Mastering Kodi Profiles in 2026: Your Ultimate Guide to a Personalized Media Hub

Updated on February 8, 2026

What Are Kodi Profiles and Why You Need Them in 2026

Kodi’s user profile management is hands-down one of the most powerful and underrated features of the beloved media center. If you share your device with family or friends, creating Kodi profiles in 2026 is the key to giving everyone a completely personalized experience. Each profile can have its own media library, skin, add-ons, and settings, transforming a generic installation into a custom-tailored ecosystem for every member of the household.

Imagine a profile for the kids with access only to children’s content and a simple interface, and another for adults with access to power-user add-ons like Elementum and a more advanced skin. This not only organizes your content but also adds a crucial layer of parental control and privacy.

How to Create Kodi Profiles in 2026 (Step-by-Step)

The process for setting up a multi-user configuration in Kodi is refreshingly straightforward. In recent versions like Kodi 21 Omega and the upcoming Kodi 22 Piers, the interface has made this even easier. Here’s how to do it step by step:

1. Open Kodi and navigate to the gear icon on the main menu to access Settings.
2. Select the ‘Profiles’ option from the settings menu.
3. Inside the Profiles section, you’ll see the default Kodi master user profile. Select the ‘Add profile…’ option at the bottom.
4. A dialog box will pop up asking for the new profile’s name (e.g., “Kids,” “Guest,” etc.). Type in the name and hit ‘OK’.
5. Next, you’ll be asked to choose a ‘Profile folder.’ You can leave the default path Kodi suggests or select a custom location if needed. Confirm with ‘OK’.
6. Kodi will then ask if you want to start with a clean slate or copy the settings from the current profile. For total customization, I highly recommend selecting ‘Start fresh’. If you only want to make minor tweaks, you can copy the master profile’s settings.
7. That’s it! The new profile is created. Now, when you start Kodi, it will ask which profile you want to use.

Pro Tip: To make the login screen appear every time you launch the app, make sure to enable the “Show login screen on startup” toggle right there in the Settings > Profiles menu.

Advanced Kodi Profile Management and Settings

Creating the profile is just the beginning. The real magic happens when you start customizing and managing each one.

Customizing and Editing a Profile

Once you’re on the ‘Profiles’ screen, you can select any profile (except the one you’re currently using) and choose ‘Edit.’ From here, you can:

• Change the profile name.
• Add a profile picture for easy identification on the login screen.
• Manage content locks, which we’ll dive into next.

Kodi Content Locking: Your Parental Control Swiss Army Knife

This is an essential feature for any household with kids. When editing a profile, you’ll find the ‘Lock’ section. Here, you can set a password for the profile and decide which sections of Kodi will be locked. You can restrict access to:

• Videos, Music, or Pictures.
• Add-ons.
• The file manager.
• The system settings themselves.

This lets you create a bulletproof kids’ profile where access to settings and installing new add-ons is completely off-limits, ensuring a safe viewing experience.

Separating Media Libraries by Profile

One of the biggest advantages of using profiles is the ability to separate media libraries for each user. When you log into a new profile created from scratch, the library will be empty. You’ll need to add the content sources (folders with movies, TV shows, music) specific to that user.

For example, in the “Kids” profile, you would only add the folder containing animated movies as a source. In the “Adults” profile, you’d add the rest of your collection. The result? Clean, relevant, and clutter-free libraries for everyone.

Practical Use Cases for Kodi Profiles

Beyond the standard family setup, profiles offer incredible versatility to tailor Kodi to your specific needs.

• The Family Profile: This is the most common use case. One profile for adults with everything unlocked, and separate profiles for kids with simple skins, child-friendly add-ons, and locked-down settings.
• Themed Profiles: Are you a huge sports fan? Create a dedicated profile with the best sports add-ons, a skin optimized for live events, and no movie library to distract you. You can do the same for cinema, TV series, or documentaries.
• The “Sandbox” Profile: As a tech expert, I always recommend having a sandbox profile for testing. This is where you can install the newest Kodi add-ons for 2026, try out new skins, or experiment with advanced settings without risking the stability of your main profile.
• The Guest Profile: A locked-down profile with basic access to your local content and a few safe add-ons, ensuring that visitors can’t accidentally change any important settings.

Security and Privacy: A Critical Concern in 2026

Effective Kodi user management also means being smart about security. When you use third-party add-ons, especially P2P-based ones like Elementum, your IP address is exposed to the public.

In my 2026 testing, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) has become non-negotiable. A VPN encrypts your connection and masks your real IP, protecting you from prying eyes and bypassing geo-blocking or ISP throttling. I strongly recommend using a trusted solution like the one we reviewed in our ExpressVPN for Kodi guide.

Furthermore, always remember to install add-ons from trusted repositories. While enabling installation from unknown sources is necessary for many popular add-ons, it comes with risks. Be cautious and only install software from developers you trust.

Conclusion: Your Media Center, Your Rules

The bottom line: spending just a few minutes creating Kodi profiles completely transforms the user experience. You go from a one-size-fits-all setup to a dynamic, personalized, and secure environment for everyone who uses it.

Whether it’s to protect your kids, better organize your content, or simply experiment without risk, the multi-user setup in Kodi is a feature that every advanced user should master in 2026. It’s time to take full control of your Kodi and make it a perfect fit for your digital life!