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Jellyfin Naming Convention: How to Name Movies and TV Files

By MetaTana

Jellyfin identifies media from folder and file names, then enriches it from providers and any local NFO files. Its rules are close to other media servers but differ in two important ways: the bracket syntax for provider IDs, and a strict prefix rule for file names. Get those right and your library scans cleanly.

Separate your libraries

Give each library type its own root folder:

Media/
  Movies/
  Shows/

Add them as separate libraries in Jellyfin with the correct content type. Mixing movies and shows under one root is a common source of bad matches.

Movies

One movie per folder, with the year in parentheses:

Movies/
  Interstellar (2014)/
    Interstellar (2014).mkv

The prefix rule (Jellyfin-specific)

This trips people up. Each file name must begin exactly with its parent folder name — including the year and any provider ID tags — before you add anything else, matching character for character. So for multiple versions:

Movies/
  Interstellar (2014)/
    Interstellar (2014) - Bluray.mkv
    Interstellar (2014) - Remux.mkv

If the prefix does not match the folder exactly, Jellyfin may treat the files as separate items instead of versions of one movie.

TV shows

Series folder, season folders, then episodes:

Shows/
  The Office (2005)/
    Season 01/
      The Office (2005) - S01E01 - Pilot.mkv
  • Zero-pad numbers — S01E01, not S1E1.
  • Specials go in Season 00.
  • Keep the series year to separate reboots from originals.

Provider ID tags — square brackets, not curly

This is the biggest syntax difference from Plex. Jellyfin uses square brackets with an id suffix on the provider name:

Movies/
  Interstellar (2014) [imdbid-tt0816692]/
    Interstellar (2014) [imdbid-tt0816692].mkv

Supported identifiers include [imdbid-tt0816692], [tmdbid-157336], and [tvdbid-123456]. You can specify more than one:

Shows/
  Series Title (2018) [tmdbid-65567] [imdbid-tt1234567]/

Note the difference: Plex uses {imdb-tt0816692}, Jellyfin uses [imdbid-tt0816692]. The provider key and the brackets both change. Copying a Plex-named library straight into Jellyfin will not carry the ID hints across.

NFO files work natively

Jellyfin reads local NFO metadata and local images without extra configuration, which makes sidecars the most portable way to control your library. If you want your metadata to survive a server change, put it on disk in NFO rather than only in the server database. See how to edit NFO files safely.

Common mistakes

  • No year in folder names.
  • Prefix mismatch between file name and parent folder — the Jellyfin-specific one.
  • Plex-style curly braces for provider IDs, which Jellyfin does not read.
  • Mixed content in a single library root.
  • Specials outside Season 00.

Applying this to an existing library

Renaming thousands of files by hand is how libraries get broken — artwork and subtitles get orphaned and there is no undo. Preview changes first, move sidecars with their media, and keep a rollback journal.

MetaTana proposes a clean, Jellyfin-friendly layout, shows the diff before writing, keeps sidecars with each title, writes NFO and artwork Jellyfin reads natively, and journals every write so any pass can be rolled back. It does not modify your media files.

After renaming

Run a library scan. If some titles still match wrong, see how to fix wrong metadata in Jellyfin or the Jellyfin metadata manager overview. On Plex as well? There is a Plex naming guide.