The Fire TV’s support for external storage is great, but it has one major flaw. You cannot move an apps “data” files to external storage. You can only move the app itself. For the case of Kodi, its “data” files include the vast majority of the storage space it uses. Luckily, Kodi supports advanced features which allow you to reassign where it stores its data files. Through these advanced settings, you can move all of Kodi’s data files to external storage. This guide will show you how to move all of Kodi’s data files to external storage, or if you prefer, just Kodi’s thumbnail directory.
Update
10/13/2015 This guide has been updated to work for both 1st-gen and 2nd-gen Fire TVs, as well as for transferring files to either a USB drive or a microSD card. Just be sure to use the commands for your specific device and external storage method.
3/5/2016 If your Kodi settings reset after updating your 1st-gen Fire TV to software version 5.0.5 or greater, follow this guide to restore your Kodi data.
Contents
How to move all Kodi data to External Storage
This method will move all of Kodi’s data files to external storage. Below the guide you will find instructions to undo everything and move the files back to internal storage if you experience too much lag. This can only be done with Kodi v14 or higher.
Pros
- Moves the most possible amount of Kodi files to external storage.
Cons
- May result in noticeable Kodi interface lag depending on the size of your Kodi database.
Guide
- Ensure that your USB drive or microSD card is inserted into your Fire TV, that Kodi is installed on your Fire TV, and that you’ve launched Kodi at least once before proceeding with this guide. It does not matter if Kodi is installed on the Fire TV’s internal storage or on external storage.
- Force stop Kodi on your Fire TV by going to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications, selecting Kodi, and selecting the Force stop option.
- Connect to your Fire TV via ADB.
- Open a Fire TV shell prompt by running the command:
adb shell - Create directories on your external storage where we will move Kodi’s files by running the command:
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 3…mkdir -p /storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 5…mkdir -p /storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a USB Drive…mkdir -p /storage/usbotg/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a microSD card…mkdir -p /storage/sdcard1/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files - Copy Kodi’s files to your USB drive by running the command:
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 3…cp -r /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi /storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 5…cp -r /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi /storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a USB drive…cp -r /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi /storage/usbotg/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a microSD card…cp -r /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi /storage/sdcard1/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/ NOTE: This step may take a long time depending on the size of your Kodi installation.
- Create a blank Kodi configuration file by running the command:
touch /sdcard/xbmc_env.properties - Fill the configuration file by running the command:
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 3…echo xbmc.data=/storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files > /sdcard/xbmc_env.properties
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 5…echo xbmc.data=/storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files > /sdcard/xbmc_env.properties
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a USB Drive…echo xbmc.data=/storage/usbotg/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files > /sdcard/xbmc_env.properties
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a microSD card…echo xbmc.data=/storage/sdcard1/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files > /sdcard/xbmc_env.properties - Launch Kodi and verify everything is working correctly.
- Delete Kodi’s files from your Fire TV’s internal storage by running the command:
rm -rf /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi
Undo Instructions
If you change your mind and want to move Kodi’s files back to internal storage, follow these steps.
- Force stop Kodi on your Fire TV by going to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications, selecting Kodi, and selecting the Force stop option.
- Connect to your Fire TV via ADB.
- Open a Fire TV shell prompt by running the command:
adb shell - Copy Kodi’s files back to internal storage by running the command:
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 3…cp -r /storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 5…cp -r /storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a USB Drive…cp -r /storage/usbotg/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a microSD card…cp -r /storage/sdcard1/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/
Note: This step may take a long time depending on the size of your Kodi installation. - Delete the configuration file that tells Kodi to look for its files on external storage by running the command:
rm -f /sdcard/xbmc_env.properties - Launch Kodi and verify everything is working correctly.
- Delete Kodi’s files from your external storage by running the command:
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 3…rm -rf /storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 5…rm -rf /storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a USB Drive…rm -rf /storage/usbotg/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a microSD card…rm -rf /storage/sdcard1/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi
How to move only Kodi’s thumbnails to External Storage
This method will move only Kodi’s thumbnail files to external storage. Kodi’s thumbnail directory usually takes up the most space out of a Kodi installation. If you prefer not to move all of Kodi’s files, then this method will free up most of the space on internal storage that Kodi consumes.
Pros
- Should not result in as much interface lag as moving all data files to external storage.
Cons
- Only moves part of Kodi's data files to external storage.
Guide
- Ensure that your USB drive or microSD card is inserted into your Fire TV, that Kodi is installed on your Fire TV, and that you’ve launched Kodi at least once before proceeding with this guide. It does not matter if Kodi is installed on the Fire TV’s internal storage or on external storage.
- Force stop Kodi on your Fire TV by going to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications, selecting Kodi, and selecting the Force stop option.
- Connect to your Fire TV via ADB.
- Open a Fire TV shell prompt by running the command:
adb shell - Create directories on your external storage where we will move Kodi’s thumbnail files by running the command:
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 3…mkdir -p /storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 5…mkdir -p /storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a USB Drive…mkdir -p /storage/usbotg/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a microSD card…mkdir -p /storage/sdcard1/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata - Copy Kodi’s thumbnail files to external storage by running the command:
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 3…cp -r /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails /storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 5…cp -r /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails /storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a USB Drive…cp -r /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails /storage/usbotg/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a microSD card…cp -r /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails /storage/sdcard1/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata
Note: This may take a long time depending on the size of your Kodi installation. - Create a blank Kodi configuration file by running the command:
touch /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/advancedsettings.xml - Fill the configuration file by running the command:
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 3…echo \<advancedsettings\>\<pathsubstitution\>\<substitute\>\<from\>special://thumbnails/\</from\>\<to\>/storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails/\</to\>\</substitute\>\</pathsubstitution\>\</advancedsettings\> > /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/advancedsettings.xml
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 5…echo \<advancedsettings\>\<pathsubstitution\>\<substitute\>\<from\>special://thumbnails/\</from\>\<to\>/storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails/\</to\>\</substitute\>\</pathsubstitution\>\</advancedsettings\> > /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/advancedsettings.xml
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a USB Drive…echo \<advancedsettings\>\<pathsubstitution\>\<substitute\>\<from\>special://thumbnails/\</from\>\<to\>/storage/usbotg/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails/\</to\>\</substitute\>\</pathsubstitution\>\</advancedsettings\> > /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/advancedsettings.xml
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a microSD card…echo \<advancedsettings\>\<pathsubstitution\>\<substitute\>\<from\>special://thumbnails/\</from\>\<to\>/storage/sdcard1/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails/\</to\>\</substitute\>\</pathsubstitution\>\</advancedsettings\> > /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/advancedsettings.xml - Launch Kodi and verify everything is working correctly.
- Delete Kodi’s thumbnail files from your Fire TV’s internal storage by running the command:
rm -rf /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails
Undo Instructions
- Force stop Kodi on your Fire TV by going to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications, selecting Kodi, and selecting the Force stop option.
- Connect to your Fire TV via ADB.
- Open a Fire TV shell prompt by running the command:
adb shell - Copy Kodi’s thumbnail files back to internal storage by running the command:
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 3…
cp -r /storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 5…cp -r /storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a USB Drive…cp -r /storage/usbotg/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a microSD card…cp -r /storage/sdcard1/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/
Note: This may take a long time depending on the size of your Kodi installation. - Delete the configuration file that tells Kodi to look for its thumbnails on the USB drive by running the command:
rm -f /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/advancedsettings.xml - Launch Kodi and verify everything is working correctly.
- Delete Kodi’s thumbnails from your external storage by running the command:
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 3…rm -rf /storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails
For 1st-gen Fire TV on Fire OS 5…rm -rf /storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a USB Drive…rm -rf /storage/usbotg/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails
For 2nd-gen Fire TV using a microSD card…rm -rf /storage/sdcard1/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails
@AFTVnews
AFTVnews
Is it same to Xbmc?. B/c i’m using xbmc 13.3, not kodi 14
Nice write-up, saved me half a GB of internal storage. I had previous firmware w/ everything mounted (incl. system)on USB HDD and just upgraded firmware (external drive is from a 160GB PS3, housed in an external USB 3.0 case, works great, btw).
The 51.1.5.0 upgrade was worth it for me, w/o having to worry about having to use the mounttousb script anymore(great work there as well!).
No noticeable lag on the Amazon UI nor Kodi(although that may change with another Kodi skin)…and this is on a physical hard drive not supported by the FTV!
Great scene the AFTV has, many thanks to the devs.
Keep up the great work, nice site!
Is there a way to do all this through the ES file explorer app instead of through ADB command input? Also, what if you already have an advancedsettings.xml file created? I have one for custom cache settings. Much appreciated for taking the time to do this, you rock.
I erased thumbnail folder. Wow can I recover it again?
Just restart Kodi and the Thumbnails folder reappear in userdata.
How can I restart kodi? Only has turn off option in aftv.
Does this require root?
No
thx, i’ll give it a try
Excellent! Thanks!
Nice write up!!! was dreading doing do it from the instruction on XDA…it seemed so tedious….gonna push the whole data to my usb, hopefully it doesn’t lag that much…but one question what if I want to use my back up?
Ever since I have updated to the newest prerooted rom Netflix just gets stuck at 99% and plays audio for the first 5 sec the stops? It worked (mostly) before? with the usual clear cache and restart?
Any suggestions
Thanks
Remove the Netflex app, restart Amazon TV, re-download netflex app and do a sync. I hope this helps.
Thanks I will Try Tonight!
nope same thing 99% and just audio
Force close kodi before running Netflix. I used llama to create an event to force close kodi every time I open Netflix.
Why can’t I run external hard drive and Xbox controller at the same time?
It’s working fine for me, playing Crossy Road with a wireless Xbox controller via the wireless dongle for Windows.
Why this instead of path substitution?
The second method of moving the thumbnails uses path substitution. The first method moves the entire data folder, which can;t be done with path substitution.
Oh, apologies; I saw the shell commands and didn’t think it had to do with advancedsettings.xml! I read them now and understood it better. Thanks!
Thank you for this, saved me 1.5gb and I notice little to no difference!
For those wondering I’m using an old 80gb Intel SSD inside of an old USB 2.0 (and esata) dual drive dock (ThermalTake BlacX Dual), using only first drive slot. All via an old 13 port USB 2.0 Powered Hub I had sitting around!
My only downside is this the Touch-Pad on my Logitech k400r stopped working. Keys are fine but no mouse.
how did you get 1.5 saved, unless you have a lot of add on’s and a lot of thumbnails and cache you’ve never cleared? I did the full data move and it only saved me less than ~800MB’s. I’m about 3.19GB of the full 5.xx of internal storage free.
Running just a 3.0USB 16gb stick and the first run was a little slow, but once i went into the add on’s, the slight speed difference is single digit seconds before it would show up. Other than that, everything works as is. My advance settings still saves to internal storage versus the USB but it’s all good!
Anyone know how to get this to work for SPMC?
Just replace org.xbmc.kodi with com.semperpax.spmc
And wherever u type .kodi change it to .spmc :)
I’m trying to get the path sub for thumbs working using advanced settings, i would use the way you are saying but i have other settings in my advancedsettings.xml so im try to use
/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails/
/storage/extUsb/Kodi/Thumbnails/
But it keeps the thumbs in the original folder i have deleted my thumbs and texture db file but they keep repopulating in the original folder
i previously had my thumbs subed to a folder on my network which worked but this aint so im wondering if the “to” path is wrong
please help
odont know what happened there but my advanced settings are not showing up
from /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails/
to /storage/extUsb/Kodi/Thumbnails/
i successfully moved my thumbnails to my extUsb but not I’m trying to increase my cachemembuffersize. How would i do this if i created the advancesetting.xml through the console. Would it be
echo \\\\special://thumbnails/\\/storage/extUsb/kodi/Thumbnails/\\\
\\104857600\ \ > /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/advancedsettings.xml
i would really appreciate the help
i successfully moved my thumbnails to my extUsb but not I’m trying to increase my cachemembuffersize. How would i do this if i created the advancesetting.xml through the console. Would it be
echo \\\\special://thumbnails/\\/storage/extUsb/kodi/Thumbnails/\\\
\\104857600\ \ > /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/advancedsettings.xml
i would really appreciate the help
Just add this to your existing advancedsettings.xml file:
special://thumbnails/
/storage/extUsb/kodi/Thumbnails/
My file now looks like this:
special://thumbnails/
/storage/extUsb/kodi/Thumbnails/
1
512000000
8
45
3
0
true
Wow, sorry. That didn’t come out right at all.
Is there a way to post formatted code?
Or a way to preview my reply before posting?
This is a test:
[code]
–
–
special://thumbnails/
/storage/extUsb/kodi/Thumbnails/
1
512000000
8
45
3
0
true
[/code]
hello I moved everything to my external hard drive but now when I try to push files using adbfire it say kodi is not installed is there a way around this or fix, thanks
Is anyone having issues with Kodi today?? I clicked on the kodi app that I downloaded on the amazon appstore and it is telling me that it is incompatible. So I downloaded kodi and sideloaded it thru my computer and I am getting the same response.
Hello, will this allow cache zero setting?
thanks
I am trying to do this with SPMC but when typing the copy command I get an error ‘no such file or directory, i am typing ‘cp -r /sdcard/Android/data/com.semperpax.spmc/files/.kodi/userdata/Thumbnails /storage/extUsb/kodi’. Its the existing thumbnail folder that it is saying doesnt exist. I also notice when I FTP into my AFTV it shows the /files/ directory as empty.
Change .kodi to .spmc whenever u find it also.
I am having problems with these procedures and I know it’s my fault. I know how to create folders and move files using esexplorer or pull/push, but I am having trouble creating the Config file without typos. Could someone show me a the contents of the xbmc-env.properties file for moving just thumbnails? I am hoping to just modify/copy this to update all my boxes
Same doubt of Randall. If I entirely move Kodi data to external USB storage, Can I use 0 cache setting to cache video on usb external disk, and finally resolve may buffering issues??
In case of yes, since the data folder is at the usb drive, the video gonna cache there too, if i choose cache zero setting?
Thx.
I also would like to know if this is possible, if I use 0 cache with Kofi installed with this method will the cache be downloaded to my external as well?
Question:
after following the steps to move Kodi to the SD/external drive
Do we also need to select move to usb in the manage all installed application area?
Does anyone know if there’s a way to send files from a PC to Kodi on Amazon Fire TV, USB storage, via WiFi?
Use Amazon fire tv utility app and in the drop down box select ‘push file to download dir’
hi can someone please explain how to do this for spmc using es-file explorer.
Thanks
Method 2 that is :)
anybody help.
I could really use some help with this. I’m running the commands and it doesn’t seem like anything is happening in shell. I’m using abdFire. Should I try a different program?
I would like to do this with TVMC, can someone tell me how to do it please?
Never mind I figured it out.
Can you help me figure it out for TVMC, please?
Guys,
How do you access the USB drive via FTP using ES File Explorer?
I can only see my Fire TV’s local storage with ES File Explorer, but I want to access my USB drive remotely.
Thanks!
Hey I’m trying to transfer my thumbs to usb but im getting permission denied in adb shell. I thought i didnt need to root my firetv? Can anyone help. I’m pretty new to this.
Thanks!
hi, i got the new fire tv with sdcard i tried to do this step to move data to my sdcard but it kodi wont load after this! then i have to undo to internal memory so it work
any suggestions ?
Hello.
Does anyone tried this on the FTV Stick?
My whole video library is on a NAS accessed throug SMB and I would like to store all the cache also there.
Is this possible? Anyone has any ideas?
Thanks in advance
According to the Kodi documentation,
“The specified path must be a local Android file path and not a typical network path. i.e. no “smb://” or “nfs://”. To use a network file path you would need to mount the network share as a local mount, which might require root access on some Android devices.
“
I do the following steps to move Kodi to the SD/external drive. After this kodi does not start.
Do I also need to select move to usb in the manage all installed application area?
I’ve updated the guide to now work for 2nd-gen Fire TVs. Both USB and MicroSD storage. The guide still also works for 1st-gen Fire TVs. Just be sure you run the commands for your particular setup.
If I’m not mistaken, I believe you can enable Remote Manager in ES File Explorer and FTP into the FireTv and complete all of this in Windows Explorer.
I say “I believe” because I use this method as an easy setup tool to move user profiles, advanced settings files and keymaps when I reinstall Kodi. I don’t mind CLI, but I definitely prefer the drag and drop simplicity of the FTP. Not sure if the thumbs folder is protected or not?
Note: I’ve only used this on FireOS 3.
Great guides as always!
One suggestion – Your method for writing to advancedsettings.xml will overwrite any existing advanced settings. This may come as a surprise to people not familiar with linux / adb commands. I nearly did before I realised it’s writing to userdata in my main kodi dir and not the sdcard1 sandbox (I have backups anyway so not a massive issue for me).
Appreciate you want to keep the guide simple, but maybe either warn people or provide both options – e.g. “Here is what to add manually to the file, or use this command if you have never set up the file before as it will overwrite it.”
UPDATE FOR 2ND GEN FIRE TV
9. Reboot Fire TV and Launch Kodi to verify everything is working correctly
(if you dont reboot fire tv 2 will not remount the sd or usb correctly and kodi will crash)
+1 to Ian Sutherlands post above.
I followed his recommendation at stage 9, it worked a treat.
Thanks and thanks to AftvNews for all these great guides!
Just out of curiosity, if I were to move my Kodi installation completely to a micro sd card, will I need to redo my Fire Starter settings and point it to Kodi again?
Will it appear in the Fire Stater settings as it would on internal memory?
Primarily doing this to use cache settings. Anyone with a AFTV2 box find a decent cache setting as of yet?
Help, I am getting alot of errors of the following type when I attempt to cp kodi files to the usb dir I created..I do have a custom build install if that makes a difference.
cp: /storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/addons/script.extendedinfo/resources/skins/Default/media/flags/studios/Zazen Produ��es.png: Invalid argument
cp: /storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/addons/script.extendedinfo/resources/skins/Default/media/flags/studios/Zesp�l Filmowy Oko.png: Invalid argument
cp: /storage/extUsb/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/addons/script.extendedinfo/resources/skins/Default/media/flags/studios/Zesp�l Filmowy Tor.png: Invalid argument
Thanks for this… although failing at the first hurdle it seems…
Trying to create the directories on the SANDISK 32GB USB – i’m getting:
shell@android:/ $ mkdir -p /storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files
mkdir failed for /storage/usbdisk/, Read-only file system
I’ve tried re-formatting the disk to FAT
I’m getting the same error. How do you fix this?
I got the same error as well. I chose to use ES File Explorer to manually create the folders and then skipped to the next step of moving the files to the usb drive.
i had the same error, but then realized that the instructions for AFTVgen1 OS 5 referenced the usbstick directory but my box had the extUsb directory (as though it was OS 3). So I just followed those instructions instead and it worked a charm.
Second the vote to remove the crazy “echo” commands and just replace with the correct xml to copy/paste into a file..
I had the same error, but finally realized that I had turned on USB debugging under System>Developer Options. Once I turned it off I had no problem.
I really like build (TBE) so I gave up and just let the firetv partially my kodi
I accidentally clear the data what could I do to get back my stuff
Got a PNY usb drive for cheap this BF sale. I moved all of the Kodi data to the external drive on the 1st gen Fire TV. When rebooting, Fire TV detected the new usb and gave a message all new apps will be stored in the USB drive. Is this true? I thought the instructions only applied to the Kodi app files and not all new apps downloaded from the amazon store.
The message you received has nothing to do with the steps you followed in this guide. When you have a USB drive connected to a 1st-gen Fire TV, the Fire TV will automatically install some apps you download to the USB drive instead of internal storage. The message you saw is just informing you that that’s the case.
I moved everything to sd card. Should I change the setting in the AFTV under applications move to sd. All the files are on the SD card but sometimes when I start it it starts the version on the fire tv and then if i stop and start it, it starts the version on the sd card.
Hi
I get that too. Followed all the instructions to copy to external SD card and delete local copy, but sometimes when opening kodi, it’s a totally blank version, presumably left hanging around on the internal card that runs. In the application list within the fire tv settings, if I look at kodi, it offers me the chance to move to SD card, which suggests something is still pointing at the internal version.
how can i add more then one build to amazon fire tv ? can i install kodi on seperate Micro Sd card or seperatte USB sticks ? and then just install the build i want on each and when i watch to change between builds i just change micro sd cards or usb sticks ?
I had no problem moving Kodi to my USB on my FireTV1 using the built-in app managing. Works great. It won’t move the data, so thank you for this guide.
thx for the good work… but I have one problem
I used the second option and transferred only my thumbnails to SD card. I used to backup Kodi with adbfire. But when I try to backup now adbfire keeps telling me that the thumbnails could not be found. Even after telling adbfire the new location (sdcard1) it still keeps telling me that it can’t find the thumbnails folder. Is there any solution for this, because I feel a little bit lost without being able to do regular backups.
Thanks for this guide, it works a treat.
I have a question though. When I update Kodi, will it continue to use the data file on the USB drive on will it revert to using the FTV’s built in memory?
If it does revert, how do I fix it, with the data from the previous install still being on the USB drive?
Kodi will continue to use the data you’ve moved to USB after updating.
Abb shell is telling me afther step 8 that sdc Is read only? Please advise.
I ignored the above and all is working oké. The only thing is that sometimes a totally blank Kodi opens. Please advise.
My fire tv updated and now kodi does not seem to be loading from external as I moved all files to a usb drive. I try to make the file pointing to external again but it says that it is read only and cannot makdir
How can you get your downloaded movies to save on as card and not the fire tv box I tried the commands hub in above but it just not working
If you get answer let me know please
Sorry but the above did not work for me. Fustrating
This command:
cp -r /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi /storage/usbdisk/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/
Isn’t copying any files on my first gen FTV running 5.0.5.
I can move thumbnails but new thumbnails write to internal storage. Any way to make the new thumbnails save to external too? Gen 1, 5.0.5.
Any way to get files to save to usb card keep trying but nothing saves
My Kodi 16 only worked after I also copied the .smb folder to the new location.
cp -r /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.smb /storage/sdcard1/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/
Thanks for the guide. Before I had no idea how to solve the memory problem
Thanks for this. Had the same problem until I found your post and moved that folder.
I have a shared DB on a synology NAS that is being used both by FireTV 2nd Gen and FireTv 1st Gen.
Because the External drive is called differently I cannot see the thumbnails in my FireTv 1st Gen since the paths in the Db were made with a scan that run on FireTv 2nd Gen.
Is there a way to create a link to rename the Thumbnails path on fireTv 1st gen to look like FireTv 2nd gen – something like subst in dos ?
I just finished this and it moved all the files to u.s. drive but I think there’s something missing since I ran kodi and it was like a fresh start. Is there something I missed?
I have moved kodi to the SD card on my firetv following the above directions. Here is my issue; When I launch kodi I get a fresh install with no addons or any configuration. I then need to force stop and launch kodi again in order for my skin/config to appear. It doesn’t do it every time but if I let it sit for a while and try to re-launch kodi the fresh/blank install shows again. Does anyone know of a fix our have a similar experience?
I tried the steps to move the data to the microSD card on my 2nd-gen Fire TV and when I try to run Kodi(15.2), the loading screen for Kodi comes up for about 2 seconds and then goes back to the home screen of my Fire TV. I try opening the application again and this time I just get a blank screen and nothing happens. I tried rebooting and that did nothing. I will say that I used Fire TV’s out of the box “Move Data to SD Card” for Kodi prior to doing this, so I’m not sure if that would have any affect on this. Hoping to get some help/advice on this.
Thanks in advance,
Juice
@ Jucie Miller
Go to settings – Applications – Manage Installed Applications – Kodi
– Force Stop
then
– Clear CACHE
****V Important – Dont select CLEAR DATA as this will wipe your Install***
Cheers
Excellent Guide, very useful, worked eventually as had to do some tinkering but that was due to my setup and crappy sd card!
1) If you are getting problems running the adb shell command, go to settings – Developer Options – Enable/Disable ADB debugging a couple of times then run the adb connect (Insert IP Address) then run adb devices and your device should now show as online and will allow you to run the adb shell command.
2) Where the command is used to copy the kodi data over to the sd card, I had multiple failures and the AFTV would say sd disconnected and I would have to reboot the box reconnect adb etc, checked the file location using es file explorer and could see files were being written so ran the copy command again, and again, and again, and again!! finally it got through writing everything, again this down to a crappy sd card, if you get the same issue just re boot the box re connect adb bring adb shell back up and run the copy command line again, repeat as necessary it will work in the end!!!
@ Jucie Miller
Go to settings – Applications – Manage Installed Applications – Kodi
– Force Stop
then
– Clear CACHE
****V Important – Dont select CLEAR DATA as this will wipe your Install***
Cheers
I did tried this but it keeps doing the same thing.
If I just delete the thumbnail directory, will that free up space without harm? My Kodi data file is up to 3.3GB on my 2nd generation AFTV. I did ran an addon for additional fan art a while back and it did too good of a job. I have since disabled and deleted the addon. I have 400mb of internal storage left on my AFTV and the system feels laggy and Krypton 17.5 locks up a lot.
I am hoping by deleting thumbnails, Kodi will regenerate them on the next scrape / update looking for new episodes and movies.
Love this site – would love an article on best practices for periodic maintenance and storage on the AFTV and Kodi. best encoding methods would be great too and knowing what file formats Kodi plays well on the AFTV and what formats to avoid or convert using handbrake. Best hand brake settings would be good too. If I knew this stuff, I’d offer to contribute but I am more confused than ever with the myriad of options
If I follow this guide to move thumbnails, am I better off using a thumb drive vs sd card? Is there a bid speed difference between the two? I have a few 16gb usb3 thumb drives laying around. Also later on can I switch from TD to SD if the speed is too slow?
I have 4tb of tv episodes and around 1tb of movies, and another 5tb of “art films” that I don’t have scanned by kodi’s library.
Thanks. Off to click on a cyber Monday sale link on this site to support Elias.
what is the method for SPMC?
Tried doing both methods on 1st Gen Fire TV (Latest OS), had problems with both.
Moving everything (preferred method), the app wouldn’t launch, undid the changes, launched fine.
Moving data, there were no thumbnails within Kodi, everything was blank. Again, undid the changes and the thumbnail appeared.
The method works flawless on 2nd Gen FireTV with SD card…but I can’t get it to work on my 1st gen. Any ideas?
Didn’t work for me. tried it several times on my Fire TV 2nd gen and it just crashes Kodi every time. It won’t even launch, just gets stuck on a black screen. Even on a fresh install. Even factory reset the Fire TV with no change. Oh well. Works fine on my Fire Stick 2nd gen with USB drive though.
This worked excellent in helping me with my fire stick 2-gen. I was able to clear some space that kodi was taking up and move to a usb attached flash drive. Thank you!
Can this be done with the Fire TV Cube and USB Stick? If so, how?
I was able to get this to work with last year’s stick, but I can’t seem to get it to work with the latest 4K stick….”Permission Denied”
Nevermind…I figured it out. I had to change “/storage/usbotg/” to “/storage/14EE-1D63/” in the command.
Thanks so much. Worked well for me!
This did not work at all. I have a second gen fire tv box,with a 128 gig sd card.This is a scan disk ultra.card not an off brand.I have followed the instructions exactly for what I have. It hasn’t worked at all. I should say it acts as though it transferred all of kodi or I’ve tried just the thumbnails,it acts the same, like transferred but didn’t. I have done it with & with out IPVanish on, no difference.Each time I tried it takes me way too long but I want to make sure that all is typed in properly.DON’T work, VERY upset after eight times trying.
Hi Elias, can you update this for the 4K fire tv stick? Thank you!
+1
FS 4K
I also would like to move the kodi files to external storage. I have tried many ways but no success.
1) Please also provide the solution for my All New Firetv Stick version of amazon.
2)What about moving of Asphalt 8 whole lot of data to the external flash drive. Is there any way around??