove container and volume. Make sure to back up /config before removal.
No Extra Dependencies
Ready to use after download. No additional runtime required.
Having issues? Check the FAQ below
2 FAQs
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