Create Kodi profiles with deliberate library and source sharing

The useful distinctions

• Profiles can preserve individual settings and libraries.
• Media information and media sources have separate sharing choices.
• A new profile can copy existing settings and sources or start fresh.
• Kodi explicitly states that profiles are not a security feature.

Decide what should differ

Two people may want different skins while browsing the same films, or they may need entirely separate catalogues. Those are different profile designs. Write down the intended shared elements and personal elements before creating the second profile. In particular, distinguish the list of storage sources from the metadata built from those sources; copying one does not automatically express the intended policy for the other.

Use a rehearsal profile

Create a clearly named trial profile and verify the result with a small set of known items. Check a display preference, a source definition and a library record. This gives you evidence that the chosen sharing arrangement matches the plan. Keep the original profile intact while learning the behavior so an experimental layout does not become the only usable configuration in the household.

Keep security expectations realistic

A profile is an application convenience for organising a shared installation. It should not be presented as isolation equivalent to separate operating-system accounts or a protected server policy. Avoid storing sensitive material on the assumption that a profile switch alone prevents access. If the real requirement is access control, define that requirement separately and use a system designed to enforce it rather than extending a browsing feature beyond its documented purpose.

A focused way to proceed

1. Open the profile settings and choose Add profile.
2. Enter a name and select the profile directory.
3. Choose media-information and media-source sharing independently.
4. Decide whether to copy existing settings and sources.
5. Load the profile and verify the intended views before relying on it.

Worked example · synthetic

Profile: Reading room
Personal: skin, view choices, keymap
Media sources: explicitly decide shared or separate
Media information: explicitly decide shared or separate
Security claim: none

Read the comparison

Different profile views demonstrate configuration separation; they do not prove security isolation.

When to stop or ask for help

If access control is required, review the actual storage/server permissions with the administrator before using profiles as a substitute.