How to get Kodi to show up on the Home Screen of a Fire TV or Fire TV Stick

Software update 5.0.5.1 has added the ability for sideloaded apps, like Kodi, to appear on the Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick’s Home screen in the “Recent” list. Some people are finding that, even after the update, Kodi is not appearing on the Home screen. This isn’t because Kodi is being blocked or disabled or anything like that. Here’s how to correct the glitch and make Kodi show up on your device’s Home screen.

This post was updated on October 26, 2017.

The following are several things you can do to make Kodi appear on the Fire TV home screen. You should try them in the order they’re listed on this page. If the first fix doesn’t work, move on to the next one, and then the next one, and so on.

If this page helps you get Kodi on your home screen, please consider supporting AFTVnews through Patreon.

Check your software version

Kodi and other sideloaded apps will only appear on the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick home screen if your device is running software version 5.0.5.1 or newer. Check your device’s software version by going to Settings > System > About, and make sure the Fire TV or Fire TV Stick is on 5.0.5.1 or newer. If you’re not on that version or newer, there’s no point in continuing and trying the next items.

Sync and Restart

Go to the Fire TV Settings area and scroll all the way to the right and select the “My Account” option. Scroll down and select the “Sync Amazon Content” option. Then press Back and select “Device” form the main settings menu. Scroll down and select the “Restart” option. After your Fire TV restarts, wait about a minute before pressing any buttons on the remote so that it has a chance to fully populate the app list.

Have a credit card linked to your Amazon account

If the Amazon account you used to register your Fire TV does not have a billing address and credit card associated with it, apps will not appear on the Home screen or in the Apps section. So, be sure your Amazon Wallet has a valid payment method. (Thanks to Rick in the comments for this tip!)

Kodi & sideloaded apps are at the bottom of the new interface

Starting with software version 5.2.4.0, there is a new Fire TV interface. All sideloaded apps, like Kodi, are usually at the very bottom of the “Your Apps & Games” section after they’re installed. To get to the “Your Apps & Games” section, press and hold the Home button on the remote and select the “Apps” shortcut. Scroll all the way down to see if Kodi is at the bottom. If it is, simply highlight it and press the menu button on your remote. Then select “Move to front” from the set of options that appear in the lower right corner of the screen. If it is not at the bottom, look for it mixed in somewhere among your other apps on the list.

Launch Kodi from Fire TV interface

There are several ways to launch apps through the Fire TV interface. You should try launching Kodi all ways in hopes that the Fire TV registers it as a recent app and adds it to the Home screen.

If you have the new interface (v5.2.4.0 and newer):
Scroll down the home screen to the “YOUR APPS & GAMES” row. Then scroll all the way to the right and select “SEE ALL.” Now scroll through this list until you find Kodi and launch it. Kodi will probably be at the very bottom. You should also go to the Fire TV’s settings section, scroll to Applications, down to Manage Installed Applications, then find Kodi and launch it from there.

If you have the old interface (v5.2.2.0 and older):
Scroll down to the Apps sections of the main Fire TV interface and launch Kodi from there. If Kodi is not in your Apps section, it’s okay, just continue with this step. Next, while on the Home screen, double press the Home button on your remote to bring up the App drawer and launch Kodi from there. Lastly, navigate to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications and launch Kodi from that list.

Add Kodi as a Favorite app (v5.2.2.0 and older only)

Usually, if Kodi isn’t appearing on the Home screen, it also doesn’t appear in the Apps section. But, if Kodi does appear in the Apps section only (and you’ve verified your Fire TV is on version 5.0.5.1 or newer), then try marking Kodi as a favorite app in the Apps section. Then launch Kodi and see if it appears on the home screen. (Thanks to scofield27 in the comments for this tip!)

Delete Kodi from your Amazon purchase history

Check your personal Amazon app library and delete Kodi if it is one of the apps on the list. To see your app library list, click here or select “Your Android Apps & Devices” from the account menu on Amazon.com. If Kodi is on the list, click the “Action” button next to Kodi and select to delete the app. Then, go to your Fire TV’s Settings > My Account menu and click the Sync Amazon Content option. Then restart your Fire TV and, once the Fire TV is back up and running, launch Kodi and see if Kodi shows up on the home screen.

Clear Amazon’s Appstore app data

On your Fire TV, go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications and find the Appstore app. Select it and then select the Clear data option and then the Clear cache option. Then restart your Fire TV and, once the Fire TV is back up and running, launch Kodi and see if Kodi shows up on the home screen.

Deregister and register your Fire TV

Go to Settings > My Account > Amazon Account and then select Deregister. This will log you out of your Amazon account on the Fire TV or Fire TV Stick. Then you just need to log back in with the same account. Doing this will not uninstall any of your apps or clear any of your app data. If you’ve blocked updates on the device, they will remain blocked. After logging back in, restart your Fire TV and, once the Fire TV is back up and running, launch Kodi and see if Kodi shows up on the home screen. (Thanks to Trevor in the comments for this tip!)

Uninstall and Reinstall Kodi

Uninstall Kodi by going to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications and selecting Kodi from the list and then choosing the Uninstall option. Then sideload Kodi back onto your device using any method you want. Remember that uninstalling Kodi will delete all of your Kodi settings, plugins, and data, so you may want to backup Kodi first. After reinstalling Kodi, restart your Fire TV and, once the Fire TV is back up and running, launch Kodi and see if Kodi shows up on the home screen.

If you’re rooted, try installing Fire OS version 5.0.5.1

If your Fire TV is rooted with TWRP custom recovery installed, you could try installing pre-rooted ROM version 5.0.5.1. The reason for this is there is explicit code in that version that deliberately places Kodi on the Home screen after the OS installs. If your Fire TV is on version 5.2.1.0 or newer, it is safe to downgrade. You can always re-install a newer pre-rooted ROM after this step. Be sure Kodi is already installed before installing pre-rooted ROM version 5.0.5.1.

Factory reset your Fire TV

If you’ve done everything above and Kodi is still not appearing on your device’s home screen, the only thing left to try is factory setting your device. Before doing so, be sure you’re aware of what factory resetting means. After factory resetting, you will need to go through the initial setup process again, where your device will try to download the latest update, so if you’re rooted or trying to avoid an update, be sure you’re prepared. Also, don’t forget to re-block updates afterwords, if that’s something you’ve done, because a factory reset will re-enable updates. Obviously, after factory resetting, you will need to reinstall Kodi. You perform a factory reset by going to the Settings > System menu and selecting the Reset to Factory Defaults option. Or by following this guide if you’re rooted. After you’ve reset your device and reinstalled Kodi, if it still does not appear on the Home screen, follow this guide again from the start.

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133 comments
  1. FormerYooper says:

    Does the same apply for TVMC as opposed to KODI?

  2. Trevor says:

    Without going as far as deleting kodi I was able to de-register my stick and then register it again with the same email account and the icon appeared.

  3. spcdust says:

    Another method that worked for me and others is to simply De-Register your AFTV device and then simply Re-Register. You may need to Re-Sync your Apps followed by a Re-Boot. But you won’t loose any Apps that you previously had installed including Kodi.

  4. scofield27 says:

    What worked for me for me is to go to “apps” then pick kodi and click on “add to favorites” , then launch kodi from there and when i got out the icon was there in recent.

    • AFTVnews says:

      Thanks! I’ve added that suggestions.

    • Jeff Davis says:

      where did you see add to favorites at? I cant find it anywhere so far. This is maddening ;)

    • Jessica says:

      Kodi is not appearing in my apps. If I type it in ” search” the word Kodi will appear and show a number for movies, videos, and music, but I’m looking for the Icon. Can you help me please.

      • Holly says:

        The only way way i could figure it out was by doing this:

        Start at the Amazon Home Screen

        Scroll over to Settings

        Scroll over to Applications

        Scroll down to Manage Installed Applications

        Scroll down and you will see the Kodi symbol

        Click on the Kodi symbol and it will take you to the page.

        But I as well have to go through all that to have it under my apps. Goodluck

  5. Rick says:

    Another reason why the icons won’t load is if your Amazon account does not have a proper billing address and credit card on file. A friend of mine had this issue and I couldn’t understand why the icons wouldn’t work for him.

    After further review, turns out that he created a free Amazon account, but never added a credit card. Using this type of account on the AFTV, he wasn’t allowed to install any apps, the Apps sections or Library would be completely empty and the Home/Recent section was also blank.

    The minute he added billing details, the icons loaded accordingly after reboot.

  6. Robert says:

    When I used the Llama hack with the previous Fire OS, I could add 300×300 pixel icons for Kodi and other sideloaded apps to the image cache directory. This image quality was on par with the other icons in the Recent menu. However, the 5.0.5.1 OS uses low quality thumbnails for the sideloaded apps. Has anyone figured out a way to change this so that the feature looks more consistent with other images?

  7. William Hughes says:

    I had to delete Ikono TV app from Amazon site because at one time that was the sacrificial app I used when I setup Brother-in-Laws Fire TV stick via Llama. It took me awhile to figure out what was wrong but deleting Ikono TV worked.

    • Mick says:

      This is the one that worked for me. As soon as I removed the old Kodi and Ikono TV apps from Amazon Store then it all worked correctly and Kodi now appears in Apps list on the stick.

  8. Robert says:

    Here’s the Kodi 16.0 Jarvis stable version with a blue 300×300 pixel icon. Tested and works. Make sure you have deleted previous versions, removed low res icon from recent menu, and correctly set up your audio panel:

    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8L-LCq1__heRjh1eHJhZFNTb0k

    • TROJAN4EVR says:

      Thanks!!!

    • sunrise495 says:

      Thanks. Understand what needs to be done. I don’t understand the comment regarding the audio panel??? Why do I want to change the default settings??

      Thanks again!

      • Robert says:

        Dolby Digital 5.1, AAC 5.1. and DTS audio through an optical connection to AVR work correctly with this version of Kodi. Just make sure you have the advanced system audio section set correctly with 2.0 channel, enable pass through, DTS receiver, and transcoding checked.

        • sunrise495 says:

          Dumb question… Can I ignore this setting if I am not using an optical connection, i.e. HDMI into a sound bar, or HDMI directly into a TV? I others words, I will not hear a difference if I am using HDMI out?

          • Robert says:

            Yes, you may ignore and just use default. But if you use HDMI to a receiver with multiple speakers, ensure you have AC3, DTS, pass through, and transcoding checked. Unfortunately, although this enables full enjoyment of Kodi, most of its streaming content is 2.0 stereo due to bandwidth.

    • sunrise495 says:

      Looks fantastic! You the man!
      Thanks

    • sunrise495 says:

      How is the res. for the icon in the new 16.1 release? Is it 300×300? If not, could you please perform your magic again?

      Much appreciated.

  9. mGuest says:

    So this only works if I had purchased the app as long as it was available in the store?

    • Itzme says:

      I wonder that too, since i sideloaded mine just a few months back when that got easy to do. Is there a more specific method for those who sideloaded?

  10. kim says:

    When I register the account under a dummy account it is now insisting to put credit card info in and also insists that its a new account and not one used already…did they change this to one device per dummy account or no more dummy accounts?

  11. You can use any account as long as it doesn’t have to many devices already listed . Second you must enable one click buying no credit card need just a billing address
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=468628

  12. Adam says:

    I set up a dummy account no CD info on it and everything works. I given this out to baby if my friends it’s still working. If kodi didn’t appear on the home screen. Go to settings and applications then installed apps. Then it will be in there. Click it and then it well now appear on the home screen.

  13. Adam says:

    I sent no credit card info.lol

  14. Joe D says:

    It’s important to note you need to launch Kode (or SPMC in my case) from either Amazon’s app launcher or the Settings -> Manage Apps method.

    If you launch it from FireStarter it will never appear on the recent list.

    I ended up doing everything listed above (besides a factory reset) and had noticed it was showing on the list of apps at some point, but not recent apps. But I kept running it from FireStarter. First time I ran it from the Amazon launcher it showed up immediately in Recent. Wish I thought about that sooner.

  15. Shudson8472 says:

    So im now have the Upgrage version 5.0.5.1 for myAmazonFireTv Gen1
    and my sideloaded Apps are being displayed in the apps section
    and also in the recent section, for example Firefox, Mediahhh TV (sideloaded version, as the original in the Amazon store stopped working)
    without having to add them to the favorite app.

    But unfortunatley Kodi15.2/16 doesnt show in the apps section or when I launch it the old way it doesnt show in the recent section, so I tried all the methods above but none of them worked, the last option was to reset the FireTV back to the factory setting, basicly putting it back in its original state.

    I then transfered Kodi 16 to the FireTV, I use the Sideloader app on my ios device and then launched the app the old original way and
    then shut it down, and Kodi was displayed in the Apps section and also
    in the recent section, I reset my FireTV and tried to launch Kodi from the recent section and Yes Kodi now works, Super!!!

    I then added back Firefox and a couple of other sideloaded apps and they all appear in the apps section and also in the recent section.

    I then transferd Mediahhh TV to the FireTV and as before launced it the old way and then closed the app, I was then expecting it to also
    appear in the Apps and recent section, but its noware to bee seen,
    I then tried a few of the methods mentioned above, deregister and register, clear app store data, coundnt add as favorite as it is not displayed in the apps section. I dont really want todo a Factory reset again, so im at a loss why Mediahhh TV doesnt display on the FireTV home screen, but on the bright side Kodi does…

  16. RgnKjnVA says:

    At last! I’m not sure how I missed this article but I finally have the Kodi launcher available in Apps. The thing that worked for me was clearing the AppStore data and cache then restart. w00t!

  17. scott alexander says:

    my fire tv just deregister itself, anyone happened before?

  18. David. says:

    deregistered/re-registered AFTV, Kodi appeared in recent list, all was well. However something happened and it disappeared. I De/Re-registered and it appeared again. Maybe some spurious event like a random power-off corrupted the settings – seems that I might need to re-register every time this happens in future…

  19. Thomas says:

    Thank you soooo much! The tipp to delete/clear the data of the AppStore works for me!

  20. Tee says:

    Anyone having an issue with firebox not powering on. Before I loaded kodi it would”wake” when I hit any button , now I have to hit back and select

  21. Ryan says:

    I went through every step in the post and none of them worked for me on my AFTV1. I went back to FireStopper and interestingly enough that appears in my apps but not Kodi. I’ll continue to use FireStopper.

    • drizzt09 says:

      2 weeks ago my fire stick on 5.2.0.1 stopped showing Kodi.not in recent and not in apps.
      Tries every trick including a full reset and reinstall… still not there.
      my 4k box had update to 5.2.0.1 a week before that but still had the kodi icon in recent… yesterday it disappeared. I have tried everything again (except reset and reinstall) on the list to get it to work. still not working.

      Installed firestopper and it will have to do for now. Not impressed.

  22. Christian Manuel says:

    i got the newer version on my ftv and still kodi not showing up on my screen. tried all the steps above but still no dice.

  23. tas says:

    Has anyone figured this problem out.I have tried all the above and nothing works.5.2.0.1 Just disappeared and wont come back.Help

  24. Lisa says:

    THANK YOU! This was driving me insane. What worked was “Clear Amazon’s Appstore app data”. Finally!

  25. Tamaz Gamkrelidze says:

    “Delete Kodi from your Amazon purchase history”

    worked just great
    Thanks !

  26. victoria junaid says:

    Having trouble with fire stick! When starting from home I go to Kodi to Videos to any apps on Kodi my list of movies is showing but half on left can’t be seen. How do I solve this issue? Thank you

  27. Remon says:

    Kodi was not showing up on rooted 5.2.1. Not in recent and not in Apps. I tried all options until “Unregistering”.

    Then I tried to delete all recent apps. Just go to Recent and use the “Remove from Recent” option until you cannot do it anymore.

    Then do a reboot and Kodi magically appeared in my Apps section! After running it Kodi appears in the Recent section also! Happy!

  28. Dejalisco70 says:

    I just updated my software on my Kodi TV and it added the icon to my home screen

  29. Erich says:

    This step: “Delete Kodi from your Amazon purchase history”, worked perfectly for me. Thanks!

  30. Catman says:

    “Delete Kodi from your Amazon purchase history”…..Please help!
    Where is it? in my amazon account? or on device? Sorry can’t find it.

  31. Amie says:

    I have Kodi installed on my Fire Stick, but when I click the app it says it is not associated to my amazon account. How do I ‘associate’ it?

  32. mad dog says:

    clearing the Amazon AppStore did the trick. Thanks!!!

  33. Jeannie says:

    Deleting Kodi from my Amazon account did not work.
    Uninstalling and reinstalling Kodi did not work.
    Clearing app store data and cache did not work.

    What worked was deregistering and reregistering the device.

    Thanks for the tips!

  34. guri says:

    kodi is installed successfully on fire tv but i cant control the app with my firetv remote. i dont know what to do

  35. kodiviewer says:

    Yes, i cleared the cache and data of the appstore, i removed kodi from my purchase history, deregistered and reregistered the device, re-synced the app, and i restarted the stick, and finally i got kodi on the homescreen. I don’t know which one made it to appear, but definitely one of them worked.

  36. leann says:

    Thank you so so much. I had unregistered an old account and added a new one and couldn’t find kodi. Thanks to you I did!!!

  37. sharon hargreaves says:

    Finally 5 hrs trying to get icon on homescreen of firestick cleared data then cache and there it was like magic Thank you

  38. chad says:

    Thank you so much for posting this guide! So nice to finally have a Kodi shortcut back after what feels like forever.

  39. Larry Wright says:

    Thanks so much for the solutions presented here! After hours of frustration, deleting KODI from my App history — a “purchase” made a long time ago and since forgotten — did the trick! Thanks again for all the wonderful tips your site brings.

  40. Gagag says:

    Thanks. I think clearing my AppStore cache and data did it for me (after deleting the app from my account via amazons website)

  41. kashmiri says:

    “If the Amazon account you used to register your Fire TV does not have a billing address and credit card associated with it…” Nope, billing address is sufficient, no payment info is needed.

  42. sdk says:

    “Delete Kodi from your Amazon purchase history”
    And also if shared from the family library.

    But that was the hint I needed. Thanks ;)

  43. Eiliko says:

    I just bought the fire tv gaming edition and I can get it to load via es
    But will not show up on recents or app on the firetv
    The fire tv is running 5.0.3
    Any ideas ? Tia

  44. Jan Gatzke says:

    Tried this with SPMC an it is working like a charm. Thx allot.

  45. Jan says:

    Kodi appears in recents, but says anavailable

  46. Aaron Henley says:

    Hi there,

    I have gone on ‘manage applications’ and kodi is not in there at all? Just the standard apps on setting up. Please could someone help me to get it back on my fire TV stick.

    Would be greatly appreciated.

  47. Aaron Henley says:

    It also isn’t showing on my ES Explorer?

    • E says:

      Go to that link on your phone then go to the app then save it to your google drive
      Then go to es and access your drive and install the firestopper app

  48. Jan says:

    Hi. My problem is the Lodi icon is visible but just won’t open in any way what so ever.

  49. Bobby says:

    please help once I’ve installed kodi on my firestick it says “this app is not associated with the amazon app” any advise on what I should do?

  50. Sally says:

    yes same problem here – it states this app is not associated with your amazon account, I’ve tried all the suggestions over a period of 4 hours :(

  51. Sebastian says:

    Nothing helped except loggin out an in again.

    Thank you so much!

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  53. Tony S says:

    Top Man!
    I had to remove Kodi from the App Store apps then reaync apps. That didn’t work so I then de-registered and re-registered the Fire Stick. It worked, BIG thanks

  54. CKarim says:

    I’m using the remote app on my phonend as lost the fire stick remote….I get the home screen up easy and can navigate my way around the stick but when I try to go into Kodi it says the app is not connected to my Amazon account.Help??? Don’t understand all this registering and deregistering…can someone give me step by step instructions what I need to press on my phone/remote and what I need to go onto on the stick please?

  55. Milly Ramos says:

    On the Home screen use your Fire TV remote and scroll down to Your Apps & Games.
    Right click your remote’s large circular button until you get to “See All,” then select it.
    Next, find the Kodi app but don’t click on it. Instead, click on the button with the three horizontal lines on your remote while hovering over it.
    remote options
    You should see a few options to choose from on the lower right-hand side of your TV screen. You can “Move,” “Move to front,” or “Uninstall” the Kodi app.
    App Options
    If you want Kodi at the front of your Apps & Games list, click “Move to front” Otherwise, click on “Move” and you’ll get the chance to place Kodi where you’d like it to appear in the list.

    Hopes this helps

  56. Jason says:

    I updated my Kodi from 16 to 17.3 and wasn’t able to have Kodi appear in the recent section. I tried everything possible and the ONE thing that worked was deregistering and deregistering my account. Thank you so much, I was going crazy. Lol

  57. benjamin speight says:

    it a good fire stick

  58. ben speight says:

    it a good fire stick

  59. ben speight says:

    it a good fire stick the bet one i got. and the bet one i seen

  60. ben says:

    bet one i seen and the bet one i had

  61. Colin says:

    I went through all the above stages after many many hours I did force stop Kodi – clear data / cache then at this point physically pulled the fire stick out waited 20 secs put back in – launch Kodi and up it came

  62. mike says:

    thank you it was driving me nuts, i did everything including deleting and reinstalling kodi and nothing worked but then i read here deregister device then sign back in and there was the kodi app in my home screen

  63. Ian Davis says:

    I can’t say how pleased I am to have found this page not seeing the Kodi shortcut in my recent apps was driving me insane.

    I eventuality found it lurking when using the “See all” and then quickly moving it to the front using the options menu.

    Thank you so much

  64. R says:

    This worked for me.
    Clear Amazon’s Appstore app data
    On your Fire TV, go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications and find the Appstore app. Select it and then select the Clear data option and then the Clear cache option. Then restart your Fire TV and, once the Fire TV is back up and running, launch Kodi and see if Kodi shows up on the home screen.

  65. Roy says:

    Firestopper works best for me.

  66. South Carolina Girl! says:

    After installing Kodi 17.6 if you do not see it on your Amazon fire TV home page. Click down with the Alexa Voice remote until you see “Your Apps & Games” then stroll all the way to the right and click on “See All.” When you see the Kodi app highlight it then click the the options button (=) and you have a choice to Move, Move to front, More Info or Remove from Cloud. I moved it to the front without changing anything else. Hope this helps!

  67. Amanda says:

    A big THANKS TO YOU! I’m having to learn all this on my own from scratch and without y’alls help, support, and easy, step by step tutorials and instructions, I wouldn’t have been able to install kodi by myself this morning, easily & quickly, while drinking my coffee, without 1 problem.
    But then later on when I couldn’t find my kodi icon in my recent apps, I was kinda puzzled. So I go back to y’all and it walked me straight through each step, in order, untill I found the step that fixed my glitch. My kodi app icon was at the bottom of my apps page, thankfully. Also, y’all taught me something new I didn’t know about, my fire t.v. remote, that holding down the home button was a settings shortcut. That shortcut is extremely handy to know. I appreciate your
    shared knowledge that helps so many of us get setup and running even though you don’t have to! Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday!Thank you for everything! Merry Christmas & God Bless ✔♥

  68. puppinoo says:

    What worked for me: I tried most if not all of the above solutions. The only one worked (Fite TV Stick 2 with blocked updates) was to delete Kodi from my Amazon account anbd restart the stick.

    Thanks.

  69. Jaffo says:

    Clearing the Appstore data/cache worked for me. Thanks!

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