Add-ons and external repositories are essential for getting the most out of Kodi. The media player has everything you need built in to the add-on management interface, making it very simple to enable external repositories.
In this tutorial you will learn:
- How to Add an External File Source
- How to Install a Repository From a Zip
Software Requirements and Conventions Used
| Category | Requirements, Conventions or Software Version Used |
|---|---|
| System | Any Linux Distribution with Kodi |
| Software | Kodi |
| Other | Privileged access to your Linux system as root or via the sudo command. |
| Conventions |
# – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command$ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user |
How to Add an External File Source
Before you start, find the location of your repository. For any external Kodi repository, there will be a URL for a file server that contains ZIP files. Find that URL, and copy it.
Now, open up Kodi. Click the gear icon just above the main menu to the left of the screen. Next, choose System from the settings screen grid.
On the system settings screen, choose the Add-ons tab from the left. Then, find the switch for Unknown sources, and flip it on. Kodi will warn you that this can be potentially dangerous. Agree and continue.
Back out to the main settings page. This time, choose File manager.
You’ll arrive on a screen that lists out your current file sources. At the bottom of either list, press Add source.
A new window will open up for you to add a new source. Click on
The window will close, leaving you back on the sources list. There, you should see the name that you assigned to your new source listed along with the others. Back out to the Kodi home screen.
How to Install a Repository From a Zip
Choose the Add-ons tab from the main menu to the left of the Kodi home page. At the top of the add-ons page, there’s an icon that looks like an open box. Click it.
Next, choose Install from zip file.
A box will pop up listing out all of your file sources. Choose the one that you just set up with the URL to your repository’s file server.
Browse through the file server to locate the ZIP file that contains the repository that you want to add. Every repository is different, but the archive file will usually have “repository” somewhere in the name.
When you select a ZIP, Kodi will show you any dependencies. Confirm, and the install will begin. Once it’s done, you’ll be prompted that the repository is available. Now, you can install add-ons from the new repository like you would ones from the regular Kodi repository.
Conclusion
You can add as many repositories as you like to Kodi. Just be careful. That warning you received when enabling unknown sources is true. You can seriously mess up your system with the wrong add-ons. Always install from trusted sources.
