Language & Regional Settings
Stremio supports multiple languages and regional variations for metadata, allowing you to enjoy content in your preferred language with localized information.
Understanding Language Settings
Stremio has two types of language settings:
- Interface Language: The language of the app itself (menus, buttons, settings)
- Metadata Language: The language of content information (titles, descriptions, posters)
Metadata language often depends on your installed metadata add-ons and their data sources. Some add-ons provide better multilingual support than others.
Changing Interface Language
Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Steps
- Open Stremio
- Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top-right
- Select General from the sidebar
- Under Interface Language, choose your preferred language
- Restart Stremio to apply changes
Android & Android TV
Steps
- Open Stremio
- Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines)
- Go to Settings
- Tap Language
- Select your preferred language
- Restart the app to apply changes
iOS & iPadOS
Steps
- Open Stremio
- Tap Settings (gear icon)
- Select Language & Region
- Choose your preferred language
- Restart the app to apply changes
Metadata Language Settings
Metadata language is primarily controlled by your metadata add-ons, particularly Cinemeta (built-in) and TMDb-based add-ons.
How Cinemeta Handles Languages
Cinemeta pulls metadata from The Movie Database (TMDb) and tries to match:
- Your interface language (if available)
- Original language (as fallback)
- English (as secondary fallback)
Example:
- Interface set to Spanish → Attempts to show Spanish titles and descriptions
- If Spanish not available → Shows original language
- If original not available → Shows English
Configuring Metadata Language
Steps
- Set Interface Language (as described above)
- Install language-specific metadata add-ons:
- Search the add-on catalog for your language
- Examples: “TMDB ES” (Spanish), “TMDB FR” (French), etc.
- Priority: Newer installed add-ons take priority
- Verify: Search for content and check metadata language
Regional Content Variations
Content often has regional variations:
Title Variations
Different regions may have different titles for the same content:
Examples:
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (UK) vs. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (US)
- Zootopia (US) vs. Zootropolis (UK)
- Anime: Japanese vs. English vs. Romanized titles
How to handle:
- Search using the original title + year
- Use IMDb ID for exact matches
- Install region-specific metadata add-ons
Poster & Artwork Variations
Posters can differ by region:
Solutions:
- RPDB (Rating Poster Database): Choose preferred poster region
- Visit ratingposterdb.com
- Configure regional preferences
- Install in Stremio
- TMDb regional settings: Some TMDb add-ons support region selection
Content Availability
Content availability varies by region due to licensing:
Stremio shows what metadata is available globally, but actual streaming availability depends on your add-ons and location. Some content may not be accessible in your region through legitimate sources.
Language-Specific Add-ons
Finding Add-ons for Your Language
Steps
- Open Add-ons page in Stremio (puzzle piece icon)
- Search for your language code:
- “ES” for Spanish
- “FR” for French
- “DE” for German
- “IT” for Italian
- “PT” for Portuguese
- “RU” for Russian
- “AR” for Arabic
- “ZH” for Chinese
- “JA” for Japanese
- “KO” for Korean
- Install relevant metadata and streaming add-ons
- Test with a few titles to verify language
Popular Multilingual Add-ons
TMDb Add-ons:
- Support multiple languages
- Based on The Movie Database
- Usually named “TMDB [Language Code]”
Regional Catalogs:
- Country-specific content catalogs
- Examples: “French Cinema”, “Korean Drama”, “Bollywood”
Subtitle Add-ons:
- OpenSubtitles: Massive multilingual subtitle database
- Subscene: Alternative subtitle source
- Language-specific add-ons: “Spanish Subtitles”, “Arabic Subs”, etc.
Subtitle Language Settings
Subtitles are separate from metadata language:
Setting Default Subtitle Language
Steps
- Open Settings → Player
- Find Subtitles section
- Set Default Subtitle Language to your preference
- Toggle Auto-select subtitles if you want them on by default
Installing Subtitle Add-ons
Steps
- Go to Add-ons page
- Search for subtitle add-ons:
- “OpenSubtitles”
- “Subscene”
- Language-specific subtitle add-ons
- Install your preferred add-on
- Subtitles will appear in the player when available
See Player Settings: Subtitles & Audio for detailed subtitle configuration.
Audio Track Language
For multilingual content with multiple audio tracks:
Selecting Audio Language
Steps
- Start playing content
- Click the audio icon in the player controls
- Select preferred audio track:
- Original language
- Dubbed versions (if available)
- Audio descriptions (if available)
Default Audio Preference
Steps
- Go to Settings → Player
- Find Audio section
- Set Preferred Audio Language
- Stremio will auto-select matching audio when available
Regional Content Discovery
Browsing Regional Content
Many add-ons provide region-specific catalogs:
Examples:
- “Top Movies in [Country]”
- “Popular TV Shows in [Region]”
- “New Releases in [Language]“
Using Filters
Some add-ons support filtering by:
- Language
- Country of origin
- Genre + Region
- Year + Region
Troubleshooting Language Issues
Wrong Metadata Language
Problem: Content shows in wrong language despite settings.
Solutions:
Steps
- Verify interface language is set correctly
- Install metadata add-ons for your language
- Clear cache (Settings → Advanced → Clear Cache)
- Restart Stremio
- If persistent, uninstall/reinstall problematic add-ons
Mixed Languages
Problem: Some content in correct language, some in wrong language.
Solutions:
- This is normal—not all content has translations
- Install more language-specific metadata add-ons
- Use original language as fallback
- Report missing translations to TMDb
Subtitle Language Not Available
Problem: Can’t find subtitles in your language.
Solutions:
Steps
- Install more subtitle add-ons
- Check OpenSubtitles add-on (largest database)
- Try alternative subtitle sources
- Contribute subtitles to OpenSubtitles.org
Content Not Found in Your Language
Problem: Searching in your language doesn’t find content.
Solutions:
Steps
- Search using the original title
- Use IMDb ID instead of title
- Include the year in your search
- Switch to English temporarily for searching, then switch back
Best Practices
✅ Do:
- Set both interface and metadata languages
- Install language-specific add-ons
- Use IMDb ID for accurate content matching
- Test with multiple titles after changing settings
- Report missing translations to upstream sources (TMDb)
❌ Don’t:
- Install too many metadata add-ons (can cause conflicts)
- Expect all content to have perfect translations
- Forget to restart after changing language settings
- Mix multiple regional add-ons for the same language
Contributing Translations
Help improve Stremio’s multilingual support:
Contribute to TMDb
Steps
- Create account at TheMovieDB.org
- Browse to content needing translations
- Click Edit → Translations
- Add translations for your language
- Changes sync to Stremio within 24-48 hours
Contribute to OpenSubtitles
Steps
- Create account at OpenSubtitles.org
- Upload subtitle files for missing content
- Make available to all Stremio users
Translate Stremio Interface
- Stremio welcomes interface translations
- Contact the Stremio team via Reddit or official channels
- Help make Stremio accessible to more users
Language Codes Reference
Common ISO language codes used in Stremio:
| Language | Code |
|---|---|
| English | EN |
| Spanish | ES |
| French | FR |
| German | DE |
| Italian | IT |
| Portuguese | PT |
| Russian | RU |
| Arabic | AR |
| Chinese (Simplified) | ZH |
| Japanese | JA |
| Korean | KO |
| Hindi | HI |
| Turkish | TR |
| Dutch | NL |
| Polish | PL |
Related Resources
- Metadata Explained - How metadata works
- Player Settings: Subtitles & Audio - Subtitle configuration
- Metadata Add-on Setup - Installing metadata add-ons
- Fix Wrong Posters/Titles - Correct metadata issues
Sources: