Getting Started

Getting Started

Moonfin is on your Roku. This page gets you from the first screen to watching something, in about five minutes with the remote. If it isn't installed yet, see Installation and Sideloading.

Have these ready

1. A Jellyfin or Emby server that is switched on.
2. The server's address. It's the same thing you type in a web browser to reach it, for example 192.168.1.100:8096 at home or https://jellyfin.example.com from anywhere.
3. A username and password on that server. If someone else runs it, ask them. On Emby, an Emby Connect account linked to the server works too.

Don't know the address? On the computer that runs the server, open its 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: Pick your server

1. Open Moonfin. Servers on the same network as the Roku appear under Discovered Servers. Select yours and skip to Step 2.
2. Otherwise choose Enter Server URL and type the address. http:// is optional and so is the port when it's the standard 8096. Both shapes work: 192.168.1.100:8096 or https://example.com/jellyfin. A reverse-proxy path like /emby is kept.
3. Choose Connect.

Using Emby Connect? Choose Emby Connect instead, sign in with your Emby username or email and password, and pick one of the servers linked to that account. Moonfin signs you in to that server directly, so you can skip Step 2. Your Emby Connect password is not saved, only the sign-in for that one server.

Server not found, is it online? means the Roku couldn't reach that address. Open the same address in a browser on your phone while on the same Wi-Fi. If the browser can't reach it either, the address or the network is the problem, not the Roku. See Common Problems.

Step 2: Sign in

On a Jellyfin server the sign-in screen has tabs. Quick Connect is the default whenever the server supports it, because it saves typing a password with a remote.

With Quick Connect:

1. The screen shows a short code under Here is your Quick Connect 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 at the top right, choose Quick Connect, type the code and confirm.
3. The Roku signs in on its own within a few seconds.

If the tab is missing, the server admin has to turn Quick Connect on under Dashboard > General in Jellyfin.

With a username and password: switch to the password tab, pick your name from the list of users the server shows (or type it), type the password and choose Sign In.

On an Emby server: type your username and password for that server and choose Sign In. Emby has no Quick Connect, but the Emby Connect button on the same screen signs in with your Emby account instead.

Moonfin stays signed in afterwards. Settings > Account & Security has Auto Sign In and Save Credentials if you'd rather it asked every time.

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 what looks nice. Nothing is permanent, it all lives in Settings later, and Settings > Moonfin Settings > Run Setup Again replays it. Choose Skip to accept the defaults.

Question	What it decides
Where should navigation go?	Left sidebar or top bar
How should the top of your Home screen look?	The media bar style: Moonfin, MakD, Banner, Gallery, Bookshelf, Aya, or Off
How should your rows look?	Classic (compact) or Modern (the focused item grows into a card with details)
How should a movie or show look when you open it?	Classic or Modern (cinematic, with tabs)
Pick a look	A colour theme: Moonfin, Neon Pulse or 8-Bit Hero

The wizard skips anything you already answered on another device with the Moonbase plugin, so a second Roku on the same account often sees nothing at all.

Step 4: Find your way around

• Home shows the media bar on top, then Continue Watching, Next Up and the latest additions from each library.
• The navigation bar holds Home, Search, your libraries, and optional Shuffle, Genres and Favorites buttons. Your avatar on the bar switches accounts.
• Select a poster to open its page. From there you can Play, Resume, pick audio and subtitle tracks before playing, mark a Favorite, and see the cast, chapters and similar titles.
• Settings is in the navigation bar. It's organised like the other Moonfin apps: Moonfin Settings, Moonfin Plugin, Playback, User Interface, and Account & Security.
• On the remote, Back goes back one screen and Home leaves the app. Inside the player, Left and Right skip, Up and Down bring up the controls, and Rewind and Fast Forward scrub. The User Guide has the full list.

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 the Moonbase plugin on your server	Settings > Moonfin Plugin > Enable Plugin. Your theme, rows and settings then follow you between devices, and Seerr, extra ratings and list rows become available
Want different rows on Home, or a different order	Settings > Moonfin Settings > Home Screen > Home Row Sections and Home Row Toggles
Want the skip buttons to jump a different amount	Settings > Playback > Video Playback Preferences > Skip Forward Length and Skip Back Length
Have a slow connection to the server, or the picture keeps stalling	Settings > Playback > Video Playback Preferences > Bitrate Limit
Watch with subtitles	Settings > Playback > Subtitle Preferences > Subtitle Mode and Default Subtitle Language
Have a soundbar or receiver	That's set on the Roku itself: Settings > Audio. Moonfin follows what the Roku reports
Have Seerr on your server	Settings > Moonfin Plugin > Seerr > Enable Seerr, then sign in under Account & Sign In. See Seerr Setup
Want a different look later	Settings > User Interface > General Style > Theme and Colors
Share the Roku	Settings > Account & Security, and use the avatar on the navigation bar to switch users

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 (install guide) adds settings and home layout sync between devices, Seerr, extra rating sources, IMDb and TMDB list rows, calendar rows, and on-screen messages from your admin. It comes in a Jellyfin edition and an Emby edition. Browsing and playback work without it on both.
• Seerr is connected inside the Moonbase plugin. On the Roku you only turn it on and sign in. See Seerr Setup.

What next

• The User Guide covers the remote inside the player, typing on the Roku, and making the app look the way you want.
• If something doesn't work, Common Problems has the usual fixes.