this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2026
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I switched to Ubuntu and I regret it. I cannot for the life of me JellyFin to work. That was my main reason for getting a laptop. I use VLC to access media from my laptop to my TV now, but JellyFin was a dream and now I can't get it to work.
Post your issue on !jellyfin@lemmy.ml. That community is starved for new posts.
I have that instance blocked.
The most active community is !jellyfin@poweruser.forum.
Edit: Also try !selfhosted@lemmy.world, a LOT more people there.
Thank you. I will try here.
Are you sure? It has 105 subscribers and all of 3 posts. (The most recent one was from ~10 months ago)
The latest post is 17 days ago. Looks like another instance defederated from yours.
Ahh, thanks 🙃
How are you trying to run Jellyfin? What part isn't working for you?
I have it as a Docker container in Ubuntu and it works perfectly. The only trick was I had to find jellyfin's internal docker IP address to do the initial Jellyfin server setup steps.
I set it up and the server has no files in it. I log in on the TV and the browser, but I don't see the files on the TV.
Did you sync your library? It was confusing for the first time for me as well, but Jellyfin requires you to synchronise your library if you add or remove files.
Yeah, I tried that. No luck.
I would guess you have an issue with your docker volume or bind mount then, assuming you built it as a Docker container?
No, honestly I'm not even clear what a docker is.
Then I'm not sure what advice we can give you without knowing more about how you installed it and how the file structure and Jellyfin libraries are linked
From the snap app center.
Docker is basically similar to a flatpak: you download a package via Docker and it will practically do everything for you, so you only have to take care of the config file, if even needed.
I like this. Do you have a DL link for it?
The easiest way is Docker Desktop, though I myself installed only the docker engine itself, which still was pretty easy to do. I did that because I had a dedicated server with no GUI. It does require to add the reposity though, but the documentation is pretty straightforward to follow.
I haven't tried Docker Desktop as the other poster mentioned but I use a similar GUI interface called Cosmos Cloud to manage Docker. It integrates a "market" of easily installable docker apps, graphic interface for managing/updating the containers, internal port management and optional reverse proxy/url management for external access, plus a few more advanced features like VPN and OIDC SSO.
It's probably overkill for just Jellyfin but if you've been considering trying out other self-hosted services I highly recommend it.
Standalone installation is the way to go: https://cosmos-cloud.io/docs/index/
Files? You pick the media from the library, files are abstracted away.
The files are in the selected folder on my computer. There are no movies on the TV.
Try docker compose rather than locally if you are struggling.
https://docs.linuxserver.io/images/docker-jellyfin
I did try a docker install. I'm not exactly the most savvy Linux user.
Why are you trying to run jellyfin server from a laptop? I mean you can, just seems like an odd choice.
Also make sure ufw isn't getting in the way. Wouldn't be shocked if Ubuntu keeps that enabled for security.
Kubuntu has it off by default, user needs to enable it, I would guess it is the same in Ubuntu
I don't want to run a server all the time, just when I want to watch movies. I'll try to disable UFW and see if that works. Why would UFW block the 8096 port and not the VLC media server?
Ah assumed when you said VLC, you where just plugging the laptop into the TV via HDMI or something.
I also read you mentioned you where able to login but not see files, so wrong route to go down.
If you don't wanna run a server all the time for movies then vlc might be the better option, though I don't see why jellyfin shouldn't technically work.
If your libraries aren't populating after being setup, maybe check file permissions for the 'jellyfin' user?
I gave access to all the files. My next try is going to be the Ubuntu Firewall. I'll disable that and try again. Also, I couldn't get VLC to work until I changed the files name from "Movies" to "Watch". For some reason it won't work with the filename "Movies". Maybe it's the same with JellyFin.
Plenty are running home servers from laptops, especially here on the fediverse that’s not unheard of… It should not make any difference what hardware he’s running for jellyfin. Still honestly not a pleasant experience to get it to run from what I recall.
Oh yeah no I've seen as home servers with a built in UPS. Their usecase sounded like they where using their daily driver laptop though.
Usually highly energy efficient as well.
Who hurt you, was it windows ? (mostly joking)
I’m no OS fanatic… I run dozens of rhel servers at work, few windows ones, make music on Mac and play on steamOS and keep a windows on a box due to hardware limitations on music instruments.
So I’m no stranger to Linux.
With that in mind some packages are more of a pain to setup than others… and that one is not a good memory. I rolled back to plex in the end…