A Raspberry Pi 5 running LibreELEC gives you a small, quiet Kodi box that boots straight into Kodi. You need the Pi, a good power supply, a microSD card, an HDMI cable and a computer to flash the card, and the whole job takes under an hour. This is the LibreELEC Raspberry Pi 5 route from parts to first boot.
Quick answer: Flash LibreELEC for the Pi 5 to a microSD card with Raspberry Pi Imager, plug the Pi into your TV using the HDMI port next to the USB-C power socket, power it up and follow the first-run wizard. Use the official power supply and some cooling.
What do you need to buy?
- Raspberry Pi 5. Buy from an approved retailer listed on raspberrypi.com rather than a random marketplace seller.
- The official Raspberry Pi 5 power supply. The Pi 5 is more demanding than earlier models, and a weak phone charger can cause instability and warnings. Use the supply Raspberry Pi recommends for the Pi 5.
- A microSD card from a known brand. 16 GB is plenty for LibreELEC itself; go bigger only if you will store media on it.
- A micro-HDMI to HDMI cable. The Pi 5 uses micro-HDMI ports, so a standard HDMI lead needs an adapter or a micro-HDMI cable.
- Cooling. The official active cooler or a decent case with a fan or heatsink keeps the Pi from throttling during video playback.
- A case if you want it tidy, and an Ethernet cable if you can run one, since wired is steadier than Wi-Fi for streaming.
How do I flash LibreELEC to the card?
- On your computer, install Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.com.
- Choose the Raspberry Pi 5 as the device.
- Under the operating system list, look for the media player category and pick LibreELEC for the Pi 5. The exact wording varies by Imager version, so if you cannot find it, download the image from libreelec.tv and use the custom image option.
- Select your microSD card and write the image. Double-check you have chosen the card and not another drive.
- Eject the card once Imager says it has finished.
How do I do the first boot?
- Put the card in the Pi and connect the HDMI lead to the port nearest the USB-C power socket (usually labelled HDMI0). That port is the safest choice for the first boot and for HDMI-CEC.
- Connect Ethernet if you are using it, then plug in the power. There is no power switch.
- Wait for the first-run wizard. It sets the hostname, network (Wi-Fi if you are not wired) and whether to enable SSH and Samba file sharing. Leave SSH and Samba off unless you need them, and set a strong password if you turn SSH on.
- When the wizard finishes you land in Kodi. Start with the settings in our Kodi beginner's guide, including installing add-ons only from the official repository.
Will my TV remote work (CEC)?
Many TVs let their own remote control Kodi through HDMI-CEC, which passes button presses over the HDMI cable. Kodi's CEC support is normally switched on by default in LibreELEC. If it does not respond:
- Make sure CEC is enabled on the TV. Brands call it different things, such as Anynet+, Bravia Sync or Simplink.
- Try the other HDMI input on the TV, since only some inputs may support CEC.
- Check the Pi is on HDMI0.
- Otherwise use a cheap USB or Bluetooth remote, or the Kodi phone app (Kore).
What about video formats?
The Pi 5 has hardware decoding for HEVC (H.265), which covers most 4K content. It does not have a dedicated hardware H.264 decoder, so H.264 is handled by the CPU, which copes fine with typical 1080p but is the first thing to struggle with demanding files. Older formats such as MPEG-2 and VC-1 may also be software-decoded. Behaviour changes between LibreELEC releases, so check the release notes on libreelec.tv if a file stutters.
How do I stop it overheating?
Fit the active cooler or a case with proper airflow, keep it out of a sealed cabinet, and avoid stacking it on top of a hot AV receiver. If the screen shows a temperature warning, improve cooling before anything else.
If that didn't work
- No picture: try the other micro-HDMI port, a different cable, or another HDMI input on the TV.
- Boot loop or rainbow screen: reflash the card, or try a different microSD card and a proper power supply.
- Unstable video: check cooling and power first.
When you ask for help, note your Pi model, power supply, LibreELEC version and TV make.
Tell us which TV you are using it with and whether CEC worked first time, since that varies a lot by brand.