Emby Windows

Emby for Windows is a modern app, built for Windows 10, 11 and later. It can be download from here: Emby for Windows. Since Emby Windows is a native app, it allows support for a much wider range of codecs and formats, which enables direct play support for most kinds of video files.

  • Emby for Windows can be used alongside remote control from either your phone or web browser so that Emby is ideal for an HTPC connected to your TV.
  • Emby for Windows can play just about any type of media thanks to Emby Server transcoding, however since this is on a Windows platform, chances are you will be using direct play most of the time. If you would like to learn how to prepare your media for Direct Play, read below
Note

To be able to take full advantage of all that Emby Windows for Windows has to offer you will need an valid Emby Premiere key, read more here: Emby Premiere

Emby in the Microsoft Store

Emby Windows is available in the Windows Store:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/emby-theater/9nblggh4t70l

This app runs on:

  • Windows Desktop
  • Xbox One - all models
  • Xbox Series X|S

Setup Guide

Install the app from the Windows Store, the app will then automatically find your local Emby Server(s). If it cannot find your server or you are attempting to connect to a remote server, the app will present you with options to connect manually or use Emby Connect.

Direct Play Media Formats

Emby Windows can direct play a wide range of media formats thanks to Windows broad codec support.

Best Practices for Direct Play

Leave the app's streaming bitrate setting on the default value of Auto, if possible. The app will perform bandwidth tests with your Emby Server to determine the maximum playable bitrate.

  • If you are customizing the bitrate setting, then you will need to compare the bitrate of your files to the bitrate setting in the app. You can find the bitrate of a file by checking the media info in the web interface. If the bitrate of a file is higher than the setting in the app, transcoding will be required. Increasing the bitrate setting in the app can help reduce transcoding, but may impact playback performance if your network connection is not fast enough to handle it.