Downloads and offline use

Downloads let you save Jellyfin movies and episodes on your device. You need access to the server to download them, along with enough free storage. This feature is not available for FTP or SFTP connections.

Downloading a movie or episode

  1. Connect to Jellyfin and open the movie or episode's details page.
  2. Press Download.
  3. Select the Download Quality.
  4. Open Settings > My Downloads to check its status.
  5. Wait until the download is complete before relying on it for offline viewing.

Original / Direct saves the file without reducing its quality. It may take up more space. Lower quality options depend on the server being able to prepare that version of the video.

Managing downloads

In My Downloads, you can check storage usage and the available actions for each item:

  • Play a completed download.
  • Pause or resume a transfer.
  • Retry a failed download.
  • Refresh the download list and statuses.
  • Delete a download after confirming.

Deleting a download removes the copy on the device; the content on the server is kept.

What the statuses mean

| Status | Meaning and next step | | --- | --- | | Queued | The item is waiting to start. | | Waiting for WiFi | Connect the device to Wi-Fi so the download can continue. | | Waiting for connection | Restore the network connection. | | Preparing download / Waiting for server response | Frame is starting the transfer or waiting for the server. | | Downloading | The file is being received. A percentage, size, or speed may appear. | | Waiting for more data from the server | The transfer is waiting for new data. If this persists, check the connection and server. | | Saving file | The download is finishing saving. | | Paused | Use the resume action when you want to continue. | | Download failed | Check the connection and available storage, then use Retry. |

Downloading over Wi-Fi only

In Settings, enable Download over WiFi only to pause manual downloads when you leave Wi-Fi. If you disable this option, manual downloads may use mobile data.

Automatic downloads always require Wi-Fi, regardless of this preference.

Keeping upcoming episodes downloaded

  1. Open a TV show's details page in Jellyfin.
  2. Press Automatic downloads, or Keep … episodes downloaded if it is already configured.
  3. Turn on Enable for this series.
  4. Choose the Number of episodes, from 1 to 20, and the download quality.
  5. Press Save.

Frame tries to keep upcoming unwatched episodes downloaded, including the episode in progress. When refreshing over Wi-Fi, it may remove watched episodes that were downloaded automatically and download the next ones. Manual downloads are kept.

To disable this feature, return to the same dialog, turn off Enable for this series, and save. Existing files are kept and pending automatic downloads are paused.

Watching content offline

When Frame cannot reach the server, it may show the Offline library and the Offline · Downloads only notice. Select a saved movie or episode to play it. You can also open My Downloads.

The full catalog and features that need the server will not be available. You can keep using downloads while Frame tries to reconnect.

Before leaving home, open your downloads and check that the videos you need play correctly. A pending or incomplete download is not ready for offline use yet.