Repurpose an old laptop as a home media server

What you'll need

• An old laptop (any CPU from 2014+, 4GB RAM minimum)
• External USB hard drive with your media
• Ethernet cable (Wi-Fi works but is slower)
• A power outlet you don't mind dedicating

Step-by-step

1. 01

   Install a lightweight Linux

   Ubuntu Server or Debian. Skip the desktop environment — you'll never plug in a monitor again. Set a static IP on your router.

2. 02

   Install Jellyfin

   Follow jellyfin.org's install guide for your distro — it's one apt command. Open port 8096 in the firewall.

3. 03

   Mount your media drive

   Format the USB drive ext4 or leave it NTFS (slower but readable on Windows). Mount it at /media/library and add to /etc/fstab so it auto-mounts on boot.

4. 04

   Add libraries in Jellyfin

   Open http://<laptop-ip>:8096 from any browser. Wizard walks you through libraries: Movies, TV, Music, Photos. Naming matters: 'The Matrix (1999).mkv' beats 'matrix.mkv'.

5. 05

   Close the lid (without it sleeping)

   Edit /etc/systemd/logind.conf — set HandleLidSwitch=ignore. Now you can shut the lid and stash it on a shelf.

6. 06

   Install the client apps

   Jellyfin has free apps for Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, and a web UI on every browser. Sign in with the local account you made.

Tips

• Don't expose Jellyfin to the public internet without a reverse proxy + HTTPS. Use Tailscale instead — zero config VPN to your home network.
• Old hardware transcodes 1080p fine. 4K HEVC will choke anything older than ~2017.