How to Fix Kodi Thumbnails Not Showing? Complete Guide

Kevin Wood Updated on
kodi thumbnails not showing

You’re trying to figure out the possible reasons behind Kodi thumbnails not showing.

Is it that your Kodi is acting upon you or you are yet to activate this feature? Read on to understand why this issue occurs and how to resolve it.

Kodi generates thumbnails when it discovers movie files.

There are two ways Kodi does this: capturing a frame from a video source or downloading an image from a website that provides info on the episode/movie (e.g., IMDB).

To fix Kodi thumbnails that are not showing, go to settings, select “Video” then toggle on “Extract thumbnails from video files.”

Reasons For Kodi Thumbnails Not Showing

There are three common reasons why a Kodi thumbnail may not show:

  • The artwork downloader add-on has not been properly configured
  • Adding a title that doesn’t have a poster on Kodi
  • Settings for video to extract thumbnails from video files have not been selected

How to Fix Kodi Thumbnails Not Showing Issue

fix kodi thumbnails not showing

One of the following solutions can fix your issue:

Solution #1: Change the Settings

The first thing you should try is changing your app’s settings. Change settings in the library by doing the following:

  1. Go to Library
  2. Videos
  3. Select “Extract thumbnails from video files”

Check if Kodi thumbnails are now showing and if not proceed to the next solution.

Solution #2: Manually Add Individual Titles

If Kodi doesn’t scrape, you’ll have to manually generate an NFO file in the Movie folder with all the necessary information.

To create an NFO file follow these steps:

  1. On your keyboard, Hold down the windows key then press R
  2. Open the Run window, type MSINFO32 and then click OK.
  3. In the system window click File then Save
  4. Choose a folder where you would like to save to then enter the file name
  5. Click save

The scraper will then use the NFO information and the artwork files instead of searching the internet when updating the library.

A simple text editor, such as Notepad in Windows or the equivalent in other operating systems, can also be used to create NFO files.

There are also specific code editors available. They won’t give you the Kodi tags you need, but they’ll save you from having problems saving the NFO file, which is a common problem with text editors.

Note: Scraping refers to the process of downloading and matching metadata and artwork

Solution #3: Refresh Kodi Library

refresh kodi library

The reason why thumbnails are not showing could be that your library is not updated.

You can update your library using three different methods:

Method #1: Using the Library Auto Update Add-On

You can set up your system to automatically update the Kodi library using this add-on.

First, you have to install the auto-update add-on by following these steps:

  1. Go to Kodi Homescreen
  2. Click Add-on
  3. Click the icon that resembles an open box
  4. Click Install from repository
  5. Find Kodi Add-on repository
  6. Go to program add-ons
  7. Scroll to Library Auto update and click it
  8. Click Install on the next window
  9. Wait for installation to be completed.

After installation is complete, customize your add-on to your preference.

To set up this add-on:

  1. Go to Kodi Homescreen
  2. Select add-ons
  3. Select program add-ons
  4. Locate Library auto update, right click it and go to settings
  5. Make your desired changes.
It’s a good idea to “disable the show notifications for updates” in settings to run in the background to avoid interruptions while enjoying your shows.

Also, select the “amount of time between updates(hours).” The default setting is 4, you can adjust it to your preference or leave it that way.

Method #2: Manually Update Your Library

This option lets you only update your library when the need arises. This method is ideal for people who rarely add content to their libraries.

Manually updating your library is pretty simple:

  1. Go to Homepage
  2. Click settings icon
  3. Find and select media settings
  4. Select Library
  5. Under media settings, check for updating the library on start up.
  6. Toggle “On” this option for your movies and music library.
These settings enable Kodi to automatically update the library every time you switch on your device.

Method #3: Using Watchdog

Watchdog is an add-on that scans all folders in search of new content. When it finds new files or folders, it automatically adds them to your library.

This method is ideal for people with large libraries that are frequently updated.

This is how you install watchdog:

  1. On the Kodi home screen, click add-on
  2. Click the icon that resembles an open box.
  3. Click install from repository
  4. Find Kodi add-on repository
  5. Click services
  6. Find watchdog at the bottom of the screen
  7. Access the info panel then click install
  8. Be patient as you wait for installation process to complete

After successful installation, the watchdog add-on will be on standby to add new files to your library from your source folder.

Note: The watchdog add-on uses a lot of system resources thereby making it unsuitable for low-spaced devices.

Solution #4: Run Artwork Downloader

download art

The artwork downloader add-on downloads all available artwork for movies, Tv shows, and music videos in your library. It then pairs the artwork with relevant content.

Artwork gets its content from sites like Fanart TV and MovideDB. Find and install this add-on from the add-on browser in Kodi.

Follow these steps to download artwork downloader:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Select Add-ons
  3. Select install from repository.
  4. Pick program add-ons
  5. Choose Artwork downloader
  6. Then install
The add-on will search for any relevant artwork and download it to your library.

Solution #5: Play the Video

In some instances, playing a movie or series prompts Kodi to generate missing thumbnails.

To play a series on Kodi:

  1. Go to Tv show
  2. Select “show” then pick one movie, series or music among your list of shows.
  3. Play the show for at least 10 seconds.
  4. Stop the video.

Check if thumbnails have returned.

Solution #6: Clean Your Kodi Library

clean kodi library

A large media library can make Kodi misbehave. As a way of eliminating this as the possible cause, you should clean your library. This process does not require you to download any programs or add-ons.

To clean your library:

  1. Go to Kodi settings
  2. Select media settings
  3. Go to library tab and select clean library
  4. In the subsequent window, select Yes
Note: In order to clean your library, ensure the level of your settings is set to “Expert”

To fix Kodi thumbnails that are not showing, check if all files and folders have been properly named for accurate matching with scraper sites.

Read Next: Can you Have More than One Build on Kodi?

Conclusion

Is your query on Kodi thumbnails not showing now answered? The solution lies in this article.

Follow the steps above to resolve this issue and locate your movies and TV shows with ease.

Thumbnails make your library look attractive and more organized. Find a way of bringing them back.