The official plugins can be installed and enabled directly from Kodi. On the other hand, unofficial add-ons can be installed through different sources or repositories that you will have to add manually or through ZIP files that are available for download.
Let's see how to install any repository in Kodi
1. How to install Addons in Kodi 16 (Jarvis)
Let's see how to install them in Kodi 16, both for official and non-official Addons.
1.1. Installation of official Kodi Addons
Let's talk about how you can install official Kodi add-ons like YouTube, Dbmc for Dropbox, Vine ... etc. These are the steps to do it:
1 Go to Settings-> Add-ons or also Settings-> Add-ons if Kodi is in Spanish. Here, click on "Install from repository" . Then click on "Kodi Add-on Repository" .
2 Here you will find different types of Addons categories, the interface, subtitles and more.
3 Click on a type of add-on, for example, click on video add-ons and then on a plug-in of your choice. Give it to Install . After the add-on is downloaded, you will receive a notification that the add-on is already enabled.
Once you have installed the add-on, you will find it in its respective section. For example, YouTube will be available on the Videos -> Add-on page .
Although there are a lot of official supplements, there are also many unofficial ones that make Kodi even more worthwhile. Let's see how we can install these third-party add-ons.
1.2. Installation of unofficial Kodi Addons
Some of Kodi's best unofficial add-ons are part of repositories like Fusion, Xfinity, Superrepo and more. Therefore, we will first see how you can install a repository in Kodi.
To install a repository, you will have to add your source and each source comes with its own unique link, which you can easily find through a Google Search. For example, let's show you how you can install the Fusion repository:
1 Go to System -> File Manager and double click on "Add Source / Add Source" .
2 Enter the original Fusion link, which until now had been "http://fusion.tvaddons.ag" and also enter the name of the repository you prefer.
Note : Keep in mind that the links of the different sources change every so often, so you will have to consult the active links to add a source.
3 Now, go to Settings-> Addons and click on "Install from ZIP". Here you can check the sources you have added. Click on "Fusion" or on the name that you have given to the source. Next, check out the various repositories and add-ons available.
4 We recommend that you first install the Add-on Installer from the "start-here" folder, since it brings a series of very interesting add-ons that you can install. To install an Addon or a repository, just click on it. Once the Add-on installer is installed, you will see a notification. In addition, you can also install a repository from the "xbmc-repos" directory .
5. To install an add-on from a repository, simply click on "Install from Repository" and go to the repo where you want to install the add-on.
Different sources have names of different styles for their add-ons and repositories, but most of them define very well the add-on to install, so you should not have problems to know its usefulness at a glance. Once you have added several repositories, you can go to the options of the Music, Videos or any other section. Click on "Get more / Get more " to see all the add-ons available to install from the official and unofficial repositories.
Some add-ons are also available as ZIP files on your website. So you can download them and then install them from the option to install from a ZIP file.
Also say that some unofficial Kodi add-ons do not work at times due to geographical restrictions. In that case, you can always use VPN applications or services.
2. How to install Addons in Kodi 17 (Krypton)
Let's look at the method to install the official and unofficial add-ons in Kodi 17 Krypton to improve Kodi's functionality. The process described below refers to the desktop version of Windows, but should not be different for Mac or Linux users, as long as they are running this version.
In case you are using Kodi on your television, use the navigation buttons on your remote control to move from one option to another. Press "Accept" to choose an option and the "Back" button to move to the previous page. If you are on a PC, press "Enter" on your keyboard to choose an option and "Backspace" to return to the previous page.
2.1. Installation of official Kodi Addons
Configuring Kodi may seem a little complicated for some users the first time because of all the options and functionalities that Kodi offers to more advanced users, but once you have downloaded and installed Kodi from the official website, you will see that you get official Kodi addons It is one of the easiest things you can do. Follow the following steps to start:
In the main menu, place the mouse cursor over the "Add-ons" menu item, which will be highlighted automatically and then display several options.
Now move the mouse over "Install from a repository (Install from repository)" and click to go to the next group of options.
The screen on which you are now shows a series of categories from which you can choose , so you can choose between accessories related to music, movies, videos, time or anything else. As an example for this article, we are going to add a video add-on. We will use this example for the rest of the process.
Scroll through the list on the right using the mouse scroll wheel or the keyboard direction keys (up / down) until you find the channel you want. Let's try to install the CollegeHumor Addon for Kodi.
Once you have found the preferred option, click on it. Then you will see the screen with installation tab at the bottom right.
Now you simply click on the option "Install (Install)" and, after a few seconds you will receive a message saying that you have correctly installed the Addon You can always repeat the process to install any add on your device. As you can see in the image below, we have a few aggregates, such as Vimeo.
While the installation of add-ons to the official Kodi repository is very simple, not all add-ons or add-ons available for Kodi are in the official repository. To download and install add-ons that have not yet been approved by Kodi or the XBMC Foundation for one reason or another, you will need to look elsewhere. You can do it from third-party repositories or from ZIP archives that are available online, but be careful, since installing some of them may be illegal.
2.2. Installation of unofficial Kodi Addons
Downloading unofficial Kodi plug-ins from third-party repositories is not very different from the method described above, but it is a process that we can divide into two steps. The second part of that process is almost identical to the method described above, but to get to this point, you will need to first install unofficial third-party repositories , which can be confusing for beginners. To obtain new repositories you will need to adjust the configuration a bit. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do the whole process.
The first thing you have to do is enable the installation from "unknown sources" . you must follow these steps
Go to the main menu and select the option "Settings (Settings)" by clicking on the icon with a gear that you can see in the upper left panel.
On the next page, click on "System Settings"
In the "Addons" section of the left panel, make sure that the option " Unknown sources" is activated. The option is disabled by default for privacy and security reasons, but you must activate it in order to install add-ons from outside the official Kodi repository.
Now let's see how the installation of third-party repositories or individual Addons from ZIP files works. You are now ready to download and install unofficial add-ons in Kodi. You can add third-party repositories that come with dozens of Addons or simply add individual add-ons separately.
For the purpose of this article, we will install a well-known repository called "SuperRepo", which has access to more than 2,000 Addons that will give you a lot of free content. However, as a legal warning, we have to remind you that some of the Addons that you will find in third-party repositories are a copyright infringement, so you will have to be careful with what you do. To avoid legal problems, be sure to protect yourself with a VPN connection before you start using these repositories.
To download SuperRepo or any other third-party repository such as Aeres or Mighty Duck, you will have to go to "Main Menu" -> "Settings" as described in the previous section. However, instead of selecting "System Settings" on the next page, click on "File Manager".
On the next screen, double-click on "Add Source" in the menu on the left.
In the pop-up window that you will see, double-click "<None> (<None>)" .
Now you will be asked to write the exact path of the third-party repository you are trying to install. As we are trying to install SuperRepo, we will have to enter the address of SuperRepo, whose address is "http://srp.nu" . Copy and paste the URL and click "Accept (OK)" . Remember to remove the quotes from the URL.
Now type a name to begin using the repository. You can write, for example, SuperRepo. Now click on "Accept (OK)" .
That is all. Now that you have SuperRepo installed on Kodi, you can now repeat the process for virtually any third-party repository you want to add. You can install add-ons from the official repository of Kodi, SuperRepo or any other repository that you have installed,
However, you still have to install the Addons. Now that you have SuperRepo on your system, you need to know how to install add-ons. They are available in ZIP file format, so you will have to look for them in the repository.
To install SuperRepo add-ons, go to the Main Menu and click Addons in the left panel. You will reach the next screen, in which you will have to click on the Addons icon in the upper left corner.
Double-click on "Install from ZIP file (Install from ZIP file)" .
In the screen that you will see, choose "SuperRepo" the name that you have decided to give to the repository before.
Click on your version of Kodi, which we assume is the Kodi 17 Krypton, although it could be another and this guide is perfectly valid.
In the resulting screen, click on "All (All)" , and you will be presented with an option to download the ZIP file , which is what you have been waiting for all this time.
In our case, we have downloaded a small ZIP file with thousands of add-ons, all of them free.
The installation will take a few seconds and, once finished, you will see a small pop-up notification window in the upper right corner of the Kodi window. In this way you will know that everything has gone well. SuperRepo will now be visible when you choose the option "Install from the repository (Install from repository)" , from the "Main Menu -> Addons" section . Next, you can install add-ons or Addons of the repository in the same way described in the first section of this guide.
You can also install individual Addons in the same way, as long as you know the exact download address of the ZIP file.
3. Summary: Install official and unofficial Kodi Addons
Kodi is one of the best options if you want to get rid of cable connections. Netflix, Amazon Prime and other subscription-based platforms offer you a robust collection of programs, series and movies, but what Kodi puts on the table is hard to beat, no matter where you look.
While some of the old addons and repositories are dying, we are already starting to see different versions of them created by other users, with new repositories appearing frequently. Kodi is undoubtedly the platform for open source streaming par excellence .