One of the best features of the Kodi media centre is the ability to install addons. There are thousands of add-ons available on the internet that expand the already fantastic functionality of Kodi. There are add-ons for catch-up TV, live streaming, Facebook, YouTube and news. There are even movie addons for Kodi! The list is endless and growing by the day. An addon can be deployed in minutes and this guide will show you how. The first thing you will need to do is find the add-on you want to install and ensure that it is fully compatible with your version of Kodi. Addons are available to download as zip files onto your computer or via online repositories. Kodi has a number of pre-set repositories with a large number of addons available or a simple Google search will bring up thousands of ready to download addons or online repository URLS.
How to Install Addons with Kodi
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1. If you have downloaded an addon locally to your computer you can skip to section 3. Kodi has its own set of addon repositories but there are many online that are not affiliated with the main application. If you want to install a Kodi addon from an internet repository first you will need to add it as a source within Kodi. To do this go to “Settings” and press down. Select “File Manager”. Select “Add Source”. The screenshot below shows the menu that follows. I am using a custom skin on my version of Kodi so it looks different to a fresh install but the menus are the same.
2. Now, enter the URL for the repository you want to add and click “Done”. Next it will ask you to provide a name for the repository. This can be anything of your choosing.
3. To install an Addon select “Settings” on the main menu and choose “Add-ons” shown in the image below:
4. You will now be presented with a number of install options. Please note that on a fresh Kodi install the “Install from repository” option will take you to the official Kodi repositories (and a few others). To deploy your add-on either from a zip file on your computer or from a repository you have just added in section 1 select “Install from zip file”.
5. Next, navigate to the location of your zip file and select it. This can be on a local drive or any repositories you added in section 1 will be available here. As soon as you click OK the add-on will begin to install and you will see notifications at the top right of your screen letting you know when it is complete.
To launch an add-on after installation simply navigate to either “Video” or “Programs” on the main menu (depending on the type of add-on you installed) and push down. Select either “Video add-ons” or “Program add-ons”. You should now see your add-on listed available to launch.
The majority of Kodi add-ons are self updating when you have an internet connection. When Kodi is launched any updates to add-ons will flash up as notifications at the top right of your screen.
And that’s all there is to it. How to install Kodi addons on a Fire TV stick and Android devices will be covered in a separate post. The process is the same but the there are a few additional considerations. Visit the Kodi forums now to find out what new add-ons are available.