How To Use Kodi: A Simple Quick-Start Guide

Here’s how to use Kodi to watch free TV, movies, live sports, and more — plus a basic intro to what Kodi is and what you should know before you use it. [Last updated: Feb. ’17]

So you have Kodi and you’re ready to unleash its power. But where to start?
Like most powerful, versatile technologies, Kodi can be confusing and a bit overwhelming at first. But thankfully it’s really easy to use.
We’ll walk you through how to get started, from safely downloading Kodi to installing add-ons for streaming great TV. First, a short intro to Kodi — and what you should know before you use it.

What Is Kodi?

Imagine a world where all your favorite shows, sports, and movies are available to watch anytime, anywhere on a beautiful, slick, state-of-the-art interface — all for free, free, free. Sound like a fantasy? It’s real. Welcome to the wonderful world of Kodi. We think you’re gonna like it here.
Kodi (formerly called XBMC) is a software application, or app, that functions as a media player. It’s free to download and use. Kodi is designed to organize and play all kinds of digital media. You can watch TV shows, movies, live sports, live TV, and other content — plus listen to music and manage your photos. Here, we’ll be covering how to use Kodi to watch TV, sports, and movies.
Kodi is very popular, has been given awards by Lifehacker and others (here’s our Kodi review). You can use Kodi on a PC, Mac, iOS device, Android device, streaming box, Amazon Fire TV, Raspberry Pi, and others. (See the best Kodi TV boxes to stream content on your TV screen.)

Kodi doesn’t come with any content on it. You can put your own content into your Kodi media library, including videos, music, and pictures. You can also use Kodi to stream content from the internet — and this is what you’ll mostly be interested in.
To stream shows, movies, and sports on Kodi, you install Kodi add-ons, which are like the apps on your phone. There is a massive library of Kodi add-ons and plugins you can install — almost all of which are free. You can watch just about any TV show, movie, and live sports event on Kodi with the right add-ons.
Kodi add-ons are divided into two categories: official and unofficial. There are some great official add-ons. But it’s the others, the “unofficial” ones, that are the most popular. Why? Because these are the add-ons that will let you watch all kinds of great content for free. There are third-party Kodi add-ons to watch Netflix, Hulu, HBO, ESPN, BBC, Amazon Prime Video, and much, much more — all for free.

IMPORTANT: What You Need To Know Before Using Kodi

Kodi is an amazing technological achievement. People would be happy to pay for it, so the fact that it’s free makes it all the more special. But Kodi isn’t perfect. It has some real privacy and security risks. So you need to take steps to protect yourself and use Kodi the safe way.
One, hackers and scammers love to target Kodi users. Read more about Kodi’s biggest security issues.
Two, copyright holders, Internet Service Providers, the government, and etc. really hate it when people watch stuff without paying for it and want to stop/punish those who do. In short, you may be tracked and monitored on Kodi. And you do not want to be on the radar of any of these entities.
Then there’s the legal question. Is watching all this free stuff on Kodi legal? Yes… sort of. But it’s also sort of not legal. It’s complicated. For a detailed discussion, see our article Is Kodi Legal? In short, it’s a definite gray area. But what is certain is that streaming free TV and movies on Kodi is something you’re better off doing privately.
So it is highly recommended you take steps to stay safe on Kodi. The way to do this is to use a VPN with Kodi. A VPN will prevent you from being hacked or tracked you while you watch all that awesome free stuff. It will keep your identity hidden, and secure your connection, so nobody can see who you are or what you’re doing.
Not all VPNs have sufficient security and privacy measures, so choose carefully. I personally use NordVPN. It has military-grade data encryption, is super fast, easy to use, and a real deal at only $3.29/month now with their winter/spring offer. It’s a PC Magazine Editor’s Choice 2017-2015 and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. See the table below for some other trusted Kodi VPNs. Or learn more about what to look for in a Kodi VPN.
It’s really easy to set up a VPN with Kodi (done in about 5 minutes). So do that first, if you haven’t already. Then come back here and get started using Kodi safely and anonymously to watch free Netflix, Hulu, Showtime, HBO, live sports, and more. Let’s get to it!

Kodi Quick-Start Guide

How To Install Kodi

First things first — get Kodi installed on whatever device you want to use it on (computer, mobile, gaming system, streaming device, etc.). Is Kodi safe to download? Yes. As long as you get Kodi from the official source, it is completely safe.
Go to http://kodi.tv, Kodi’s official website, and download the Kodi application for your device(s). Then follow the instructions to install it on your Mac or Windows computer, Android or iOS device, Kodi streaming box, etc. Here’s the easiest way to install Kodi on Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick.
Now that you have Kodi (and a VPN), here are the steps you’ll complete to start watching content:

1. Install the Fusion Add-on Installer (This will let you access more add-ons — particularly the ones that will let you watch free content.)
2. Install some add-ons
3. Open an add-on and start watching content

The instructions below have been updated for the current Kodi version 17 ‘Krypton.‘

How To Install Add-On Installer

First, turn on your VPN and connect to any server. Then open the Kodi application. You’ll see the Kodi Home Screen.
You’re going to be installing the Fusion Add-on Installer — an add-on manager and installer tool. Fusion will give you access to a whole suite of add-ons that the default Kodi add-on library (called a ‘repository’) doesn’t include.
Before you can install Fusion, you’ll need to change one of the settings in Kodi to allow third-party add-ons. To do this, go to Home > System (the gear icon) > System settings > Add-ons. Activate ‘Unknown Sources‘ option. You will see a WARNING! message saying that add-ons will have access to your personal data. As long as you’re using a VPN with sufficient security and privacy protection — like one of these — you can proceed.
To install Fusion Add-on Installer, follow these steps:

1. From the Kodi Home Screen go to System > File Manager

2. Select Add Source

3. Select ‘None‘ for the path. Then type in http://fusion.tvaddons.ag and name the source (Fusion). Fusion will now be added to your list of sources.

4. Return Home and go to System > Add-ons. Click the little box icon at the top to open the Add-on browser. Select Install from Zip.

5. A list of sources will appear. Select Fusion, then select begin-here. Finally, select plugin.program.addoninstaller-1.2.9.zip. (The version number may have changed by the time you read this.)

6. A note saying that Add-on Installer is enabled should briefly flash on screen. In some cases it doesn’t start up right away, but if you exit and reopen Kodi it should fix it.

7. Now go to Home > Add-ons > Program Add-ons. Add-on Installer should be listed under installed add-ons. Select it, and it will take you to the add-on library. From there you can browse and choose any add-ons you want to install.

How To Install Kodi Add-Ons (AKA, How To Use Kodi To Watch Free TV, Movies, And Sports)

Once you have Kodi on your device and have added Add-on Installer, it’s time to install Kodi add-ons to start streaming shows, sports, and other content from the internet. This where things really get interesting with Kodi. There are literally thousands of add-ons you can use to watch all kinds of great stuff. Kodi add-ons are what make the platform so popular and powerful.
There are a few different ways to install Kodi add-ons.
Method 1: From the home screen, click Add-ons, then select Download, then Video Add-ons. From here you can browse available “official” add-ons. When you see one you want, click on it, and then click Install and wait for the ‘Add-on Enabled‘ message.
Method 2: Another way is to go to Home > Add-ons > Add-on browser (the little box icon) > Install from repository / Install from zip file / Search.
Below, you’ll see step-by-step help to install add-ons using Add-on Installer (we recommend beginners start here), from a repository, or from a zip file. To use the search function, type the name of an add-on into the search bar (e.g. YouTube). Choose the add-on you want from the search results and hit Install.

How To Install Add-ons Using Add-on Installer (Best For Beginners)

To install add-ons using the Fusion Add-on Installer, follow these steps:

1. Go to Home > Add-ons > Program Add-ons > Add-on Installer

2. Browse the list of add-ons and select one you want (like Exodus).

3. Click Install.

4. Go to Home > Add-ons > My add-ons > All. Find and select Exodus. Click to ‘Enable‘ it. Now you can open the add-on and start exploring.

Which add-ons should you start with? If you get Exodus and 1Channel for TV and movies, SportsDevil and Castaway for live sports, and SALTS to round it out — chances are you’ll have access to everything you want to watch. You can find all of these in Add-on Installer. For more of the top add-ons for TV, sports, and movies, see our list of the best Kodi add-ons in 2017.
One note: Unfortunately many of the most popular sources for TV and movies on Kodi are restricted based on what country you’re in (like Netflix, BBC, ITV, Sky Sports, ESPN, HBO, and many more). The good news is that it’s easy to unblock Kodi add-ons and get access to every geo-restricted content source, no matter where you are.

How To Open And Use Kodi Add-Ons

Now that you have some add-ons installed, it’s time to open them up and start using them (if you haven’t already). To find your add-ons, go to Home > Add-ons and click on one you want. This will open it up and give you access to all its content.
Alternately, go to Home > Add-ons > My Add-ons > All and select from there to enable, configure, update, or open an add-on.
For a third option, go to Home > Add-ons > Video Add-ons and click on one. This will open up a screen with a description of the add-on, and buttons to configure, update, uninstall, or open it.
And that’s it! You can now explore and start watching tons of cool content. (Remember, if you can’t get access to content because of geo-blocks, here’s how to unblock them.)
Below you’ll find some more ways to install add-ons and enjoy Kodi.

How To Install Kodi Add-Ons From A Repository

To install add-ons from a repository (the default Kodi repository or any others you add), go to Home > Add-ons > Add-on browser (the little box icon) > Install from repository.
If you haven’t added any repositories, you’ll automatically be taken to the official Kodi repository. If you have, choose the repository you want look in, or look in all repositories. Choose Video add-ons, find an add-on you want, click on it, then click Install.
I’ll walk you through exactly how to install one in the default Kodi repository: YouTube. To install YouTube, go to Home > Add-ons > Add-on browser > Install from repository.
Select the Kodi repository, then go to Video add-ons. You can now browse and choose add-ons to install. To install YouTube, find it in the list, click on it, then hit Install. Repeat for any other add-ons you want.
An important cautionary note — some Kodi add-ons are legally sketchy, and may put users at risk. In fact, many of the all-time most popular add-ons fall in this category. That’s because these are the ones that let you watch tons of TV episodes, live sports, and hit movies for free when we all know you’re supposed to pay for this content.
We must offer the obligatory “only use sanctioned Kodi add-ons!” advice. But since all that free TV is just too cool, here’s the next best thing — protect your privacy and security on Kodi. Illegal streaming of copyrighted content is not something the feds, or the copyright holders, take lightly. And you just never know how safe these third-party add-ons really are (more about Kodi’s security problems).
For only about $5/month you can use Kodi with a VPN, which will hide your identity, protect your privacy, unblock sources, and keep you safe from all kinds of unsavory sorts and prying agencies.

How To Install Kodi Add-Ons From A Zip File

You can also install add-ons from any zip file, either on your device or one you’ve added to Kodi. Go to Home > Add-ons > Add-on browser > Install from a zip file. Choose the file you want to install.
After you see the “Add-on enabled” message, go back to Install from repository and select the file you just added. You can then browse and install its add-ons.

How To Install Additional Add-On Repositories

Repositories are just big collections of Kodi add-ons. Repositories make it easy to browse all the add-ons available and choose the ones you want to install.
Kodi comes with one repository already on it — the official Kodi add-on repository. There are lots of great add-ons in here. But if you want to broaden your viewing options — particularly to add-ons that will let you stream tons of free TV — you can add other repositories to Kodi.
If you followed the steps above, you already added the Fusion repository. Another good one the SuperRepo repository. It is very well maintained, and has thousands of the best add-ons. SuperRepo, and all the add-ons, are free. Note that some of them are “unofficial” add-ons. So if you’d rather stick to the official library, do not get SuperRepo.
To install SuperRepo, watch the video below, or to https://superrepo.org/get-started/ and follow the written tutorial. It’s very good and will walk you through the entire process.
Note that SuperRepo not only has add-ons, it also has a bunch of other repositories available to install. Click on the Add-on repository menu item to find other repositories you can install to get access to even more add-ons.

How To Use Kodi To Watch Live TV

The process here is the same as outlined above. You just need to install Kodi add-ons for watching live TV.
If you installed Fusion, as outlined above, you can also there for live TV add-ons like SportsDevil, for watching live sports events. Or, from the Kodi home screen, go to Home > Add-ons > Add-on browser > Install from repository / Install from zip file / Search and look for live TV add-ons to install.

There are tons of free live TV and live sports add-ons — but again, be aware of those that are giving away paid content for free and use a VPN for protection if you use third-party add-ons.
Kodi also has Personal Video Recorder (PVR) capability. To set this up, go to System (gear icon) > PVR & Live TV Settings.

How To Use Kodi To Watch Netflix, Amazon Video, And Hulu

You can easily use Kodi to stream Netflix, Amazon Video, and Hulu. All you need to do is install the add-ons for each service.

To watch Netflix on Kodi, use the Flix2Kodi add-on or NetfliXBMC. To watch Hulu on Kodi, use the Hulu Plus or Hulubox add-ons. To watch Amazon Video on Kodi, use the Amazon Prime Instant Video add-on. You can find these by going to Add-ons > Download > Video Add-ons.
If you want to watch free Netflix (Blackmarket Netflix) on Kodi, or free Hulu or Amazon Prime Video, make sure you use a VPN.

How To Install Individual Add-Ons On Kodi

As stated above, using Fusion Add-on Installer is the easiest route for Kodi beginners.
But you might also want to install add-ons individually, so we’ll walk through exactly how to do it. Just about every Kodi user out there will name SALTS as a must-have add-on.
SALTS will give you easy access to countless hours of popular TV shows, just-released movies, and lots more, all for free. Which means — don’t take this lightly! — we strongly recommend getting a VPN for protection before installing it.
Here’s how to install SALTS on Kodi:

1. Go to System > File manager > Add source. Choose None for the file page, then enter the URL http://fusion.tvaddons.ag and name it Fusion or something else that makes sense to you.

2. Go back to Home > Add-Ons > Add-on browser and select “Install from zip file.” Find the file you just added and named, and then select “xbmc-repos.” Click on the “English” file and then select “repository.tknorris.beta-x.x.x.zip.”

3. Once you see the notice “Add-on enabled,” choose Install from repository > Tk Norris Release Repository > Video Add-ons > SALTS. With your VPN turned on, hit Install.

To get any other Kodi add-ons, just use the same process, only choose a different repository or source. The search function is also very handy.

How To Use Kodi To Watch Videos In Your Media Library

After you install Kodi, you’ll see the home menu pop up. From there, you can choose Movies, TV Shows, or Videos to add files stored on your computer or device. You can use Kodi’s search feature to find the videos you want to watch.
Use these same basic steps to listen to music or look at photos with Kodi. It’s a very intuitive platform and will probably feel like an old friend within minutes.

How To Watch Content On Your TV Set With Kodi

Kodi is designed to be used in a home theater environment. You’d probably rather not watch shows and movies and etc. on your device’s cramped little screen anyway. So how do you get all that great content onto your nice big-screen TV?
There’s no single device to use to stream Kodi on a TV. Instead, there are lots of different options, depending on your preferences.
One of the most popular ways is to install Kodi on Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick. Amazon Fire devices are a great match with Kodi because you don’t have to do any hacking or side-loading in order to use Kodi on them.
Kodi works on other Android TV boxes as well. The Xiaomi Mi Box (below) is a popular choice among devoted Kodi users. (See our list of the best streaming boxes for Kodi.) You can also install Kodi on Xbox One and Raspberry Pi to stream content onto a TV, but this can get a bit technical — too complicated for this intro guide.

How to set Pattern Lock on Windows OS

ecurity is the most important thing that most of the people looks for. If you are an android user, then you might be aware of built in Android Lock pattern security. In windows, you have password based lock security. But what if there is a chance to add Android-like pattern lock on windows OS. Sounds good right! In this article, I’ll show you How to set Android Like pattern lock on windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1 using Eusing Maze Lock.

What is Eusing Maze Lock?

Eusing Maze Lock is a free and easy to use tool which enables you to add an android like pattern lock to windows os. With this, you can add an Automatic lock on windows at startup or after a specified time. You can use 3 types of grids (3X3,4X4 or 5X5) in pattern lock. You can set an alert message if the password entered was wrong for specified no.of times. You can also backup your pattern as BMP image.  Maze Lock has a feature to add an image as background for the lock screen. Okay! Let us see How to use Eusing Maze lock.

How to set Pattern Lock on windows os

To add Pattern Lock security on your windows OS, just follow these simple steps.

• First download Eusing Maze lock and install it on your computer. Now you can see Maze lock icon in your system tray at right bottom corner.

• Just right click on Maze lock icon and select Configure (or simply press Windows key +C).

• Now Maze Lock configure window appears. There you’ll see Default lock pattern. Just click on Reset Pattern to reset the current pattern and for adding a new one.

• Now you have to set a new pattern by dragging with your mouse on the grid. By clicking on Backup Pattern, you can save your pattern as a BMP image. But make sure that you save your pattern at a safe place.

• After setting up a new pattern, click on General Tab. Here you have you set Maze lock settings like turning on Autolock at windows startup/after specified time, adding alert text…

• If you want, you can add a Background image for your lock screen. For that click on Background tab and click on Change Image button, upload image and click on ok button.

• You’ve added lock pattern security on your windows OS. Now press windows key + A to open your lock screen and use your newly created pattern to unlock your system.

Blogging vs Vlogging? What is the difference?

Every brand or individual wants to get more visitors to their blog. There are basically two traffic generation strategies blogging and vlogging to generate huge amount of traffic and gain potential customers.

Blogging is all about writing articles and vlogging is all about creating videos.

But the question is what to choose? Blogging or vlogging?

Blogging

Blogging is like an online log, where an author can share his thoughts, experience or whatever he wants to share with his readers about any specific topic.

Advantages of Blogging

1. Easy to set up

It’s very easy to set up a blog. You don’t need extended technical knowledge to create a blog. There are several platforms like WordPress, blogger, Thumblr… making our life simpler for creating a blog.

2. Does not require massive equipment

To create a blog, you need not to have a lot of equipment. All you need to have is A computer and a good internet connection.

Get huge traffic to your site, by using SEO and proper promotion of your content on social networking sites, blog directories … and earn decent amount of money by using Adsence ads, affiliated marketing…

Disadvantages of Blogging

1. Need to know about SEO

SEO is all about ranking a site in search engines. To generate traffic to your blog, you should have good knowledge about SEO. Learn On page SEO and Off page SEO and implement them.

• Use proper title for your blog posts.
• Use High frequency and low competition Keywords in your articles.
• Use images in your blog posts and try to have at least one image for every blog post

  2. Update your blog regularly

  Another thing you must notice here is, you need to update your blog on regular basis. Convert your visitors to regular blog readers by providing them quality stuff that they are searching for via your articles.

  Vlogging

  Vlogging stands for video blogging in which one can share his thoughts or whatever he wants to share with others by creating videos.

  Advantages of Vlogging

  1. Doesn’t require professional writing skills

  Unlike blog, you don’t need professional writing skills to create a vlog.  If you can create quality videos, you will get huge visits with minimal SEO effort and earn money from your videos.

  2. You can get more user engagement

  Generally  people used to watch videos rather than seeing of written stuff. So by creating good vlogs you can get more traffic and more user engagement.

  Disadvantages of Vlogging

  1. Need expensive equipment

  To create a vlog, you need to spend some amount of money for equipment.  You need to have a camera to shoot high-quality video and a professional video editor software like adobe after effects.

  2. Difficult to edit after submission

  We can easily edit blog post after publishing but when it comes to vlogging editing is not an easy job. If you find any mistake in your uploaded video, you need to delete it and edit the original one and again upload the video in your channel. Sometimes editing is difficult, so you may have to re-record the video.

  3. It takes time to vlog

  It takes time to record a video, edit the video and upload the video. You require 2-4 hours for a video. So you must spend some amount of time to create vlog and to become a good vlogger.

  Blogging or vlogging? It’s up to you

  Its depends on your opinion whether to choose blogging or vlogging? If you have good writing skills then go for creating a blog and share your knowledge through your blog articles. If you have good speaking skills then go for Vlogging.
  You can also create a vlog in parallel to blog. Just create a blog and embed video into your articles so that you can get more traffic, more user engagement, and more earnings$$$.