What's the most reliable format for TV episodes?

S01E01 is the most universal and is understood by Plex, Kodi and Jellyfin.

Why add the year for movies?

The year reduces ambiguity between remakes and identical titles, improving posters/metadata matching.

How to bulk rename a library?

Use a bulk rename tool: import a full folder, match against databases, review, then apply rename in batch.

How to rename files for Plex, Kodi and Jellyfin

Name: RenameFlow
Rating: 4.8 (150 reviews)
Author: RenameFlow

Plex, Kodi and Jellyfin rely on file names and folder structure to identify content. This guide covers simple conventions + common mistakes.

Movies: title + year

For movies, the year is a strong signal: it helps disambiguate remakes and improves matching. A folder-per-movie structure is often more reliable.

Movies/
  Dune (2021)/
    Dune (2021).mkv

  The Matrix (1999)/
    The Matrix (1999).mp4

TV shows: S01E01 + season folders

The S01E01 format is the most universal. Keep each season in a dedicated folder to reduce errors.

TV Shows/
  Breaking Bad/
    Season 01/
      Breaking Bad - S01E01 - Pilot.mkv
      Breaking Bad - S01E02 - Cat's in the Bag....mkv

Anime: numbering + specials

Anime sometimes use different numbering (specials, OVAs, season 0). Using S00E01 for specials usually works well.

Anime/
  Attack on Titan/
    Season 01/
      Attack on Titan - S01E01 - To You, in 2000 Years.mkv

    Specials/
      Attack on Titan - S00E01 - OVA 1.mkv

Common mistakes to avoid

Naming 'Episode 1 final.mkv' without S01E01
Mixing multiple series in the same folder
Forgetting the year for ambiguous movie titles
Putting quality/codec in the middle of the title if it breaks matching

Bulk rename with RenameFlow

Ideal workflow: import a full folder, match (TMDB/TheTVDB/AniDB), review results, then apply bulk rename. If you're comparing tools, also check RenameFlow vs FileBot.