Sometimes Jellyfin gets confused. It might download the poster for the 1982 version of "The Thing" when you actually have the 2011 prequel. Fixing incorrect metadata is very simple.
Overview
Jellyfin relies on databases like TMDB and TheTVDB to identify media. If your folder structure is slightly off, or if there are multiple movies with the exact same name, it might make a mistake. You can force Jellyfin to correct itself in just a few clicks.
Step 1: Identify the mismatched movie
First, you need to find the movie or show that has the wrong poster or title.
Log into the Jellyfin web interface on your computer (it is much easier to do this on a desktop than on a TV).
Navigate to the movie or show that is incorrect.
Click on the poster to go to the movie's detail page.
Step 2: Using the "Identify" tool
The "Identify" tool tells Jellyfin to search the internet databases again, but allows you to give it specific hints.
On the movie's detail page, click the 3-dot menu icon at the top right.
Select Identify from the dropdown menu.
A popup window will appear with search fields for Name and Year.
Correct the Name if it is misspelled, and enter the exact release Year of the movie.
(Optional but guaranteed fix): Open a new tab, go to TMDB, search for your movie, and copy the ID number from the URL (e.g., for Inception, the URL is /movie/27205-inception, so the ID is 27205). Paste that into the "TheMovieDb Id" field in Jellyfin.
Click Search.
Select the correct movie from the search results that appear, and click OK. Jellyfin will instantly update the poster, title, and synopsis.
💡 Tip: If the Identify tool returns zero results, ensure your LocalNode has active internet access, and verify the movie actually exists on TMDB.
Step 3: Manually editing metadata
If it's a home video, a highly obscure documentary, or you just want to change the title to something custom, you can edit the text manually.
On the movie's detail page, click the 3-dot menu icon.
Select Edit Metadata.
Here you can manually type in whatever Title, Sort Title, Overview, and Release Date you want.
Scroll to the bottom and click Save.
Step 4: Changing posters and backdrops
If Jellyfin has the correct movie but you just don't like the poster it chose (e.g., it picked a poster with foreign text), you can swap the image.
On the movie's detail page, click the 3-dot menu icon.
Select Edit Images.
To search the internet for alternatives, click the Search icon (magnifying glass) at the top of the screen. Select the poster you prefer.
To upload your own custom poster, click the + button, select "Primary" for the image type, and upload a JPG or PNG from your computer.
⚠️ Warning: If you find yourself constantly having to use the Identify tool, it means your files are not named correctly. Renaming the files to match the Movie Title (Year).mp4 format is a much better long-term solution.
