Moving an Existing Media Library to Norri

Overview

If you already have a media library on disk, you should not need to rebuild it from scratch for Norri. The most useful preparation is to make sure the folders, filenames, artwork, subtitles, and storage paths are understandable before you add those folders as Norri libraries.

Norri works from the media files and folders you point it at. It does not require you to import another media server’s database, and it should be safer to treat the existing server as a reference while Norri scans the underlying files on its own.

Keep your existing server running during the move

Keep Plex, Emby, or any other current setup available until you have checked the same library in Norri. That gives you a familiar reference for titles, seasons, artwork, subtitles, and watch status while you work through the new setup.

This also reduces risk. If a path is wrong, a network share is unavailable, or a file naming issue prevents a title from matching cleanly, you can fix that in the folder structure without losing access to the setup you already use.

Check folder paths before adding libraries

Before adding a library, confirm that the Norri server can read the exact folders that contain your media. Local folders, mounted drives, and network shares should be visible from the server machine, not only from your desktop.

For example, a movies folder might live at /mnt/media/movies, while a NAS share might be mounted into a stable local path before Norri scans it. Stable paths are easier to maintain because they do not change when a network browser, drive letter, or desktop shortcut changes.

See the Network Shares guide if your files live on a NAS or SMB share.

Review naming before the first scan

Norri can match media more reliably when movies, shows, music, and related files follow common naming patterns. A useful first pass is to check a few representative folders before scanning the whole library.

For movies, include the title and year in the folder or filename when possible. For TV shows, use season folders and episode numbers such as S01E01. For music, keep tracks grouped by artist and album. These patterns help Norri connect files to the right metadata instead of asking you to correct avoidable mismatches later.

See Media Organization for the naming patterns used in these docs.

Bring artwork and subtitles along with the files

If your current library already includes posters, backdrop images, subtitle files, or other sidecar files next to the media, leave them in place while you test Norri. Those files are often useful context, and keeping them with the media is safer than moving them into an application-specific folder during a migration.

Subtitle files should stay beside the related video when possible. For example, Movie Name (2023).en.srt next to Movie Name (2023).mkv is easier to reason about than a subtitle stored somewhere separate from the media.

Add one library first

Start with one library, such as Movies or TV Shows, rather than adding every folder at once. After the first scan, check a small sample of matched titles, artwork, technical file details, subtitles, and playback behavior. If those look right, repeat the same process for the next library.

This staged approach makes problems easier to isolate. If a NAS path is wrong, only one library is affected. If a naming pattern causes poor matches, you can fix the pattern before Norri scans the rest of the collection.

What not to migrate directly

Do not copy another media server’s database into Norri unless the docs for a future import tool explicitly tell you to do that. Database formats, metadata IDs, cached artwork, plugin data, and internal paths usually depend on the application that created them.

For now, the safer migration path is to keep your media files organized, make the folders available to the Norri server, add libraries one at a time, and compare the scanned result against your existing setup before you retire it.