Group Jellyfin movie versions with an exact filename prefix

The useful distinctions

• Movie version filenames must begin with the complete parent-folder name, including any year or provider identifier.
• The documented separator before the version label can be a hyphen, dot, underscore or brackets.
• Versions normally sort alphabetically, while resolution labels ending in p or i sort by descending resolution.

Make identity explicit

A version label describes a representation of one work. It should not have to repair an ambiguous movie identity. Start with a single folder whose title and year are deliberate, then reuse that entire basename for each encode. This makes the naming rule visible during an ordinary directory review and reduces the chance that a later folder rename leaves only part of the collection following the convention.

Inspect two outcomes

There are two separate checks after a scan: whether the files became versions of one item, and which version appears first. A correct group can still have an unexpected default if the labels sort differently than intended. The example uses resolution labels to make the distinction easy to inspect. It does not assert that either file is suitable for every client or that its label proves its actual encoded dimensions.

Change one boundary at a time

If grouping fails, compare the characters before the label with the folder name before changing library settings. Keep a copy of the original listing so a typo correction can be reviewed. If ordering alone surprises you, investigate the labels rather than splitting the item into separate movie folders. This keeps catalogue identity and playback selection from becoming one tangled repair.

A focused way to proceed

1. Put the versions of one movie in its own folder.
2. Copy the complete folder basename to the beginning of every version filename.
3. Add a distinct version label after a documented separator.
4. Scan the relevant Movies library and inspect both the item grouping and version list.

Worked example · synthetic

Harbour Lantern (2024)/
  Harbour Lantern (2024) - 1080p.mkv
  Harbour Lantern (2024) - 720p.mp4

Read the comparison

One catalogue item with two selectable versions is the intended grouping; verify file properties separately.

When to stop or ask for help

If exact matching prefixes still fail, report the full synthetic-equivalent layout and server build to Jellyfin support.