Complete setup guide

This guide takes you from nothing to watching your own movies on your phone or TV.

You do not need to know about computers. Follow the steps in order. Do one step at a time. Take your time.

The first time, it takes about 30 to 60 minutes.

No laptop? Use an Android phone as the server. See Use an Android phone as the server.

No router? Use a phone hotspot. See Use a phone hotspot instead of a router.

Before you start

How LocalFlix works

[Your laptop]  LocalFlix is running here. The movies are here too.
      |
      |   same Wi-Fi at home
      |
[Phone / Tablet / TV]  Open LocalFlix here and watch.

Your movies stay on your laptop.
LocalFlix runs on the laptop and shares the movies on your home Wi-Fi.
Your phone, tablet or TV opens LocalFlix like a web page.
The laptop must be on, and LocalFlix must be running, while you watch.
Nothing goes to the internet. You do not need an account.

What you need

Item	Notes
A Windows laptop	Windows 10 or Windows 11. It stays on while you watch.
Your movie files	MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV and similar files
A phone, tablet or TV	It must use the same Wi-Fi as the laptop
Internet	Only for the setup, to download the free programs
About 1 GB of free space	For the programs LocalFlix needs

How to read this guide

Text in a grey box is either something you type or an example of what you will see. The words just before the box tell you which one. When you must type it, type it exactly as shown, or copy and paste it.
You should see: tells you what the screen looks like when the step worked.
If it does not work: tells you what to do when it did not.

Words used in this guide

Word	What it means
PowerShell	A window where you type a command and press Enter. It is already on your laptop.
Command	A line of text you type in PowerShell to ask the laptop to do something.
Folder address	The text that shows where a folder is. Example: `C:\Users\Anna\Documents`
Router	The box from your internet company that makes your Wi-Fi.
IP address	The number address of a device on your Wi-Fi. Example: `192.168.1.33`
Firewall	The part of Windows that protects your laptop. It can block other devices.
Administrator	A special mode in Windows. A few steps need it.

Quick checklist

Use this list to see where you are. Each line is a step in this guide.

Learn these things first

Many steps use PowerShell. You will open it in three different ways. Read this part once. You can come back to it later.

A. Open a normal PowerShell window

Press the Windows key on your keyboard.
Type PowerShell.
Press Enter.

A window opens, blue or black, with some text. You can type here.

B. Open PowerShell in the LocalFlix folder

Most steps need this one. It opens PowerShell already inside the LocalFlix folder.

Open the LocalFlix folder in File Explorer (you will get this folder in Step 2).
Click the address bar at the top of the window. This is the long box that shows the folder address.
The address turns blue. Type powershell and press Enter.

A PowerShell window opens. The first line in the window ends with the name of your LocalFlix folder. I call this "PowerShell in the LocalFlix folder".

On Windows 11 you can also right-click an empty place inside the folder and choose Open in Terminal.

C. Open PowerShell as administrator

Only Step 7 needs this.

Press the Windows key.
Type PowerShell.
Right-click Windows PowerShell. Choose Run as administrator.
Windows asks "Do you want to allow this app to make changes?". Click Yes.

The window title says "Administrator". This window starts in a different folder, so Step 7 shows you how to go to the LocalFlix folder.

How to type and paste in PowerShell

To run a command: type it, then press Enter.
To paste text you copied: right-click inside the window. You can also press Ctrl+V.
After you press Enter, wait. When the window shows a new line that ends with > and the cursor blinks, the command is finished.
To stop a program that is running: click the window, then press Ctrl+C.

Step 1. Install Python

Python is a free program. LocalFlix needs it to run.

Open your web browser and go to https://www.python.org/downloads/
Click the big yellow button to download Python. A file downloads.
Open the downloaded file. It is in your Downloads folder.
Follow the screens.
- If you see a box called Add python.exe to PATH, tick it. It is at the bottom. This is important.
- If you see a button called Install or Install Now, click it.
- If a question asks you to press Y or says "Install", say yes.
Wait until it says it is finished. Click Close.

Python now has two kinds of installer. The new one is called "Python install manager". The old one is a normal installer window. Both work for LocalFlix. You can use the one you get.

Now check that it worked. Open a new normal PowerShell window (see A above) and type:

py --version

You should see: something like Python 3.14.2. Any number that starts with 3.10 or higher is fine.

If it does not work:

Windows says it does not know py: close all PowerShell windows and open a new one. A window that was already open does not see the new program.

Still not working: run the Python installer again. If it has the box Add python.exe to PATH, tick it.

Step 2. Get LocalFlix

I put the server in its own small ZIP file, so you do not need to download the whole project.

Open the latest release page in your browser.
Scroll down to Assets. Click LocalFlix-Server.zip. A ZIP file downloads.
- Do not use the green Code button on the main page. It gives you the whole project, with the TV app source and other files you do not need here.
Open your Downloads folder. Right-click the ZIP file. Choose Extract All.
Windows asks where to put the files. Click Browse and choose a place you will not delete, for example your Documents folder. Click Extract.

You now have a folder called LocalFlix-Server. This is your LocalFlix folder. Open it.

You should see: files such as localflix.py, README.txt and requirements.txt, and folders such as lf and static.

If it does not work: if you only see one more folder called LocalFlix-Server inside, open that one. The LocalFlix folder is the one that has localflix.py inside.

When I publish a new version, download the new ZIP the same way. Copy the file config.json from your old folder into the new one if you want to keep your settings.

Do not move or rename this folder later. Some settings are saved inside it.

Step 3. Install the parts LocalFlix needs

LocalFlix uses a few small free parts. This command downloads them. You need internet for this step.

Open PowerShell in the LocalFlix folder (see B above).
Type this and press Enter:

py -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Many lines appear. Wait until they stop. It can take one or two minutes.

You should see: the last line says Successfully installed and some names.

If it does not work:

A yellow message about a new version of pip is not a problem. Ignore it.

Red text and the word error: check that you have internet and try the same command again.

Windows says it does not know py: go back to Step 1.

What these parts do:

Part	What it does
`flask`	Runs LocalFlix. It is required.
`waitress`	Makes LocalFlix faster and steadier
`charset-normalizer`	Reads subtitle files in other languages correctly
`zeroconf`	Lets iPhone, Mac and Windows open `http://localflix.local:8080`

Step 4. Install ffmpeg

ffmpeg is a free helper program. LocalFlix can work without it, but I strongly suggest you install it. With ffmpeg:

LocalFlix makes poster pictures from your videos.
LocalFlix can change a movie that your TV cannot play (for example AVI or WMV files) so that it plays.

This step has many small parts. Go slowly.

4.1 Download it

Open https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds/releases/tag/latest in your browser.
Scroll down to the list of files. Find the file called ffmpeg-master-latest-win64-gpl.zip.
Click the file name to download it. It is a big file, about 180 MB. Wait for it to finish.

If it does not work: if you do not see the file, click Show all assets at the bottom of the list.

4.2 Put it in the right place

Open your Downloads folder. Right-click the ZIP file. Choose Extract All, then click Extract.
A new folder opens. Its name starts with ffmpeg-master-latest-win64-gpl. Inside it, you can see a folder called bin.
Go back one level. Right-click the folder that starts with ffmpeg-master-latest... and choose Cut.
Open This PC, then open the C: drive. Right-click an empty place and choose Paste.
Right-click the pasted folder. Choose Rename. Type ffmpeg and press Enter.
Open the C:\ffmpeg folder, then the bin folder. Check that you can see files called ffmpeg, ffplay and ffprobe.

If Windows asks for permission to paste into the C: drive, click Continue.

4.3 Tell Windows where ffmpeg is

Press the Windows key. Type environment variables.
Click Edit the system environment variables.
A window opens. Click the button Environment Variables... (at the bottom).
Find the lower box called System variables. Click the line called Path. Click Edit....
Click New. Type this, exactly:

C:\ffmpeg\bin

Click OK. Click OK again. Click OK one more time.

4.4 Check it

Close all PowerShell windows.
Open a new normal PowerShell window.
Type this and press Enter:

ffmpeg -version

You should see: ffmpeg version and some numbers and letters.

If it does not work: Windows says it does not know ffmpeg.

Check that the folder is exactly C:\ffmpeg and that C:\ffmpeg\bin contains ffmpeg.

Check the line you typed in 4.3. It must be exactly C:\ffmpeg\bin.

Close PowerShell and open a new one.

Step 5. Put your movies in one folder

Put all your movies in one folder. You can have more folders inside it. For example:

C:\Users\YourName\Videos\Movies

Every folder inside your movie folder becomes a group (a category) in LocalFlix, for example Horror or Comedy. To learn how folder names and file names work, read Your movie folder. You can read it later.

Step 6. Start LocalFlix

Open PowerShell in the LocalFlix folder (see B above).
Type this and press Enter:

py localflix.py

The first time: LocalFlix asks for your movie folder

The first time, LocalFlix may say it cannot find your movie folder. Then it asks:

Type the full path of your movie folder (or press Enter to quit):

This means: "Type the folder address of your movies."

Open your movie folder in File Explorer.
Click the address bar at the top. The address turns blue.
Press Ctrl+C to copy it.
Click inside the PowerShell window. Right-click to paste.
Press Enter.

LocalFlix saves the folder. It does not ask again.

You can also give the folder in the command. Use your own folder address:

py localflix.py --movies "D:\Films"

Windows may show a warning window

The first time, Windows may show a window that says Windows Defender Firewall has blocked some features of Python. Click Allow access. If you click Cancel, Windows makes a hidden block that Step 7 removes.

What you should see

After a few seconds you see a block of text like this:

 --------------------------------------------------------------
  LocalFlix 2.0.1
 --------------------------------------------------------------
  Movies     : C:\Users\you\Videos\Movies  (101 found)
  Subtitles  : C:\Users\you\Videos\Movies\subtitle  (90 files)
  ffmpeg     : found
 --------------------------------------------------------------
  This computer   ->  http://localhost:8080
  Apple/Windows   ->  http://localflix.local:8080
  Direct IP       ->  http://192.168.1.33:8080
 --------------------------------------------------------------
  Press Ctrl+C to stop.

Your web browser opens by itself and shows your movies.

Look at the line Direct IP. The address after the arrow is the address you will type on your phone and TV. Your numbers will be different. This is normal.

If it does not work:

(0 found) or no movies in the browser: the movie folder is wrong or empty. Press Ctrl+C, and start again with py localflix.py --movies "your folder address".

ffmpeg : not found: do Step 4 again, then close PowerShell and open a new one.

Could not start on port 8080: another program uses that number. Type py localflix.py --port 8090 instead.

Important

Keep this window open. If you close it, LocalFlix stops. To stop LocalFlix on purpose, click the window and press Ctrl+C.

Step 7. Let phones and TVs connect

Windows protects your laptop with a firewall. It can block your phone and TV. You must allow LocalFlix one time on each laptop. This step has two parts, and you need both.

7.1 Open PowerShell as administrator

See C above. The window title must say Administrator.

7.2 Go to the LocalFlix folder

The administrator window does not start in your LocalFlix folder. So you must go there.

Open the LocalFlix folder in File Explorer.
Click the address bar. Press Ctrl+C to copy the folder address.
In the administrator window, type cd (the letters c and d, then one space). Do not press Enter yet.
Type a quote mark ". Right-click to paste the address. Type a quote mark " again.
Press Enter.

It looks like this (your address will be different):

cd "C:\Users\YourName\Documents\LocalFlix-Server"

You should see: the line in the window now ends with LocalFlix-Server>.

7.3 Allow LocalFlix

Type this and press Enter:

py localflix.py --firewall

You should see: Firewall rules added. Phones and TVs on your Wi-Fi can now connect.

7.4 Remove the hidden block

The first time Windows sees Python use the network, it can quietly add a block for Python. That block is stronger than the allow rule from 7.3. Your phone and TV still cannot connect, and they show ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED. This command removes the block:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\fix_firewall.ps1

You should see: green text that ends with Done. Restart localflix.py and try from your phone again. If there was a block, you also see yellow text Removing block rule.

7.5 Check (optional)

This command should show nothing. Nothing means there is no block:

Get-NetFirewallRule -Action Block -Enabled True -Direction Inbound |
    Get-NetFirewallApplicationFilter |
    Where-Object { $_.Program -like "*python*" }

7.6 Start LocalFlix again

Close the administrator window. Close the LocalFlix window (press Ctrl+C in it first). Start LocalFlix again as in Step 6.

If it does not work later: see Fixes for common problems.

Step 8. Give the laptop an address that does not change

Every device on your Wi-Fi has an address made of numbers, like 192.168.1.33. This is the IP address.

Your router can give the laptop a new address at any time. When this happens, the address you saved on your phone or TV stops working.

To stop this, make the laptop keep the same address all the time. Only the laptop needs this. Phones and TVs can change as they like.

There are two ways. Do one of them.

Using a phone hotspot instead of a router? Skip this step. Both ways need a router or a normal Wi-Fi. They do not work with a hotspot. See Use a phone hotspot.

Way	Good	Not so good
A. Ask the router	Clean. Does not change the laptop.	Every router looks different. Some are hard to use.
B. Set it on the laptop	Always works.	You must undo it when you use other Wi-Fi (school, work, cafe).

If you are not sure, try A first. If A does not work, use B.

8.1 Collect some information first

Open a normal PowerShell window.
Type this and press Enter:

ipconfig /all

A lot of text appears. Scroll up and find the part called Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi.
Write down these four things from that part:

Name	Example	What it is
IPv4 Address	`192.168.1.33`	The address of the laptop now
Subnet Mask	`255.255.255.0`	Part of the address
Default Gateway	`192.168.1.1`	The address of your router
Physical Address	`A1-B2-C3-D4-E5-F6`	The ID of your laptop (it is also called the MAC address)

8.2 Stop Windows from using a random ID

Windows can use a random ID for privacy. Then the router does not know your laptop. Turn it off:

Open Settings.
Click Network & internet, then Wi-Fi.
Click the name of your Wi-Fi network.
Find Random hardware addresses and set it to Off.

Way A. Ask the router to keep the address

You tell the router: "Always give this laptop the same address."

On the laptop, open a web browser. In the address box, type the Default Gateway from 8.1, for example http://192.168.1.1, and press Enter.
Log in to the router. The user name and password are often printed on a sticker on the router.
Find the page about the local network. It may be called LAN Settings. Look at DHCP Start IP and End IP. This is the group of addresses the router gives out. Example: from 192.168.1.33 to 192.168.1.254.
Find the button or page for reserving an address. The name is different on each router. Look for Edit Reserved IP Address, Address Reservation, Static DHCP or DHCP Binding.
Enter these two things:
- IP address: the IPv4 Address of your laptop, for example 192.168.1.33
- MAC address: the Physical Address from 8.1
Click Add. A new line must appear in the table.
Click Apply Changes or Save on the main page. Some routers restart. Wait one or two minutes.
Turn the laptop Wi-Fi off. Wait 10 seconds. Turn it on.
Open PowerShell and type ipconfig. Check that the IPv4 Address is still the same.

If no new line appears:

Use the address your laptop has now. It is inside the group of addresses. A random lower number often does not work.
Try the Physical Address in another style. With dashes: A1-B2-C3-D4-E5-F6. With colons: A1:B2:C3:D4:E5:F6. With no symbols: A1B2C3D4E5F6. Use capital letters.
Refresh the page after you click Add.
If it still does not work, use Way B.

Way B. Set the address on the laptop

You tell Windows to use one fixed address and to stop asking the router.

Choose an address that is outside the group the router gives out. Then no other device can take it. Example: if the group starts at 192.168.1.33, use 192.168.1.10.

Press the Windows key. Type ncpa.cpl. Press Enter.
Right-click Wi-Fi. Choose Properties.
Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
Choose Use the following IP address. Fill in:

Field	What to type
IP address	`192.168.1.10`
Subnet mask	`255.255.255.0`
Default gateway	your Default Gateway from 8.1, for example `192.168.1.1`

Choose Use the following DNS server addresses. Fill in:

Field	What to type
Preferred DNS server	`8.8.8.8`
Alternate DNS server	`1.1.1.1`

Click OK. Click Close.
Open PowerShell and type ipconfig. Check that the IPv4 Address is 192.168.1.10.

Be careful. This setting stays on your Wi-Fi for every network. At school, at work or in a cafe, the internet will not work. To go back to normal: open the same window again. Choose Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically. Click OK.

If you use your own numbers (not 192.168.1.x), copy the first three groups from your own IPv4 Address. For example, if your laptop is 192.168.0.25, use 192.168.0.10.

8.3 Check it

Stop LocalFlix (click its window and press Ctrl+C). Start it again with py localflix.py.
The Direct IP line must show your fixed address, for example http://192.168.1.10:8080.
Use this address on all your devices. It will not change any more.

Step 9. Stop the laptop from sleeping

When the laptop sleeps, LocalFlix stops, and your TV cannot reach it. Tell Windows not to sleep while it is plugged in.

Windows 11:

Open Settings. Click System, then Power & battery.
Open Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts.
Find When plugged in, put my device to sleep after. Choose Never.

Windows 10:

Open Settings. Click System, then Power & sleep.
Find When plugged in, PC goes to sleep after. Choose Never.

Keep the laptop plugged in while you watch. The screen can still turn off. That saves power.

The lid: closing the lid makes many laptops sleep. To change this, open Control Panel, then Power Options, then Choose what closing the lid does. For When plugged in, choose Do nothing.

Step 10. Open LocalFlix on a phone or tablet

Make sure the phone uses the same Wi-Fi as the laptop. Do not use a guest network.
Make sure LocalFlix is running on the laptop.
Open Chrome, Firefox or Safari on the phone.
In the address box, type the Direct IP address, for example http://192.168.1.10:8080. Press Go.
Your movies appear.

If it does not work: see Fixes for common problems. The most common reasons are: not the same Wi-Fi, LocalFlix is not running, or Step 7 is not done.

Make an icon on an Android phone: in Chrome, tap the three dots, then Add to Home screen. You get an icon that opens LocalFlix like an app.

Three ways to connect

Way	What to type	iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows	Android phone, Android TV
Direct IP	`http://192.168.1.10:8080`	Works	Works
QR code	On the laptop, open `http://localhost:8080/qr`. Scan it with the phone camera.	Works	Works
Name	`http://localflix.local:8080`	Works	Usually does not work

The QR code way: on the laptop, open http://localhost:8080/qr. You can also click the QR icon at the top right of LocalFlix. Scan the picture with your phone camera. It opens the right address. You type nothing.

Android shows DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN for the name? Nothing is wrong with your setup. Android does not understand names that end in .local. Use the Direct IP address.

Step 11. Open LocalFlix on a TV

You have two choices.

Choice 1. The TV browser (easy)

Most smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense) have a browser app. It is often called Internet or Browser.

Open it.
Type the Direct IP address, for example http://192.168.1.10:8080. Do not use localflix.local.
Use the remote control:

Remote button	What it does
Arrow keys	Move between movies
OK	Open a movie, or confirm
Back	Close the player, or go back
Left or Right while playing	Go back or forward 10 seconds
Up or Down while playing	Volume up or down
OK twice on the video	Full screen on or off

The movie you choose has a bright blue glow, so you always see where you are.

Choice 2. The LocalFlix TV app (better)

For an Android TV or Google TV, the LocalFlix app is much better. It plays more kinds of movies and is made for the remote. You build it once. See Android TV app.

Before you open LocalFlix on the TV, check these

The TV uses the same Wi-Fi as the laptop, not a guest network.
LocalFlix is running on the laptop.
You finished Step 7.
You finished Step 8.
The laptop is plugged in and does not sleep (Step 9).

Every day: start and stop LocalFlix

To start:

Turn on the laptop and connect to your home Wi-Fi.
Open the LocalFlix folder. Click the address bar. Type powershell. Press Enter.
Type py localflix.py and press Enter.
Open LocalFlix on your phone or TV.

To stop: click the PowerShell window and press Ctrl+C. Then close the window.

Tired of typing? LocalFlix can start by itself when you are home and your TV is on. See Start LocalFlix by itself.

Extra settings (you can skip this)

Add these after py localflix.py. Example: py localflix.py --port 9000

Setting	What it does
`--movies "D:\Films"`	Use another movie folder
`--subtitles "D:\Subs"`	Use another subtitle folder
`--port 9000`	Use another port number. The normal one is 8080.
`--tmdb-key KEY`	Use a free TMDB key to get better posters
`--no-online`	Never use the internet
`--no-browser`	Do not open the browser when LocalFlix starts
`--local-only`	Only this laptop can open LocalFlix
`--remote-admin`	Let other devices change the folder settings
`--firewall`	Allow LocalFlix through Windows protection, then stop (Step 7)

Quick reference

# Start LocalFlix
py localflix.py

# Use another movie folder
py localflix.py --movies "D:\Films"

# Start without opening the browser
py localflix.py --no-browser

# Use another port number
py localflix.py --port 9090

# Allow phones and TVs (PowerShell as administrator, one time)
py localflix.py --firewall
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\fix_firewall.ps1

To show the QR code, open http://localhost:8080/qr on the laptop.

LocalFlix is for personal use on your home network.

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