Getting Started

Getting Started

You've installed Moonfin. This page gets you from the first screen to watching something, in about five minutes. If you haven't installed it yet, see Installation.

Have these ready

1. A Jellyfin or Emby server that is switched on. It can be your own PC or NAS, or one a friend or family member shares with you. Jellyfin 10.8 or newer and Emby 4.8 or newer both work.
2. The server's address. It's the same thing you would type in a web browser to reach it. Examples:
   • http://192.168.1.20:8096 (a server on your home network)
   • http://mynas:8096 (a home server by name)
   • https://jellyfin.example.com (a server reachable from anywhere)
3. A username and password on that server. If someone else runs it, ask them. If it's yours, it's the account you made when setting the server up.

Don't know the address? On the computer that runs the server, open the Jellyfin or Emby web page and copy what's in the browser's address bar, up to the first single slash. Or ask the person who runs it.

Step 1: Add your server

1. Open Moonfin. If a server is on the same Wi-Fi as you, it shows up under Discovered Servers. Tap it and skip to Step 2.
2. Otherwise tap Add Server and type the address.
   • You can leave out http:// and the port. Moonfin tries https and http, and the standard ports 8096 and 8920, on its own.
   • If your server uses a different port, include it, like mynas:8000.
3. Tap Connect.

If you get Unable to connect to server, open the same address in the browser on the same device. If the browser can't reach it either, the problem is the address or the network, not Moonfin. See Common Problems.

The web version can't search your network, so there you always type the address.

Step 2: Sign in

With a username and password: type them and tap Sign In. Emby users also see an Emby Connect option if they use that.

With Quick Connect (Jellyfin only): this saves typing a password with a TV remote.

1. Tap Quick Connect. Moonfin shows a short code.
2. On a phone or computer where you are already signed in to the same server, open the Jellyfin web page, click your user icon in the top right, choose Quick Connect, type the code and confirm.
3. Moonfin signs in by itself within a few seconds.

If it says Quick Connect is disabled, the server admin has to turn it on under Dashboard > General in Jellyfin.

Moonfin stays signed in afterwards. To change that, go to Settings > Account & Security > Auto Login.

Step 3: Answer the setup wizard

Right after the first sign-in Moonfin asks how you want it to look. Every choice shows a live preview built from your own library, so pick whatever looks nice. Nothing here is permanent, it all lives under Settings > Personalization later. Tap Skip setup to accept the defaults.

Question	What it decides
Where should navigation go?	Left Sidebar, Top Bar or Bottom Bar
How should the top of your Home screen look?	The media bar style: Moonfin, MakD, Bookshelf, Gallery, Banner, Aya, or Off
How should your rows look?	Classic (compact, more rows on screen) or Modern (larger cards with titles underneath)
How should a movie or show look when you open it?	Classic (everything centred) or Modern (cinematic, with tabs)
Pick a look	A colour theme: Moonfin, Glass, Neon Pulse or 8-bit Hero

It ends with a short tour of what else is in the app.

Step 4: Find your way around

• Home shows Continue Watching, Next Up and the latest additions from each library, with the media bar on top.
• Your libraries (Movies, TV Shows, Music and so on) are in the navigation bar, along with Search.
• Tap a poster to open its page. From there you can Play, Resume, mark as a Favorite, Download, Cast, watch a Trailer, and see the cast and similar titles.
• Long-press a poster (hold OK on a remote) for a quick menu with Play and Resume, so something can start without opening it first.
• Settings is behind the gear icon or your avatar in the top corner. The search box at the top of Settings finds any setting by name and tells you where it lives.
• On a TV: the direction pad moves, OK selects, Back goes back. The User Guide lists what each button does inside the player.

Step 5: Settings worth a look on day one

You don't have to change any of these. They're the ones people most often want.

If you...	Look at
Have an OLED TV or phone	Personalization > General Style > OLED Mode
Want different rows on the home screen, or a different order	Personalization > Home Screen > Home Sections
Want the skip buttons to jump a different amount	Playback & SyncPlay > Video Playback Preferences > Skip Forward Length and Skip Back Length
Have a soundbar or AV receiver (Android TV, Apple TV)	Playback & SyncPlay > Audio Preferences > Passthrough. Auto is right for most setups
Want bigger or different-looking subtitles	Playback & SyncPlay > Subtitle Preferences > Subtitle Customization
Plan to download for offline viewing	Playback & SyncPlay > Offline Downloads for quality and location. On Android TV also turn on Personalization > Navigation > Show Downloads Button
Share the device with children	Account & Security > PIN Code and Blocked Ratings
Have Seerr on your server	Integrations > Seerr, sign in with your Jellyfin account
Use a game controller to move around the menus	Personalization > General Style > Gamepad navigation

More than one server

Tap your avatar, then Add Server, and repeat Steps 1 and 2. Moonfin merges the libraries of all your servers into one view, and each library shows the server's name next to it. Continue Watching and Next Up pull from every server. This works with a mix of Jellyfin and Emby servers.

Things that need the server side

Some features only appear once the server has the pieces they need. Ask whoever runs the server if you want them.

• The Moonbase server plugin (Jellyfin and Emby) adds theme sync between devices, sorting by your personal ratings, retro games, messages from your admin, home row sync, and the web version of Moonfin.
• Seerr (for requesting new movies and shows) is connected in the Moonbase plugin. In Moonfin you then sign in under Integrations > Seerr and get Request buttons on titles you don't have yet.
• Subtitle downloads need the OpenSubtitles plugin on the server.

What next

• The User Guide covers the player controls, casting, requests, and making the app look the way you want.
• Downloads explains offline viewing.
• If something doesn't work, Common Problems has the usual fixes.