Kodi Troubleshooting Tips for Buffering, Crashing, and More

Kodi Troubleshooting Tips for Buffering, Crashing, and More

Kodi is the best all in one open-source media player and entertainment hub out there. With a 10-foot user interface allowing it to be used seamlessly on your Smart TV and an easy to use Graphical user Interface (GUI) Kodi offers thousands of add ons and builds mean you can access an unlimited number of Live TV streams, tv shows, films, and anything else you can think of.

Going since 2003, Kodi has had 500 developers contribute to its development, and has 60 regular developers.

But with so many add ons, options and configurations you are bound to come across problems. Here we show you how to troubleshoot the most common problems you’ll come across with Kodi.

Always Use a VPN with Kodi

Kodi is free and legal open source software, but if you want to use some of their most popular addons you will find many don’t work without a VPN.

These add ons give you access to a lot of content that is in breach of their copyright and distribution terms.

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) works actively with large media companies to block any links which work back to distributors of questionable content.

A VPN works by creating an encrypted connection between your device and its server. This helps to obscure or change your IP as well as hide the destination as well as the contents of your data.

Your ISP is then unable to block a connection or see through the encryption.

So, before you do anything else, make sure you have downloaded and started a VPN on the device you are using Kodi with.

We recommend Surfshark.

 

 

How to Install Surfshark VPN on Firestick

If your Firestick still has the older interface, read this article to learn how to update it: Update Firestick Interface.

You can download Surfshark directly from the Amazon App store. It will be easy for you to find Surfshark with your Firestick’s Find feature. Refer to our screenshots below.

1. Go to the Home screen of your Firestick.

 

2. Navigate towards the Find tab. Press the Search button from the resulting dropdown.

 

3. Type in the keyword of SurfShark and select from the suggestions that will appear.

 

4. Click the official SurfShark icon from your search results.

 

5. Press the Download (You own it) button.

 

6. The SurfShark VPN installer will download on your device.

 

7. SurfShark VPN’s app will automatically install itself on your Fire TV stick.

 

8. Press the Open button after completing SurfShark VPN’s installation process.

 

9. Please wait for the SurfShark VPN to load its user interface.

 

10. You can now log in with your SurfShark VPN account credentials.

Learn more about Surfshark and Grab the Best Surfshark Deal Now!

 

Install Surfshark on Firestick

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Common Kodi Problems

The following list gives solutions to the main troubleshooting problems for Kodi and detailed fixes. 

But always remember that Google is your friend.

Most questions can be answered by first reading through the Kodi first time user guide on their Wiki page.

If that doesn’t work, simply type your problem into Google and you are almost certain to find someone who has had the same problem and comes up with a solution.

Still, stuck? Then consider filing an official bug report on their Git Hub page, you can find the procedure for logging bugs here and also see if it is an issue other users are having.

Make sure that you follow the instructions outlined and have done everything you can to check the problem yourself. Also, remember that developers aren’t on standby to fix issues within the hour so be prepared to wait a few days!

 

Kodi Won’t Start

Kodi is stable, so the chances are if Kodi won’t start you have 2 possible solutions

• Make Sure You Have The Latest Version of Kodi Installed

The XMBC team is constantly updating the software and releasing patches and bug fixes. Always make sure you download it from the official website.

Also, that you have downloaded the right version for your operating system. The same goes for running automatic updates for Kodi

 

• Download The Latest C++ Distributable Version

If you are using a new Windows 10 PC to run Kodi there is a small chance that it doesn’t have the latest version of Visual C++ Distributable which you can find on Microsoft’s official website here: 

Kodi will normally ask to download any missing dependencies or software that it needs when first installed

 

Kodi Keeps Crashing

Once you’ve got Kodi up and running. If it keeps crashing, pausing for long periods of time, or just freezing up altogether even when you restart the device then the problem could lie with the hardware itself.

This could also be down to a fault addon or dependency you installed from an untrusted source. There are 3 solutions with the third only to be used if all else fails

 

• Clear cache

Kodi can stream video seamlessly by caching (storing it on the RAM or short-term memory) Problem is if your device has little storage then the cache can quickly fill up. If you find your video starts to get jumpy, keeps freezing or a warning pops up telling you about a shortage of RAM then it’s time to clear the cache.

 

Android Boxes/ Amazon Fire Series/ Nvidia Shield TV

On Android devices, you can do this through your devices. 

Go to

Apps > Kodi > Click on “Clear Cache”

Windows/Mac/Linux

On non-Android devices, you will need to install an addon.

Kodi doesn’t have this inbuilt feature, so install Indigo Add on, searching the add on a name within the Kodi search bar. 

Then go to

Maintenance Tools > Clear Cache.

Once done restart Kodi

 

• Disable Hardware Acceleration

If the device that you are using has an average or basic graphics card, then it may be working overtime to give you video in the highest quality. This perpetually causes the device to freeze.

You can do this from the Kodi home screen, by clicking the gear icon in the settings menu.

Go to Player Settings>Gear Icon (Click 3 times to turn from Basic to Expert> Video> Allow Hardware acceleration – DXVA2 > Click Disable

 

• Install Again

If all else fails and Kodi keeps crashing or freezing, then chances are you have installed something which is messing with the software. You can either use Indigo Tools Restore option in the maintenance tab to revert to factory settings. Or you can uninstall Kodi and reinstall it from the official Kodi website

 

Kodi Failed to Install a Dependency

This is a pretty common error with Kodi. You generally get this when you are installing an add on. Add ons are an accumulation of programs and if one is missing the whole addon won’t work.

Sometimes add ons are poorly made, but if it’s recognized and highly rated then you should try and walk through each one of these 3 solutions to get rid of the error:

 

• Clear Cache

Kodi can stream video seamlessly by caching (storing it on the RAM or short-term memory) Problem is if your device has little storage then the cache can quickly fill up. If you find your video starts to get jumpy, keeps freezing or a warning pops up telling you about a shortage of RAM then it’s time to clear the cache.

Android Boxes/ Amazon Fire Series/ Nvidia Shield TV

On Android devices, you can do this through your devices. 

Go to

Apps > Kodi > Click on “Clear Cache”

Windows/Mac/Linux

On non-Android devices, you will need to install an addon.

Kodi doesn’t have this inbuilt feature, so install Indigo Add on, searching the add on a name within the Kodi search bar. 

Then go to

Maintenance Tools > Clear Cache.

Once done restart Kodi

• Install the Dependencies Manually

There are a number of important dependencies that are required for most add ons, luckily you can simply go to http://fusion.tvaddons.co/ and install them manually using the following steps

From the Kodi Home Screen:

Click Gear Icon> File Manager> Add Source> Input the URL: http://fusion.tvaddons.co/ >Name the source TV Addons and click OK

You then need to press backspace and go back to Kodi’s home screen:

Click Addons> Open Package icon (top left corner) > Next > Install from Zip File

Then,

Open Tv Addons > Open the Kodi Scripts folder> Click on all the Zip files to allow them to install

You will now have all the important dependencies installed on Kodi and your Add On should now run

• Rebuild the Database

This is not as complicated as it sounds but is better suited for new users, rather than those who already have many add ons installed. Deleting dependencies will also delete the related add ons.

Restart Kodi with Admin privileges > Click Gear Icon on Home Screen > File Manager > Profile Directory > Database > Right click on the file called “Addon27.db” and click delete

Now try and reinstall your addon.

Kodi Add On Not Working

Firstly, always make sure your VPN is connected before starting Kodi. Many add ons which are not endorsed by Kodi won’t work without an encrypted and anonymized connection.

If that still doesn’t work, then try the following from the home screen:

Go to Add ons section > Video Add ons > Find the add on that’s not working > Right-click and click Information > Click update

If the Add on can’t be updated, then it’s worth Googling to see if the addon is down or having issues. Add ons do have a habit of having their servers blocked or taken down intermittently, once you get used to Kodi you’ll get used to some add ons being more temperamental than others.

Kodi won’t connect you to a source

Sometimes you click on a link to a stream and it just doesn’t play and you get a black screen, there are 3 reasons, not all of which can be fixed:

• Restart Wi-Fi

Check your internet connection and restart your Wi-Fi also see if you can access the internet on another device to check your ISP isn’t having connectivity issues. Always worth restarting your router and then restart Kodi just to check.

• Use a VPN

Some content uses GeoIP tracking. This means that if you aren’t in the right country it will block access. Google the addon and country and then use your VPN to reconnect to a server-based in that country. Restart Kodi and try again.

• Deadlink / Addon Isn’t Working

One of the biggest problems with add ons is sometimes they just stop working. You can always check online to see if other users are having the same problem. Also, if an add on is scraping sites and links, many will stop working overtime. Try a different link or add on if you keep having issues with the same add on.

Kodi Won’t Let Me Watch My Video in 4K or HD

Ultra-high-quality media is only as good as the device playing it. Some devices like the basic Fire Stick may either buffer high-quality videos slowly or not play them at all. Always check first if your device is compatible. If it is, then it might be worth downloading a 4K add on like Nole Cinema, Scrubs v2, Exodux Redux, or Release BB

Kodi Buffering Issues

Another pretty common issue is that your video will play but keep buffering and be quite slow. There are several different fixes to work through for this:

• Clear cache

Kodi can stream video seamlessly by caching (storing it on the RAM or short-term memory) Problem is if your device has little storage then the cache can quickly fill up. If you find your video starts to get jumpy, keeps freezing or a warning pops up telling you about a shortage of RAM then it’s time to clear the cache.

Android Boxes/ Amazon Fire Series/ Nvidia Shield TV

On Android devices, you can do this through your devices. 

Go to Apps > Kodi > Click on “Clear Cache”

Windows/Mac/Linux

On non-Android devices, you will need to install an addon.

Kodi doesn’t have this inbuilt feature, so install Indigo Add on, searching the add on a name within the Kodi search bar. 

Then go to Maintenance Tools > Clear Cache.

Once done restart Kodi

• Update Kodi and the Add ons

Check you have the latest version of Kodi, if yes then make sure the add on you are using is running the latest version:

Go to Add ons section > Video Add ons > Find the add on that’s not working > Right-click and click Information > Click update

• Check AutoPlay

Some Add ons will automatically play the first link, which may be dead or be low speed, hence the constant buffering. 

So, try to find a working link by clicking on the menu and going to a list of links. Try a few and see if you still get the same problem

• Uninstall non-working Add ons

As we’ve covered before finding a working Add on can sometimes get frustrating. If you consistently get buffering on all the videos in that addon it might be time to move on and find a replacement

• Check Your Internet Speed

Some ISP throttles their internet speeds, this is likely to happen if you consistently stream and use lots of bandwidth without a VPN. Run https://www.speedtest.net/ and see what kind of speeds you are getting. 

A normal video can play seamlessly at 3MBps, HD at 5MBps, and Ultra HD at 25Mbps.