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Step-by-step procedures with the commands to run. To understand how something works, see the Explainers section.

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Where to start: four steps, in the right order

  1. 1

    Install the server

    Choose the system it will run on: everything else builds on it.

    WindowsmacOSLinuxDocker
  2. 2

    Organise the library

    Folders, names, editions and subtitles in the right place.

    Open the guide
  3. 3

    Watch away from home

    By address or relay: the steps, a test from outside and sharing.

    Open the guide
  4. 4

    Add subtitles

    Start from the player, let the server fetch the model, use the result.

    Open the guide

All the guides

23 guides found

Step by step Install 4 min

Control a media server from the command line

Start, check, link and update from a terminal, with script examples.

  • One command on Windows, macOS and Linux
  • Start, stop, link and update from a terminal
  • JSON output and exit codes for scripts
  1. 1 Run the command
  2. 2 Start, stop and check
  3. 3 Find out why it didn't start
  4. 4 Link the server to your account
  5. 5 Update
  6. 6 Use it in a script
  7. 7 Frequently asked questions

Updated 9 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Step by step Install 3 min

Run a headless media server on Linux x64 or ARM64

chmod, start and account link from a terminal.

  • Server-only AppImages for x64 and ARM64
  • Headless operation from the command line
  • Linux desktop client planned
  1. 1 Start the server
  2. 2 Check it
  3. 3 If it does not start
  4. 4 Add a library
  5. 5 Requirements
  6. 6 Frequently asked questions

Updated 9 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Step by step Install 8 min

Run a media server in Docker with Compose

Compose files, GPU profiles, upgrades and signature check.

  • A signed image for Linux AMD64 and ARM64
  • Persistent data, and subtitles written beside your films
  • Optional hardware acceleration, only when you need it
  1. 1 Requirements
  2. 2 1. Download the Compose files
  3. 3 2. Start it and link your account
  4. 4 3. Add a library
  5. 5 Library permissions
  6. 6 A library built out of links
  7. 7 Hardware acceleration
  8. 8 Scan new files automatically
  9. 9 Upgrade
  10. 10 Verify what you run
  11. 11 Frequently asked questions

Updated 29 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Step by step Install 4 min

Run a media server in Portainer as a stack

A stack from the official Compose file, the one variable and updates.

  • The official Compose file, pasted as it is
  • One variable to set: the folder your media lives in
  • Updates from the stack editor, data kept in its volume
  1. 1 Requirements
  2. 2 1. Create the stack
  3. 3 2. Check that it answers
  4. 4 3. Link your account
  5. 5 4. Add a library
  6. 6 Optional variables
  7. 7 Update
  8. 8 Frequently asked questions

Updated 29 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Step by step Install 2 min

Run a media server on macOS, Intel or Apple silicon

Choose the package, install it and link the server.

  • Signed and notarized macOS packages
  • Intel x64 and Apple silicon ARM64
  • VideoToolbox-aware transcode paths
  1. 1 Choose the package
  2. 2 Install
  3. 3 Check it
  4. 4 Playback
  5. 5 Frequently asked questions

Updated 9 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Step by step Install 2 min

Run a media server on Windows with a native desktop client

Choose the package, check the signature and link the server.

  • Bundle and Server only releases
  • Windows x64 and ARM64 packages
  • Native desktop playback with GPU-aware transcoding
  1. 1 Choose the package
  2. 2 Install
  3. 3 Check it
  4. 4 Playback
  5. 5 Frequently asked questions

Updated 9 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Step by step Library 4 min

DVD and Blu-ray in a self-hosted media library

Remux to MKV, names and subtitles in the browser.

  • A scan reads video files and walks past ISO images and disc folders
  • A remux keeps every track the disc carried, and native clients play it untouched
  • In a browser, a picture subtitle turns the session into a full video conversion
  1. 1 What a scan picks up
  2. 2 1. Remux the film into an MKV
  3. 3 2. Name it and place it
  4. 4 3. Play it
  5. 5 Subtitles in a browser
  6. 6 Frequently asked questions

Updated 9 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Step by step Library 7 min

How to organise films and TV shows for a media server

Folders, names, editions and subtitles in the right place.

  • Separate roots for films, for shows, for documentaries
  • Use titles, years, episode numbers people can read
  • Keep useful editions and subtitles beside the source file
  1. 1 1. Give the library one front door
  2. 2 2. Name the work first
  3. 3 3. Mark editions
  4. 4 4. Keep subtitles beside the film
  5. 5 5. Build a library out of links
  6. 6 6. Scan without a clear-out
  7. 7 7. When the catalogue is wrong, correct the catalogue
  8. 8 Frequently asked questions

Updated 13 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Step by step Library 4 min

How to set up an audiobook library on your own media server

Folders, chapters, ASIN and listening across devices.

  • One folder per book, or a single .m4b file
  • Chapters from the files, narrators and series from the tags and Audnexus
  • Your place kept on the desktop, the web client, Android and iOS
  1. 1 1. Create the library
  2. 2 2. Lay out the folders
  3. 3 3. Chapters
  4. 4 4. Tags, the ASIN and Audnexus
  5. 5 5. Listen across devices
  6. 6 Checklist before the first scan

Updated 9 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Step by step Library 5 min

Keep two copies of a film without the library showing it twice

Versions under one title, editions on cards of their own.

  • Two copies of one cut share a card, a page and a watched mark
  • An edition marker gives a different cut a card of its own
  • Change match joins a film the catalogue listed twice
  1. 1 1. Put the copies of one cut side by side
  2. 2 2. Choose the copy that plays
  3. 3 3. Give a different cut a card of its own
  4. 4 4. Join a film that shows up twice
  5. 5 5. Split a card that holds two films
  6. 6 Frequently asked questions

Updated 13 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Step by step Library 6 min

Move a media library to a new server without risking the files

One sample, the scan, then your watch history.

  • Treat the first scan as a reversible rehearsal
  • Keep source files and useful variants where they are
  • Test the awkward titles before trusting a full library scan
  1. 1 1. Before you connect the new server
  2. 2 2. Pick a small, awkward sample
  3. 3 3. Scan, then play
  4. 4 4. Keep both versions of a film
  5. 5 5. Import the watch history from Plex or Jellyfin
  6. 6 6. Keep the way back open
  7. 7 Frequently asked questions

Updated 9 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Step by step Library 6 min

Move your media library to a new drive without losing watch history

Keep the path, or let the scan follow the files.

  • Keep the path the library knows and there is nothing to follow
  • A moved file is recognised by its size, modification time and type
  • Removing a folder under Edit library clears the titles it held
  1. 1 Pick your move
  2. 2 Keep the path
  3. 3 Let the scan follow
  4. 4 The edit that clears history
  5. 5 When the drive is unplugged
  6. 6 If a film's history is already gone
  7. 7 Frequently asked questions

Updated 9 Oct 2026 Open the guide

Other resources

Cannot find what you need?

Documentation

Settings, reference and troubleshooting, entry by entry.

Open the documentation

Support

Frequently asked questions with the full answer, and email support.

Go to support

Blog

Technical choices, comparisons and news explained by the Quven team.

Read the blog

Bring your library home.

Free for personal use, installed on your own hardware in a few minutes.

Download Quven See the plans