Plex & Jellyfin8 min readβ€’Updated on October 2026

Plex & Jellyfin Naming Conventions: The Definitive 2026 Guide

Stop library mismatches forever. Learn how to format movies, TV shows, multi-episode files, specials, 4K/HDR metadata tokens, and subtitle sidecars.

SD
Simon DerocheAuthor & CineRename Creator

Table of Contents

1

The 3 Golden Rules of Media Organization

Before looking at file patterns, media servers like Plex and Jellyfin require strict physical directory separation. Mixing movies and TV shows in the same root folder is the single most common cause of scraper failure.

Rule 1: Always use dedicated root folders (`/Movies` and `/TV Shows`). Never point a single library at a mixed parent directory.

Rule 2: Every movie must live inside its own directory named `Movie Name (Release Year)`. This allows you to store local extras, posters, and subtitle sidecars cleanly.

Rule 3: Avoid special characters like colons, question marks, or slashes. Replace colons with a space-dash-space ` - `.

Avoid (Mismatch risk)
/Media/Avengers.Endgame.2019.1080p.mkv
Recommended (100% matched)
/Movies/Avengers - Endgame (2019)/Avengers - Endgame (2019).mkv
πŸ’‘ Dedicated movie folder with release year in parentheses guarantees a 100% accurate match on TMDb.
Pro Tip: Append TMDb/TVDB ID Tags

For movies with common names or frequent reboots, you can append {tmdb-19995} or [tmdbid-19995] to the folder name. Plex and Jellyfin will match the exact title instantly without heuristic guessing.

2

Movies: Custom Editions & Multi-Versions (4K vs 1080p)

When you own both a Director's Cut and a Theatrical version, or want separate 4K HDR and 1080p SDR streams, formatting determines whether Plex/Jellyfin stacks them or lists them separately.

For Editions (Plex Pass / Jellyfin): Use the `{edition-Cut Name}` tag at the end of the filename. Plex will treat it as a distinct entry with independent watch history.

For Multi-Versions: If you want Plex to stack identical cuts of different resolutions under a single poster with a 'Play Version' picker, place them in the same folder with resolution tokens at the end.

Custom Editions Example (Separate Entries)
/Movies/Blade Runner (1982)/
β”œβ”€β”€ Blade Runner (1982) {edition-Director's Cut}.mkv
└── Blade Runner (1982) {edition-Theatrical Cut}.mkv
Multi-Version Example (Stacked under single poster)
/Movies/Inception (2010)/
β”œβ”€β”€ Inception (2010) - 1080p SDR.mkv
└── Inception (2010) - 4K HDR10.mkv
3

TV Shows: Standard Seasons, Multi-Episodes & Specials

TV show naming requires a strict two-digit season and episode format: `sXXeYY`. Single digits (like `s1e1` or `1x01`) frequently fail or trigger parsing bugs in modern scrapers.

Season Folders: Must strictly be named `Season 01`, `Season 02`, etc. Do NOT include the show name in the season folder name (avoid `Breaking Bad Season 1`).

Multi-Part Episodes: If two episodes are merged into a single video file, chain the episode numbers with a hyphen: `s01e01-e02`.

Specials and Extras: All specials, pilot episodes, interviews, and OVAs must be placed in `Season 00` (or `Specials`) and named `s00e01`, `s00e02` based on TheTVDB specials tab.

Avoid (Mismatch risk)
/TV/Friends/Season 1/Friends 1x01.avi
Recommended (100% matched)
/TV Shows/Friends (1994)/Season 01/Friends - s01e01 - The Pilot.mkv
πŸ’‘ Proper show folder with release year, Season 01 directory, and standard s01e01 numbering.
Avoid (Mismatch risk)
/TV Shows/Doctor Who/Christmas Special 2005.mkv
Recommended (100% matched)
/TV Shows/Doctor Who (2005)/Season 00/Doctor Who - s00e05 - The Christmas Invasion.mkv
πŸ’‘ Specials must use s00eXX and match TheTVDB Season 00 listing.
4

Subtitle Sidecars & MediaInfo Technical Tokens

Subtitles stored alongside video files (sidecars) must follow strict ISO-639 language codes. If your subtitle file name doesn't match the video file stem, Plex and Jellyfin will fail to link them.

Format: `VideoBasename.[LanguageCode].[forced|default].ext` Examples: - `Breaking Bad - s01e01.en.srt` (English standard) - `Breaking Bad - s01e01.fr.forced.srt` (French forced for foreign dialogue) - `Breaking Bad - s01e01.es.default.srt` (Spanish default stream)

In CineRename, MediaInfo tokens are generated dynamically from deep file inspection, letting you include exact technical properties without manual typing: `{resolution}`, `{dynamic_range}`, `{video_codec}`, `{audio_codec}`, `{audio_language}`.

Recommended CineRename TV Pattern with MediaInfo
{show} ({year})/Season {season:00}/{show} - s{season:00}e{episode:00} - {title} [{resolution} {dynamic_range} {audio_codec}]
Zero-Effort Automation

CineRename automatically downloads matching subtitles from OpenSubtitles, normalizes language codes, and renames sidecars simultaneously with the video.

Frequently Asked Questions

While Plex can often parse dots (e.g., Breaking.Bad.S01E01), space-dash-space ' - ' is the official standard. Using clean spaces prevents media servers from mistaking words for release groups or codecs.
Stop manual renaming

Apply these conventions in 1 click with CineRename

CineRename natively integrates these exact folder structures, resolves multi-episode files, downloads subtitles, and watches your incoming folders 24/7.

Download CineRename FreeExplore Pro Features
Next guide β†’NAS Media Organization