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BrightCraft edited this page Aug 14, 2026 · 26 revisions

Methods of installing Moonlight app on Tizen TV

Installation using Apps2Samsung

The following method is highly recommended for most users and is compatible with all Samsung TVs running Tizen OS 5.5 or higher. Overall, this installer tool is significantly faster, simpler, and frequently updated, making it the preferred method for a hassle-free setup.

Enabling Developer Mode on your TV

Before using the installer, you must enable Developer Mode on your Samsung TV to allow the installation of Tizen apps.

Note

If you have already enabled Developer Mode on your TV, then you can skip the following steps.

  1. Before attempting to enable Developer Mode, ensure your Samsung TV and Host PC are connected to the exact same local network.
  2. Navigate to the Apps panel, select the App Settings panel and press 1 2 3 4 5 on your remote control to trigger the developer menu.

    Note: If your remote control lacks a physical number pad, use the 123 button to bring up the virtual on-screen keypad.

  3. Switch Developer mode to ON, enter your computer’s local IP address in the Host PC IP field, and click OK button.

    Note: If your TV’s language is set to a Right-to-Left (RTL) language (e.g., Arabic or Hebrew), you must enter the IP address in reverse order.

  4. Now you need to completely restart the TV by pressing and holding the power button for at least 5 seconds on the remote control.

    Note: If you can see the Smart TV Powered by Tizen boot screen, it means you have successfully restarted the TV and Developer Mode has taken effect.

  5. Navigate back to the Apps panel and depending on your TV model, a DEVELOP MODE tag will now be visible at the top of the screen.

If you need more details, check the TV Device guide from Samsung’s official documentation.

Installing Moonlight via Apps2Samsung

Apps2Samsung is a lightweight GUI-based tool that acts as a one-click installer for sideloading applications onto Samsung TVs running Tizen OS. It simplifies application deployment by entirely bypassing Tizen Studio and automatically managing device detection. It also handles the automated certificate signing process, which is particularly essential for Tizen 7+ devices, making it the easiest and fastest way to install Moonlight alongside a diverse range of other Tizen community apps.

Note

Before proceeding further with the installation of the Moonlight app, ensure you have already completed the previous step.

  1. Download and run the latest Apps2Samsung installer for your operating system:
  2. Once the installation is complete, open the executable Apps2Samsung tool.
  3. Wait a few seconds for the tool to scan your network and automatically connect to your Samsung TV.
  4. Click the Settings (gear icon) and verify the following configurations:
    • Certificate — Select the default certificate (Jelly2Sams).
    • Local IP — Select your active connection (Ethernet/Wi-Fi).
    • Close the settings window by clicking the X in the top corner.
  5. In the Release field of the main window, select the appropriate installation option:
    • Moonlight-Tizen — The standard package recommended for most users running Tizen 5.5 or higher (equivalent to Moonlight.wgt from the release assets).
    • Moonlight-ForceGM-Tizen — An experimental variant intended only for users running Tizen 9.0 or higher. It includes the required Game Mode metadata to force Game Mode, although the results may vary depending on TV model and firmware version. See the documentation for more details about using this variant and its limitations (equivalent to Moonlight-ForceGM.wgt from the release assets).
    • Custom WGT File — Allows you to manually install a downloaded .wgt file. Use this option for pre-release builds or when you want to install the latest release before it becomes available through the Tizen Community Packages repository.
  6. Start the installation process:
    • Click the Download & Install button and wait for the installation process to complete.
    • Important Note: In newer Tizen versions (Tizen 7+), you will be prompted to sign in with your Samsung account to complete the package signing process.
    • Once the "Moonlight has been successfully installed!" confirmation appears, close the dialog and exit the Apps2Samsung tool.
  7. Now the Moonlight app can be found under Recent Apps or the Apps List on your Samsung TV.

Installation using Tizen Studio

The following method is mainly recommended for advanced users with newer Samsung TVs running Tizen OS 7.0 or higher. For most users, using the Apps2Samsung installer tool is a much simpler and faster installation method.

Important

Tizen Studio has been deprecated by Samsung in favor of newer tooling such as the VS Code extension. However, it remains functional and can still be used for building and installing Tizen applications. Tizen Studio should now be treated as a legacy tool, although still usable, but no longer actively maintained and potentially subject to removal in the future. If you want to explore or try out the newest VSC-based extension recommended by Samsung for Tizen development, check the Prerequisites and Installation guide from Samsung’s official documentation.

Installing the Samsung TV SDK

Samsung TV SDK is a set of tools for developing applications for Samsung TVs using Tizen. To start working and developing with the Samsung TV SDK, you need to install the Tizen Studio IDE along with the Samsung TV Extensions and the Samsung Certificate Extension on your system.

Note

If you have already installed the Samsung TV SDK on your system, then you can skip the following steps.

  1. Download and run the latest Tizen Studio installer for your operating system:

    For previous versions of Tizen Studio, older builds can be found in the official archive.

  2. In the Installer window:
    • Accept the software license statement by clicking the Accept button.
    • Set the SDK and data location (leave as default) and click the Install button to start installing the required packages and tools in the specified directory.
    • Once the installation is complete, open the Package Manager by selecting the Launch the Package Manager checkbox and clicking the Finish button.
  3. In the Package Manager window:
    • Select the Extension SDK tab and find TV Extensions-X.X and Samsung Certificate Extension which are the required extensions.
    • Click the Install button for both extensions and accept the software license statement by clicking the Accept button.
    • After the extensions have been successfully installed, close the Package Manager by clicking the X at the top of the window.
  4. If you want to proceed with further steps, then open Tizen Studio by selecting the Launch the Tizen Studio checkbox and clicking the OK button. You may then be prompted to select a directory as the workspace (leave as default) and continue to open Tizen Studio by selecting the Use this as the default and do not ask again checkbox and clicking the Launch button.

If you need more details, check the Installing TV SDK guide from Samsung’s official documentation.

Importing the Moonlight app into Tizen Studio

If you have already installed Tizen Studio and the required extensions, you can continue by importing the existing Moonlight project from a .wgt archive file.

  1. Download the appropriate package from the release assets:
    • Moonlight.wgt — The standard package recommended for most users running Tizen 5.5 or higher.
    • Moonlight-ForceGM.wgt — An experimental variant intended only for users running Tizen 9.0 or higher. It includes the required Game Mode metadata to force Game Mode, although the results may vary depending on TV model and firmware version. See the documentation for more details about using this variant and its limitations.
  2. In the Tizen Studio menu:
    • Go to the File tab and select Import to open the import wizard.
  3. In the Import window:
    • Open Tizen and select Tizen Project as import source and click the Next button.
  4. Under Select Directory / File section:
    • Select the Archive file option to import the project from the archive file and click the Browse button.
    • Locate the selected Moonlight .wgt file and click the Next button.
  5. Under Select Project section:
    • Select the Tizen version X.X from the Version drop-down menu for the Moonlight project.
    • Finally, select the checkbox for the Moonlight project to prepare it for import and click the Finish button.
  6. Now the selected Moonlight project has been imported into your workspace.

If you need more details, check the Importing Web Applications guide from Samsung’s official documentation.

Enabling Developer Mode and Connecting the TV to the Device Manager

After importing the Moonlight project, you need to enable Developer Mode and connect your Samsung TV to your computer using Device Manager, which is a tool provided by Tizen Studio. So, this allows you to run and install the application on a TV device for development.

  1. Enable the Developer Mode on your Samsung TV:
    • Ensure your Samsung TV and Host PC are connected to the exact same local network.
    • Navigate to the Apps panel, select the App Settings panel and press 1 2 3 4 5 on your remote control to trigger the developer menu.

      Note: If your remote control lacks a physical number pad, use the 123 button to bring up the virtual on-screen keypad.

    • Switch Developer mode to ON, enter your computer’s local IP address in the Host PC IP field, and click OK button.

      Note: If your TV’s language is set to a Right-to-Left (RTL) language (e.g., Arabic or Hebrew), you must enter the IP address in reverse order.

    • Now you need to completely restart the TV by pressing and holding the power button for at least 5 seconds on the remote control.

      Note: If you can see the Smart TV Powered by Tizen boot screen, it means you have successfully restarted the TV and Developer Mode has taken effect.

    • Navigate back to the Apps panel and depending on your TV model, a DEVELOP MODE tag will now be visible at the top of the screen.
  2. Find the TV IP Address on your Samsung TV:
    • Go to the Settings panel, then go to the General section.
    • Select the Network menu, then select Network Status and click the IP Settings button.
    • Under the IP Address field, you can get the IP address of your TV (store it somewhere because you’ll need it later).
  3. In the Tizen Studio menu:
    • Go to the Tools tab and select Device Manager to open the device manager.
  4. In the Device Manager window:
    • Select Remote Device Manager and click + to add a TV device.
    • Under the Add Device window, enter Samsung TV in the Name field and enter the TV IP address of your Samsung TV in the IP field.
    • Regarding the Port field, it is recommended to leave it untouched and continue by clicking the Add button.
    • Under the Remote Device Manager window, select the TV from the list and switch the connection to On and click the Close button.
  5. Once you have successfully connected the TV to Device Manager, close it by clicking the X at the top of the window.

If you need more details, check the TV Device guide from Samsung’s official documentation.

Creating and Signing the Certificate Profile

After completing the previous steps, you need to create and sign the certificate profile in order to run the application on your Samsung TV. This step is essential for signing the application for development and distribution.

Note

Before proceeding further with creating and signing the certificate profile, ensure you have already completed the previous steps.

  1. In the Tizen Studio menu:
    • Go to the Tools tab and select Certificate Manager to open the certificate wizard.
    • You may then be prompted to select a profile file for import, where you should click the Cancel button in the Migration for Certificate Profile dialog.
  2. In the Certificate Manager window:
    • Click + in the Certificate Profile and select Samsung as certificate profile type.
  3. Under Device Type section:
    • Select TV as the device type and click the Next button.
  4. Under Certificate Profile section:
    • Enter Moonlight in the Create a new certificate profile field and click the Next button.
  5. Under Author Certificate section:
    • Select Create a new author certificate option and click the Next button.
    • Enter Moonlight in the Author name field and Mgs12345 in both Password fields.
    • Ensure the Apply the same password for the distributor certificate checkbox is selected and continue by clicking the Next button.
    • You will be asked to sign in with your Samsung Account, so you need to click the OK button.
    • After successful login, you can close the browser window and continue to the Certificate Manager window.
    • Then, specify a backup directory for your certificate backup file in the Backup path field and click the Next button.
  6. Under Distributor Certificate section:
    • Select Create a new distributor certificate option and click the Next button.
    • Set the privilege level to Public and leave the Password fields untouched.
    • Select the Add individual DUIDs option, then the Device ID (DUID) for the target device will be added automatically, because you have already connected the TV to Device Manager, so you need to continue by clicking the Next button.
    • After completing the distributor certificate, you can close the certificate profile creation wizard by clicking the Finish button.
    • A new dialog will appear with a message informing you that your new certificate profile has been successfully created and set as active, so you should click the OK button.
  7. Once you have successfully added and signed the Moonlight certificate profile, close the Certificate Manager by clicking the Close button.

If you need more details, check the Creating Certificates guide from Samsung’s official documentation.

Installing Moonlight via Tizen Studio

You can now proceed with installing the Moonlight app on your target device. This step is important to install and launch the application on the connected device.

Note

Before proceeding further with the installation of the Moonlight app, ensure you have already completed the previous steps.

  1. Ensure you have enabled Developer Mode and that the TV is already connected using Device Manager before proceeding with the installation.
  2. In the Project Explorer view:
    • Right-click on the Moonlight project, then go to Run As and select Tizen Web Application as the launch mode.
    • The installation process will start within a few seconds, then you need to wait until it is complete.
  3. Now the Moonlight app will automatically open on the target device and can be found under Recent Apps on your Samsung TV.
  4. After that, you can close Tizen Studio by going to the File tab and selecting the Exit option.

If you need more details, check the Launching Applications on the TV guide from Samsung’s official documentation.

Installation using Docker

The following method is mainly recommended for advanced users with older Samsung TVs running Tizen OS 5.5 to 6.5. For most users, using the Apps2Samsung installer tool is a much simpler and faster installation method.

Installing the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL 2)

WSL 2 is the default distro type when installing a Linux distribution and uses virtualization technology to run a Linux kernel inside of a lightweight utility virtual machine (VM). This step is essential for running Docker Desktop because it enables executing Linux containers on your system through the native WSL 2 Linux kernel.

Note

If you have already installed WSL 2 on your system, then you can skip the following steps.

  1. Open the Start menu, type Windows Features in the search bar, and click Turn Windows features on or off from the search results:
    • In the Windows Features window, find the Windows Subsystem for Linux and Virtual Machine Platform features and enable both by selecting their checkboxes.
    • After enabling these required features, click the OK button and restart your system.
  2. Open the Start menu again, type Windows PowerShell in the search bar, and right-click Windows PowerShell from the search results and select Run as administrator.
    • You may then be prompted by User Account Control (UAC), where you must click Yes to allow it to run with administrative privileges.
    • In the Windows PowerShell window, enter the following command to enable the Windows Subsystem for Linux feature:
    dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
    • Continue by entering the following command to enable the Virtual Machine Platform feature:
    dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
    • After that, you need to download and install WSL 2 using the following command:
    wsl --install
    • You may then be prompted to enter a username and password to create a default Unix user account, which is required to proceed further. Once you see that your username and password have been successfully set, you can close the Windows PowerShell window.
  3. Now that you have successfully installed WSL 2 on your system, you are ready to install Docker Desktop by following the next section.

If you need more details, check out either the Manual installation steps of WSL or the Install WSL guide from Microsoft’s official documentation.

Installing the Docker Desktop

Docker Desktop is an easy-to-install application for your Mac, Windows or Linux environment that enables you to build and share containerized applications and microservices. This step is important to build or use the pre-built Docker image to install the application on the connected device.

Note

Before proceeding further with installing Docker Desktop, you must already have WSL 2 installed on your system.

  1. Download and run the latest Docker Desktop installer for your operating system:
  2. In the Installer window:
    • Under Configuration section, select the Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V and Add shortcut to desktop options.
    • Click the OK button and follow the instructions in the installation wizard to authorize the installer and continue.
    • When the installation is complete, click the Close button to complete the installation process by closing the installer and restarting the system.
  3. Open Docker Desktop:
    • The first time, a new window will appear as Docker Subscription Service Agreement, where you need to click the Accept button to continue.
    • After that you will be asked to create a Docker account, but since it is optional and not necessary, you can simply click the Skip button.
  4. Now the Docker Desktop is successfully installed and configured on your system.

If you need more details, check the Get Docker guide from Docker’s official documentation.

Installing Moonlight via Docker

You can now proceed with installing the Moonlight app on your target device. This step is important to install the application using the pre-built Docker image and launch it on the connected device.

Note

Before proceeding further with the installation of the Moonlight app, ensure you have already completed the previous steps.

  1. Enable the Developer Mode on your Samsung TV:
    • Ensure your Samsung TV and Host PC are connected to the exact same local network.
    • Navigate to the Apps panel, select the App Settings panel and press 1 2 3 4 5 on your remote control to trigger the developer menu.

      Note: If your remote control lacks a physical number pad, use the 123 button to bring up the virtual on-screen keypad.

    • Switch Developer mode to ON, enter your computer’s local IP address in the Host PC IP field, and click OK button.

      Note: If your TV’s language is set to a Right-to-Left (RTL) language (e.g., Arabic or Hebrew), you must enter the IP address in reverse order.

    • Now you need to completely restart the TV by pressing and holding the power button for at least 5 seconds on the remote control.

      Note: If you can see the Smart TV Powered by Tizen boot screen, it means you have successfully restarted the TV and Developer Mode has taken effect.

    • Navigate back to the Apps panel and depending on your TV model, a DEVELOP MODE tag will now be visible at the top of the screen.
  2. Find the TV IP Address on your Samsung TV:
    • Go to the Settings panel, then go to the General section.
    • Select the Network menu, then select Network Status and click the IP Settings button.
    • Under the IP Address field, you can get the IP address of your TV (store it somewhere because you’ll need it later).
  3. Now, you need to run Docker Desktop and make sure to close any resource intensive applications.
  4. Open Windows PowerShell or a similar terminal depending on your OS, then enter the following command to pull the pre-built Docker image: 
    docker pull ghcr.io/brightcraft/moonlight-tizen:master
    • This operation may take a while, please be patient.
  5. After that, enter the following command to run and enter the container: 
    docker run -it --rm ghcr.io/brightcraft/moonlight-tizen:master
  6. To proceed further, follow the steps below to install the application on your TV:
    • Enter the following command to connect to your Samsung TV over SDB (Smart Development Bridge):
    sdb connect YOUR_TV_IP

    Note: Replace YOUR_TV_IP with IP Address of your TV.

    • Next, enter the following command to confirm that you are connected, then take note of the Device ID:
    sdb devices

    Note: Just to clarify Device ID will be the last column, something like UE55AU7172UXXH.

    • Next, enter the following command to install the package:
    tizen install -n Moonlight.wgt -t YOUR_DEVICE_ID

    Note: Replace YOUR_DEVICE_ID with Device ID of your TV.

    • Next, enter the following command to exit the container:
    exit

    Note: Moonlight should now be available under Recent Apps on your Samsung TV.

  7. Finally, enter the following command to remove the Docker image, as it is no longer needed: 
    docker image rm ghcr.io/brightcraft/moonlight-tizen:master

    Note: At the end you can enter the exit command to close the Windows PowerShell window.

Installation using USB

The following method was mainly recommended for new users with Samsung TVs running Tizen OS 5.5 or higher. It was ideal for those who weren’t tech-savvy and wanted to avoid the complex installation processes of Tizen Studio or Docker. However, it was only a temporary solution due to Samsung certificate restrictions, as the installed application would expire after 30 days. This meant users had to reinstall it using a newly generated USB package from the latest release.

Important

USB installation method is no longer available as the USB Demo packaging tool provided by Samsung has been discontinued and can no longer be accessed, resulting in the inability to create a USB package for future updates. Please check the other installation methods above if you want to continue installing the app on your device.

Installing Moonlight via USB

This section guides you through installing the Moonlight app on your Samsung TV using the generated USB package and launch it on the device.

Note

Before proceeding, ensure your USB drive is formatted as FAT32 or exFAT, as these are the formats supported by Samsung TVs for app installation.

  1. Download the USB package from the release assets:
    • MoonlightUSB.zip — The package required for USB installation on Tizen 5.5 or higher.
  2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file to the root directory of your USB drive.
    • Verify the folder structure on the USB drive is as follows: 
      root/
└── userwidget/
    └── app.tmg
    └── widget.license
  3. Insert the USB drive into a USB port on your Samsung TV.

    Note: Wait for the app to install automatically (this may take a moment).

  4. Once installed, the Moonlight app should appear under Recent Apps on your Samsung TV.

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