Kodi Not Working for You? Troubleshooting Guide

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Last Updated on January 16, 2020 by Jay

Pulling your hair out because Kodi not working for you or simply crashing during playback? Here’s everything you need to do to get your beloved media player humming again and why securing your entertainment experience with ExpressVPN on Kodi is a must.

Necessity is what has sparked most inventions in the history of mankind, right from the first wheel to the Apple iPhone. Somewhere in between, gaming enthusiasts figured out that Microsoft was underpinning the power that it’s first gaming console, the Xbox, was capable of enforcing. Packing all of the hardware that would make it a phenomenal media player for entertainment, all it needed was the software to support it, which is why the XBMC (Xbox Media Center) came into play in the first place.

More than a decade and hundreds of iterations later, XBMC has evolved into the Kodi media streaming platform, unifying almost every major platform, from Windows to Raspberry Pi. Despite being actively supported across a dozen different software operating systems and millions of daily users, there can be instances when you end up scratching your head to why Kodi would either crash while viewing or simply refuse to run, no matter what you try to do with it.

Kodi not Working – Troubleshooting Guide

Since the Kodi media player is available across Android, Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Linux, and several other platforms, there can be countless reasons why you may encounter the Kodi not working issue. However, since each Kodi build is universally adapter across all of the different platforms, the fixes that we have highlighted down below will work regardless of the device or operating system that you use.

Restart the Kodi media player

Right from the age of dated and clunky computers, to modern smartphones, the issue of malfunctioning devices has been solved millions of times by a simple reboot. Regardless of what device you have in front of you that is running the Kodi media player, rebooting the app as well as the device might just be the simplest process you need to undertake to get Kodi up and running again. Depending on the smart device you’re running, perform a reboot and wait for the device to turn back on to see if launching the Kodi media player app resolves the issue.

Clear cache of the Kodi app (Android)

The power of the Kodi media player may make you feel like it is an operating system in itself, but at the end of the day, it is just one application. Just like any other application out there, Kodi media player can gather up broken links and temporary files through constant updates and the Kodi add-ons, along with repositories that you have installed, all of which can collectively cause the Kodi media player to stop working. A nifty trick to flush out these problems has been built into Kodi, where you can choose to clear out the cache of the app, just like you would on and Android device for a faltering app.

Head over to the Settings app on your Android device.
In the Settings menu, scroll down to find the Apps
On some devices, the Apps section may be listed under the Storage
From the list of apps installed on your device, navigate to the Kodi
Tap on the Kodi app icon and then press the “Clear cache” button.

Once you have cleared the Kodi app cache on your Android phone or tablet, launch the app to see if your problem has been resolved. While it would’ve been ideal if iOS, Windows, and Mac OS X also came with a similar way to clear the cache for the Kodi media player, sadly, there isn’t a direct one. However, you can choose to remove the app entirely and install it all over again, which may be a bigger hassle, but it has the same effect.

Disable hardware acceleration

Kodi media player is a gigantic media consumption platform in itself, which is why it is no surprise that the app can take up processing power to function. Since some operating systems can limit the amount of processing power that apps are allowed to use up, Kodi media player comes with a feature called “Hardware acceleration” that speeds up the user interface and elevates the overall user experience.

However, this feature has been known to be counterproductive at times and cause the system to crash, which could be the culprit behind the Kodi not working issue. Hardware acceleration has been known to especially cause the Kodi app to crash on Android devices, so disabling this feature just might be the solution you need.

Launch the Kodi media player app on your device.
Press the gear icon on the top-left corner of the screen to open the Settings menu.
Press the Gear icon on the bottom-left corner of the screen until you see the Expert menu show up.
Now go ahead and access the Video tab.
Find the menu option “Allow hardware acceleration” and make sure that it is disabled.

You can now feel free to exit the Kodi media player app and launch it again to check if the problem with the app crashing is now taken care of.

Update to the latest version

From the simplest third-party mobile apps to entire operating systems on which computers run, ensuring that the system is up to date is the key to performance. The reason developers release new updates on a regular basis is to combat bugs and issues with the app and its various aspects, and the XBMC community is working day and night to improve the performance of the Kodi media player.

The ability to update the Kodi app on Android and iOS is simplified through the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, thanks to the automatic updates feature. However, Kodi has not included the same feature for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other platforms. On these devices, you will have to manually update the Kodi media player to the latest available version, which is Kodi v18.5 Leia.

Launch the Kodi media player app on your device.
Press the gear icon on the top-left corner of the screen to open the Settings tab.
Head to the System tab and open the System Information menu.
Under the Summary section, you will be able to find the Version info tab as well.
Check to see if you have the latest Kodi v18.5 Leia version installed.
If not, head over to the Kodi download page and fetch the latest version.

Once you have the latest version of Kodi media player installed on your computer, reboot the system and you should now be able to run it problem-free.

Remove faulty Kodi Add-ons

Although the Kodi media player platform has been known to be buggy at times, most of the time when you find Kodi not working for you is when there is an issue with the Kodi add-on or repository from which you installed the add-on. Whether it is one of the older, unofficial add-ons that are no longer supported by Kodi, or a repository whose temporary files are causing a glitch in the system, rooting them from the device might be your only hope for restoring the functionality of Kodi.

Delete the Kodi Add-on

Launch the Kodi media player app on your device.
Click on the Add-ons tab on the left side menu.
Select the My add-ons tab and then pick All to view the installed add-ons.
Choose the Kodi add-on that seems to be faltering.
Press the Uninstall button below the window.
Click the Yes button to confirm your action and wait for the Kodi add-on to be removed.

Delete the Kodi Repository

Launch the Kodi media player app on your device.
Click on the Add-ons tab on the left side menu.
Select the My add-ons tab and then pick Add-on repository to view the repositories installed to the system.
Choose the Kodi repository that you want to uninstall.
Press the Uninstall button below the window.
Click the Yes button to confirm your action and wait for the Kodi repository to be removed.

Use Kodi with ExpressVPN

For those who have been using Kodi media player for years now, you must be aware that the service has been under fire for harboring add-ons that are deemed illegal. While there is no shortage of Kodi add-ons to replace the lost ones, they seem to work better when connected to a dedicated VPN service. The easiest way to get past browsing restriction by using a VPN service such as ExpressVPN so that you never hit the pause button when it comes to high-quality streaming entertainment.

Bypassing Geo-restrictions – If you reside in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other regions where there the federal authorities have blockaded access to a Kodi add-on, you won’t be able to access the service through Kodi either. Whether the functionality of the add-on is censored in your region or the service is entirely unusable, ExpressVPN allows you to push forward with hundreds of remote servers across the world for you to connect to.

Avoid ISP Logging – Even if the service is not explicitly banned in your region of residence, the ISP (internet service provider) can still keep tabs on your usage. The online activity that you perform when using Kodi media player can be logged, which poses not only a privacy threat but the problem of the ISP fining you for unauthorized usage as well. With ExpressVPN and its military-grade encryption to secure your online activity, rest assured that your online browsing experience is 100% secure.

High-speed Streaming – Although you can find plenty of free and barely-secure VPN services out there that can help you connect with Kodi and make the most out of Kodi add-ons, most of them offer sub-par streaming quality. When using ExpressVPN for Kodi media player, you are automatically recommended servers that offer top upload and download streaming speeds, so you don’t ever have to sit in front of the screen, waiting for the buffering circle to load up.

GET EXPRESSVPN FOR KODI RIGHT NOW

Final Words

The networking infrastructure not just in the United States, but all across the world is the foundation on which the modern cord-cutting revolution is based. With high-speed wireless internet and fiber broadband connections taking up homes by storm, the need for on-demand streaming entertainment is now more than ever. This is the very reason Kodi media player has not only survived but thrived even when there has been a severe crackdown on several of its unofficial add-ons.

We hope that you are able to get past the issue of Kodi not working on your device with the help of the troubleshooting steps highlighted above. If there’s a nifty method that we’ve skipped past that surely needs to be included in this guide, share it with us in the comments below and help your fellow Kodi fans start using the media streaming platform again.

Author
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Jay

Editor at WhyTheLuckyStiff

Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Physics, Jay found his calling of becoming a full-time tech writer and is living the dream ever since. A fast learner and an ever-curious mind, you'll find him tinkering with subjects he's got no business around.

Kodi Not Working for You? Troubleshooting Guide