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Stremio Setup Guide - Complete Tutorial & Documentation

Search & Discover

Stremio offers powerful search and discovery tools to help you find exactly what you want to watch. This guide covers all the ways to search for content and discover new favorites.

Search Basics

Steps

  1. Access Search

    • Click the search icon (🔍) in top navigation
    • Or use keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+F (desktop)
    • Search bar appears at the top

  2. Enter Search Terms

    • Type movie/show title, actor, or director name
    • Partial matches work (e.g., “Breaking” finds “Breaking Bad”)
    • Search across all installed add-ons

  3. View Results

    • Results appear instantly as you type
    • Organized by relevance
    • Shows posters, titles, and basic info

Search Tips

Effective Searching:

  • Exact Titles: “The Shawshank Redemption” works best
  • Keywords: “space opera” finds sci-fi shows
  • Actors: “Leonardo DiCaprio” finds his movies
  • Genres: “cyberpunk action” finds relevant content
  • Years: Include year for specific versions
Tip

Search results come from all your installed add-ons. More add-ons = more comprehensive results.

Advanced Search Features

Search Filters:

  • Type: Movies, TV Shows, or both
  • Genre: Filter by specific genres
  • Year: Release year range
  • Rating: IMDb/TMDb rating filters
  • Language: Content language

Search History:

  • Previous searches saved
  • Quick access to recent searches
  • Clear history in settings

Browse & Discover

Catalog Browsing

Steps

  1. Access Catalogs

    • Click “Discover” tab
    • Browse different catalog categories
    • Each add-on provides its own catalogs

  2. Popular Catalogs

    • Trending Now: Currently popular content
    • Top Rated: Highest rated movies/shows
    • New Releases: Recently released content
    • Genres: Action, Comedy, Drama, etc.

  3. Navigation

    • Scroll horizontally through categories
    • Click “See All” for full category view
    • Infinite scroll for more content

Content Discovery

Discovery Features:

  • Continue Watching: Resume partially watched content
  • Recently Added: New content in your library
  • Recommendations: Based on your viewing history
  • Similar Content: Related movies/shows
  • Trending: What’s popular right now

Seasonal & Thematic Collections

Special Collections:

  • Holiday Movies: Christmas, Halloween content
  • Award Winners: Oscar, Emmy winners
  • Classics: Timeless movies and shows
  • Documentaries: Non-fiction content
  • Anime: Japanese animation
  • Kids Content: Family-friendly material

Add-on Catalogs

Understanding Catalogs

What Are Catalogs?

  • Content organized by categories
  • Provided by individual add-ons
  • Different add-ons offer different catalogs
  • Can be movies, shows, or mixed content

Streaming Add-ons:

  • Netflix: Official Netflix catalog
  • Disney+: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars
  • HBO Max: HBO original content
  • Amazon Prime: Prime Video catalog

Aggregator Add-ons:

  • Torrentio: Multiple torrent sources
  • Jackett: Torrent indexer integration
  • Prowlarr: Meta-search for torrents
  • Debrid Services: Real-Debrid, Premiumize

Metadata Add-ons:

  • IMDb: Internet Movie Database
  • TMDb: The Movie Database
  • Trakt: Social tracking and lists
  • Letterboxd: Movie community

Install multiple add-ons to get comprehensive catalogs covering different types of content and sources.

Filtering & Sorting

Filter Options

Steps

  1. Access Filters

    • In any catalog or search results
    • Click “Filter” button (funnel icon)
    • Expand filter options

  2. Available Filters

    • Genre: Multiple selection possible
    • Year: From/to date range
    • Rating: Minimum IMDb/TMDb score
    • Language: Audio/subtitle languages
    • Quality: Available video qualities
    • Type: Movie, TV Show, or both

  3. Apply Filters

    • Filters combine (AND logic)
    • See result count update
    • Clear individual filters or all at once

Sorting Options

Sort By:

  • Relevance: Best matches first (search only)
  • Popularity: Most popular content
  • Rating: Highest rated first
  • Release Date: Newest or oldest first
  • Alphabetical: A-Z or Z-A
  • Recently Added: Newest additions

Sort Direction:

  • Ascending/Descending: Change sort order
  • Toggle: Quick reverse sorting

Recommendations & Discovery

Personalized Recommendations

Steps

  1. How It Works

    • Based on your viewing history
    • Analyzes genres, actors, directors you like
    • Improves as you watch more content

  2. Access Recommendations

    • “For You” section in Discover tab
    • Personalized suggestions
    • Updates regularly

  3. Improve Recommendations

    • Rate content you watch
    • Add to favorites
    • Complete series/movies
    • Use Trakt integration for better data

Similar Content Discovery

Find Similar:

  • From Content Page: “Similar” or “More Like This”
  • Based On: Genre, cast, director, themes
  • Cross-Platform: Works across different add-ons

Trending & Popular

Trending Content:

  • Daily/Weekly: What’s hot right now
  • By Region: Country-specific trends
  • By Platform: Popular on specific services

Advanced Discovery Techniques

Using Multiple Add-ons

Steps

  1. Strategic Add-on Selection

    • Install complementary add-ons
    • Different add-ons for different content types
    • Balance quality vs. quantity

  2. Add-on Combinations

    • Streaming + Torrent: Legal + comprehensive
    • Metadata + Content: Better info + sources
    • Regional + Global: Local + international

  3. Catalog Management

    • Enable/disable specific catalogs
    • Prioritize preferred add-ons
    • Update add-ons regularly

Search Operators

Advanced Search:

  • Quotes: “exact phrase” for precise matches
  • Minus: -term to exclude words
  • OR: term1 OR term2 for alternatives
  • Wildcards: * for partial matches

External Integration

Third-Party Tools:

  • Trakt Lists: Import curated lists
  • IMDb Watchlist: Sync with IMDb
  • Letterboxd: Movie recommendations
  • TVTime: TV show tracking

Search Troubleshooting

Common Issues

No Search Results:

  • Check add-on installation and status
  • Verify internet connection
  • Try different search terms
  • Update add-ons

Poor Results:

  • Install more comprehensive add-ons
  • Check add-on configuration
  • Clear search cache
  • Try alternative search terms

Slow Search:

  • Reduce number of active add-ons
  • Check connection speed
  • Close other bandwidth-heavy apps
  • Use specific filters to narrow results

Performance Optimization

Speed Up Search:

  • Selective Add-ons: Enable only needed add-ons
  • Quality Over Quantity: Fewer, better add-ons
  • Cache Management: Clear old cache data
  • Network Optimization: Stable, fast connection

Best Practices

✅ Do:

  • Use specific, descriptive search terms
  • Install a mix of streaming and torrent add-ons
  • Regularly update add-ons for new content
  • Use filters to narrow down results
  • Rate content to improve recommendations
  • Explore different catalogs regularly

❌ Don’t:

  • Rely on a single add-on for all content
  • Use overly broad search terms
  • Ignore add-on updates
  • Skip filtering large result sets
  • Watch without rating content
  • Stick to the same catalogs

Privacy & Search

Search Privacy

What Stremio Tracks:

  • Search terms (for improving results)
  • Popular searches (anonymous)
  • Add-on usage patterns

Privacy Controls:

  • Incognito Mode: No search history
  • Clear History: Remove past searches
  • Analytics Opt-out: Disable usage tracking
Warning

Search terms may be sent to add-on providers. Use VPN if privacy is a major concern.

Sources: