Record the installation context
Identify OS, Kodi version and package route. Kodi's current userdata documentation includes different paths, including a distinct Flatpak arrangement.
A folder found in a web tutorial is not necessarily the data used by the running application. Keep the installed package and active profile in the same record.
Use the current official path reference
Read the userdata table for the exact environment and inspect it through supported local tools only when necessary. Additional profiles have their own structure.
Do not copy an entire configuration from another platform simply because a folder is named userdata. Paths and surrounding application integration can differ.
Protect the working configuration
Before a supported backup or edit, keep the original data intact through Kodi's legitimate procedure and understand which files contain private locations. This page does not provide a broad script to overwrite settings.
A copied folder is not a performed restore test, and a configuration export does not establish service account transfer rules.
Keep the target repair narrow
Identify the setting or data item actually implicated in the failure. A favourites issue, PVR mapping and skin preference need different evidence.
Do not erase all userdata because one supplied programme fails. That removes local state without identifying a source or decoder problem.
Verify the actual running result
After an authorised supported change, open the same package and profile and repeat the original task. Record version and data path with the result.
No local Kodi files were read, edited or restored here. This is a documented location-assessment workflow, not a universal backup script or IPTV compatibility claim.
Recognise parallel installations
If more than one legitimate package route exists, two userdata locations can coexist. Inspect which running copy and profile the ordinary launcher opens before deciding a backup is empty or an edit was ignored. A valid file in an inactive installation does not change the active one. Keep old copies until their identity and recovery implications are understood; deleting a folder solely because its timestamp looks older can remove useful historical configuration without addressing the current task. A file timestamp alone cannot establish which profile is active. Keep the application interface identity and supported data-location evidence together. If they disagree, resolve that mapping before using a backup as the only source for a significant configuration change.
Sources and scope
Scope notes distinguish published documentation, supplied information and editorial methods. They do not report a hands-on service test.
- Kodi userdata — Official current Wiki excerpt: package/OS-dependent paths and profile data structure; no local Kodi files inspected.
- Kodi profiles — Official current Wiki excerpt: profile-specific settings and loading; no assumption that every add-on state is shared.
