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Consolidate Movie Collections in Kodi with Movie Sets

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Kodi groups related films as Movie Sets. To create one, first add and scrape the films into Kodi’s movie library, then use Movies → Context Menu → Manage → Manage movie set. You do not need to move the video files into a special folder: a Movie Set is library metadata, not a filesystem folder. Kodi’s Movie Sets documentation explains the feature and its editor.

What a Movie Set does—and what it doesn’t

A Movie Set puts related films under one entry in Kodi’s movie library, with the member films inside it. It works well for a franchise or series such as The Lord of the Rings, The Godfather or Mission: Impossible. You can also make a custom collection, such as “Christmas Movies.”

A set does not combine, rename or relocate files. Nor is a folder named “Movie Collection” enough to create one: Kodi needs the movies in its library and a collection relationship supplied by a scraper, entered in Kodi, or defined through local metadata. A standard Movie Set gives each movie one set membership at a time. For overlapping categories, use tags or playlists instead.

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Before you start

  • Add the films to Kodi’s movie library. They must be identified and scraped successfully. The Movie Set Editor is a library feature, not an editor for items viewed under Videos → Files. See Kodi’s video-library setup guide if a film is not in the library yet.
  • Check whether sets are shown. Open Settings → Media → Videos and look for the movie-library option to show Movie Sets. Its wording or location can vary with Kodi version, settings level and skin.
  • Check the single-film setting if needed. Kodi normally hides sets containing only one movie. Enable Include sets containing a single movie if you need to see or edit one.
  • Back up local metadata before bulk changes. This matters especially if NFO files are your source of truth or you are about to use a media manager that can edit or rename files.

Let Kodi make sets automatically

When a movie scraper provides collection information, Kodi can create a set and assign the movie to it as part of library scraping. The scraper’s data determines the initial collection name, membership, and any set details or artwork it supplies. This is convenient for well-known franchises, but the result may not match your preferred name or grouping. The scraper must identify the film correctly and provide collection data; automatic grouping is not guaranteed for every movie.

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If a scraper-created set is wrong, you can edit membership in Kodi. Be aware that refreshing movies from online metadata may bring back the scraper’s collection assignment. If you need a correction to persist across refreshes or a library rebuild, use an appropriate local metadata workflow rather than relying on a one-time manual removal.

Create a set or add a movie in Kodi

For a small collection, use the movie’s context menu:

  1. Open Movies and highlight a film in the library.
  2. Open its context menu. Depending on your device and skin, use the context-menu button, a keyboard or remote shortcut, or the skin’s menu gesture.
  3. Choose Manage → Manage movie set.
  4. Choose Add movie to a new collection, enter a name, and confirm. To add it to a collection that already exists, select that set instead.
  5. Repeat for each remaining film, selecting the same existing collection.

Menu presentation can vary, but the documented path is Movies → highlight a movie → Context Menu → Manage → Manage movie set. Adding a movie to a different set moves it: Kodi does not keep it in both sets.

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Edit membership in bulk

If you are assembling a larger set, use the set-level editor where your Kodi version and skin expose it:

  1. Open the Sets listing and highlight the collection.
  2. Open the context menu and choose Manage → Manage movie set.
  3. Select the films that should be members; deselect films that should be removed.
  4. Choose OK to save.

The editor can list films already assigned to another set. Selecting one for this set can remove it from its existing set, so review the selection before saving.

Remove a movie or move it to another set

To remove one film, open its Manage → Manage movie set menu and select No set. To move it, select the other collection. You can also remove films through the set-level editor by deselecting them. These actions change library membership, not the files on disk.

Change a collection name, description or order

Use the Movie Set information or management page if your Kodi version and skin provide the relevant controls. Menu labels vary; on supported versions, the information page can be opened with the i key on a keyboard or remote, or from the context menu.

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For custom metadata stored as files, version matters. Kodi v22, codenamed Piers, documents a dedicated set.nfo override in the Movie Set Information Folder. Its supported fields are title, originaltitle and overview:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes" ?>
<set>
    <title>New Title</title>
    <originaltitle>Original Title</originaltitle>
    <overview>New description</overview>
</set>

This is an override for set metadata, not a complete movie NFO. Put it in the appropriate set subfolder within the configured Movie Set Information Folder, not an arbitrary movie folder. Kodi’s Movie Set NFO documentation describes the format and refresh behavior. Do not assume this v22 method is available in earlier versions. Kodi v22’s stable-release status can change; check the official download page for the release you use.

In older documented workflows, set metadata can be specified in each member movie’s NFO with a <set> block, for example:

<set>
    <name>Example Collection</name>
    <overview>Films in the Example Collection.</overview>
</set>

For that method, use exactly the same set name in every movie NFO. Inconsistent spelling, spacing or punctuation can produce separate sets. Kodi’s documentation notes that the overview may be taken from the first movie scanned into the set. This older per-movie method is version-sensitive and is not interchangeable with v22’s dedicated set.nfo.

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Set membership and movie ordering are separate. To arrange a trilogy in a custom or chronological order, edit the movies’ sort titles where your version and skin allow it. A sort title affects ordering without changing the title displayed to viewers. For example:

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Use the sort-title control rather than renaming media files just to change display order; renaming can affect file matching and other media systems.

Add local collection artwork

For local set artwork, configure a Movie Set Information Folder and make a subfolder for each collection. Kodi’s documented local-artwork workflow has used this folder since v19, Matrix. The collection subfolder should match the set name in Kodi’s library exactly. A punctuation, spacing or suffix mismatch can stop Kodi associating the files with the set.

Movie Set Information Folder/
└── Alien Collection/
    ├── poster.jpg
    ├── fanart.jpg
    ├── clearlogo.png
    └── set.nfo

Kodi supports set artwork types including poster, fanart, banner, clearlogo, clearart, discart, landscape and keyart, though what appears depends on the skin. Artwork placed only in individual movie folders may not be used as set artwork. The folder is configured separately and Kodi supports one Movie Set Information Folder. See the documentation for the Movie Set Information Folder and Movie Set artwork.

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After adding or replacing artwork, refresh the set if your Kodi version provides that control. Kodi v22 documents a Refresh option on the Movie Set information page that can apply new artwork and set.nfo changes. Do not assume the same dedicated control exists in v21 or earlier; use the refresh or rescan options available in your version. Cached images can delay visible replacements, in some cases for up to 24 hours.

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Keep custom sets through refreshes and rebuilds

Movie NFO files exported from Kodi may retain scraper-provided set data. For Kodi v22’s documented workflow, keep the custom set.nfo in the Movie Set Information Folder; it can provide set metadata when the library is rebuilt. A local override is useful when you need consistent names or descriptions across devices and database rebuilds.

On earlier versions, the per-movie NFO workflow is different. Keep the same <set> values across the films and understand that edits may need to be made in those files. If the scraper repeatedly restores unwanted membership, decide which source should be authoritative—online scraper data, local NFO files, or manual edits—and configure your workflow accordingly.

Troubleshooting Movie Sets

Problem Likely cause What to check
A movie is missing from the editor It is not a successfully scraped library item, or you are browsing files rather than the Movies library. Confirm the film appears in Movies and has been identified. Scan or scrape it if needed.
A collection is not visible Movie Sets display is disabled, or you are in the wrong library node or profile. Check Settings → Media → Videos, then check your library view and profile.
A one-film set is missing Kodi normally hides single-movie sets. Enable Include sets containing a single movie.
Duplicate or near-duplicate sets appear Scraper and local names differ, or member NFO files use inconsistent names. Standardize the collection name, including punctuation and spacing, then correct membership or metadata.
Artwork does not appear The information folder is unset, the subfolder name does not match, the files are in a movie folder, or the skin does not show that artwork type. Check the configured folder, exact set name, artwork location and supported type; refresh the set if available. Allow for image caching.
A custom overview or membership returns to the scraper’s version A refresh is reading online metadata again, or the custom data is not stored in the version-appropriate local file. Use local metadata deliberately. On Kodi v22, retain and refresh the set’s set.nfo; on older versions, use the documented per-movie NFO workflow.
A movie ends up in the wrong collection The scraper supplied an unexpected assignment or the movie was selected in another set’s editor. Set the intended membership in Kodi and review any NFO or scraper source that may reapply the old one.
Order within a set is wrong Set membership does not define custom playback order. Adjust movie sort titles or use a deliberate local metadata workflow; do not rename files solely to affect display order.

Movie Sets, tags and playlists: choose the right grouping

Use Best for Important distinction
Movie Set A film’s primary franchise or canonical collection. A movie has one native set membership at a time.
Tags Overlapping classifications such as a director, holiday, universe or personal category. A film can be classified in ways that do not replace its main set.
Smart playlist A list that should update automatically from rules. It is a filtered view, not a second Movie Set membership.
Basic playlist A manually curated watchlist or viewing sequence. Useful for a chosen order or temporary selection.
Cinematic-universe setup Custom cross-franchise groupings and viewing order. Requires a more deliberate naming and playlist approach; see Kodi’s collections documentation.

For a large library

Kodi’s built-in editor is usually enough for a handful of films. If you need to standardize dozens of sets, maintain NFO files and artwork, or share metadata across more than one media center, a desktop media manager can make batch work more manageable. tinyMediaManager documents movie-set management and Kodi-oriented metadata workflows. It is an optional external application, not a Kodi add-on or a requirement.

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Because a media manager can write metadata and may rename files, back up your library metadata and review its settings before applying bulk changes. Kodi’s own tools remain the simplest free option for basic set membership.

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