Jellyfin File Naming Guide (2026)
Every Jellyfin problem - wrong metadata, missing movies, empty libraries - starts with file naming. Get naming right and everything else works automatically.
Movies
Standard format
/media/movies/
Movie Name (Year)/
Movie Name (Year).mkv
Examples
/media/movies/
The Dark Knight (2008)/
The Dark Knight (2008).mkv
Dune Part Two (2024)/
Dune Part Two (2024).mkv
Rules
- Each movie in its own folder
- Folder and file name must include the year in parentheses
- Remove release group tags, resolution info, and codec info from the filename
- Avoid special characters: colon, question mark, asterisk, less-than, greater-than, pipe
Ambiguous titles - use TMDB ID
The Fly (1986) {tmdb-4511}/
The Fly (1986) {tmdb-4511}.mkv
Multi-Version Movies (4K + 1080p)
The Dark Knight (2008)/
The Dark Knight (2008) - 1080p.mkv
The Dark Knight (2008) - 2160p.mkv
The Dark Knight (2008) - 2160p DV.mkv
Jellyfin with the Merge Versions plugin shows one entry with a version selector.
Movie Extras
The Dark Knight (2008)/
The Dark Knight (2008).mkv
trailers/
Trailer.mkv
featurettes/
Making Of.mkv
behind the scenes/
On Set.mkv
Supported extra folders: trailers, featurettes, behind the scenes, scenes, shorts, interviews, deleted scenes.
TV Shows
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Standard format
/media/tv/
Show Name/
Season 01/
Show Name - S01E01 - Episode Title.mkv
Show Name - S01E02.mkv
Season 02/
Show Name - S02E01.mkv
Rules
- Show folder at the top level
- Season folders: Season 01, Season 02, etc.
- Episode files: Show Name - S##E##.mkv
- Use zero-padded numbers: S01E01 not S1E1
Multi-episode files
Show Name - S01E01-E02.mkv
Specials and OVAs
Show Name/
Season 00/
Show Name - S00E01 - Special Name.mkv
Anime
Without Shoko (TVDB numbering)
/media/anime/
Naruto/
Season 01/
Naruto - S01E001.mkv
Attack on Titan/
Season 01/
Attack on Titan - S01E01.mkv
With Shoko Server
File naming does not matter - Shoko identifies files by hash.
Music
/media/music/
Artist Name/
Album Name (Year)/
01 - Track Title.flac
02 - Track Title.flac
cover.jpg
Audiobooks
/media/audiobooks/
Author Name/
Book Title (Year)/
Book Title.m4b
cover.jpg
M4B is the recommended format - single file with embedded chapters.
Tools for Automatic Renaming
| Tool | Best for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Radarr | Movies | Automatically renames on import |
| Sonarr | TV Shows | Automatically renames on import |
| FileBot | Manual renaming | Batch rename with TMDB/TVDB matching |
Radarr naming format (recommended)
{Movie Title} ({Release Year})/{Movie Title} ({Release Year}) - {Quality Title}
Sonarr naming format (recommended)
{Series Title}/Season {season:00}/{Series Title} - S{season:00}E{episode:00} - {Episode Title}
Quick Reference Table
| Media type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Movie | Name (Year)/Name (Year).mkv | Inception (2010)/Inception (2010).mkv |
| TV Episode | Show/Season XX/Show - SXXEXX.mkv | Breaking Bad/Season 01/Breaking Bad - S01E01.mkv |
| Anime | Same as TV, TVDB numbering | Attack on Titan/Season 01/Attack on Titan - S01E01.mkv |
| Special | Show/Season 00/Show - S00EXX.mkv | Breaking Bad/Season 00/Breaking Bad - S00E01.mkv |
| Music | Artist/Album (Year)/## - Track.flac | Pink Floyd/The Wall (1979)/01 - In the Flesh.flac |
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