Linux FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions for Kodi running under Linux-based operating systems.

General FAQ

 * See also: All platforms FAQ for FAQs that apply to all versions of Kodi.

Supported Linux distributions

 * Team Kodi provides precompiled binaries for Ubuntu from the Team Kodi PPA. In the future there will also be precompiled binaries for Debian and Steam OS.
 * Team Kodi recognizes OpenELEC versions of Kodi as "pretty damn awesome".
 * Generally speaking, as long as Kodi is compiled per recommended guidelines (see HOW-TO:Compile Kodi for Linux), those builds are considered "kosher".
 * Kodi builds that use external ffmpeg/libav are not supported and are strongly discouraged.

Supported hardware
For x86 hardware:



How to install or update Kodi for Linux
For an easy to use fresh installation of both Kodi and OS you can use Kodibuntu. Kodibuntu can be installed from a DVD or USB thumb drive.


 * Ubuntu:


 * For other supported distros, see HOW-TO:Install Kodi for Linux

Kodi for Linux version

 * The current stable version of Kodi for Linux is . This is the same code that all of the other platforms (Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, etc) are using.

What version/nightly build/beta of Kodi am I running?

 * Kodi main menu > System > Lower submenu > System info. Note the build date.

Programs and tools to help with Kodi

 * For a list of programs and tools to help with Kodi, such as renaming files, managing media, file sharing, and more, see Supplemental tools/Linux

What are the differences between Ubuntu + Kodi, Kodibuntu, and OpenELEC?

 * Ubuntu + Kodi: This setup will give you the full Unity desktop environment that has enough software installed to be a general computing solution.
 * Kodibuntu: Comes ready to boot straight into an Kodi session, but still gives you full access to Ubuntu's vast software repositories. The default desk top is LXDE and not much software is installed.
 * OpenELEC: An appliance distribution. Getting software other than what is provided in the basic distribution will be a little difficult, but not impossible.

Getting more help with Kodi for Linux

 * Kodi for Linux specific help forum
 * #Kodi IRC chat channel on irc.freenode.org.

Audio issues

 * For most audio issues, including configuration examples, see Audio and Audio troubleshooting.

Video tearing on Nvidia GPUs

 * When Kodi is used with Nvidia hardware, tearing will occur when the X composite extension is used.


 * Solution 1: Enable "Unredirect Fullscreen Window" in Compiz Config Settings Manager.
 * Install CCSM (Compiz Config Settings Manager):
 * Open Compiz Config Settings Manager
 * Check the option "Unredirect Fullscreen Window", which should be under the "Composite" section.


 * Solution 2: Disable the composite extension.
 * 1. Add this to the end of /etc/X11/xorg.conf: (make a new file if xorg.conf doesn't exist)

Section "Extensions" Option "Composite" "Disable" EndSection
 * 2. Then log in with a gnome classic session (without the composite extension compiz doesn't work).
 * 3. Also make sure to set Vertical blank sync to Always enabled in Kodi.


 * Solution 3: Disable the use of the SDL backing store - this is a bug in Ubuntu which will probably be fixed in due time but could cause tearing right now: http://askubuntu.com/questions/450593/how-do-i-eliminate-screen-tearing-on-14-04-and-xbmc-with-nvidia-331/450673#450673

Why can't I update Kodi on Ubuntu 13.04, 13.10, or other release?

 * The precompiled binaries from the Team Kodi PPA only work with Ubuntu releases that are still getting support. When Ubuntu drops support for a version then our PPA stops making a binary for it. Simply update Ubuntu itself and then Kodi updates should work again. If you don't want to update Ubuntu that often then we recommend using a long term support (LTS) version of Ubuntu, such as 14.04, which will be supported until 2019.