How to Install Kodi on Raspbian [Ultimate Guide for 2024 ]

Kodi is one of the best media-players available in the market today. So, it’s no surprise that you might want to install it on your Raspberry Pi. The process to do so is easy, and there are two methods you can try. Keep reading to find out more.

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How Do You Install Kodi on Raspberry Pi?

Installing Kodi on this device is easy and doesn’t require much work on your part. You can do this through the Raspbian Terminal, or Imager – you will need a few tools for this to work, however. Downloading the software through the Raspbian Terminal would be the faster option.

What Tools Would You Need?

As mentioned, there are some tools you should have under your belt. Some are optional while others are required:

What you need:

A case with adequate ventilation
A cable that can take HDMI with audio from the Raspberry Pi to your screen
Keyboard and mouse (any model would work)
Power supply that will provide 5 volts at 2 amps, either through a Micro-USB or USB-C port.

Optional:

New Raspberry Pi version (an older one will work if you can’t get a new one)
New MicroSD card – Class 10 or higher (an older one can work if you can’t get a new one)

If you don’t want to look for each item on our list, you can buy a Raspberry Pi kit. All the items mentioned will come with it.

How to install Kodi using the Raspberry Pi Imager

Before we get started, keep in mind that installing Kodi through this method will make it your main interface.

Here’s what you do if you’re still interested:

Go to the Raspberry Pi Imager website
Download the tool onto your computer
Launch it
Insert your Raspberry Pi microSD card into your desktop
Go to the Operating System menu
Click on Choose OS > Media Player – Kodi OS from the pop-up list
Tap LibraELEC
Choose the correct LibraELEC version depending on your Raspbian version
Go to Storage
Click Choose Storage
Select your microSD card
Tap Write, and click OK to confirm (remember that all the data on your SD card will be wiped)
Select Continue

Insert the MicroSD card back into your Raspberry Pi once you’re done. You will see a special screen where partitions would be created, before Kodi would be botted via LibraELEC.

The LibeELEC wizard should let you set up the media player now. Once you finish providing your location, time zone, home network, and more, follow the on-screen instructions to finish up the process.

How to Install Kodi Using Terminal?

This method would be faster than the above one. Also, Kodi would not be downloaded as the main interface, but as a standalone app.

Here’s what you need to do:

Switch on your Raspberry Pi
Open a terminal window on your PC
Enter “Sudo APT Install Kodi”
Your internet connection will affect how long the process will take. In general, it should take less than a minute
Go to the Menu bar, under Sound & Video to find the Kodi app

How Do You Use Kodi After It’s Installed?

Once installed, how do you open and use the Media Player?

There are two different ways to do this.

Method 1: Raspberry Pi Desktop Interface

Click the raspberry icon and open the Start button (on the top-left hand)
Hover over Sound & Video
Click on Kodi

It should automatically open afterwards.

Method 2: Raspbian Terminal

Do the following:

Switch on your Raspberry Pi
Enter the following command – “kodi-standalone”

The app will begin to start up.

Enter the “kodi-standalone &” command instead of the above-mentioned, if you don’t want to lose your current session.

With either method, there might be an issue with your HDMI cable if the app doesn’t open.

Can a Raspberry Pi Zero run Kodi?

Raspberry Pi Zero is an older device, however many users happen to own it. As discussed, you can still use the media player on an older Raspberry version, but you would get a better experience if you run it on a newer one. There would be a more powerful processor and RAM.

Installing Kodi on Raspberry Pi

Installing Kodi on the device can be done either through the Raspbian Terminal, or Imager. Using the first one would get the job done faster. Just remember that you will need to have a couple of tools, and meet all the system requirements first.

If you’re going to install the Media player through the Raspberry Terminal, keep in mind that you will be making it your main interface. The app would be a standalone, which you can open whenever you want if you go the other route.

Hopefully, you found everything discussed useful. Follow these tips if you want to successfully install Kodi on Rasbian.