Sonarr Prefer X265 [best] Jun 2026

After saving, manually search a popular season. Sonarr will sort x265 releases above x264 if scores are set.

Whether you are a "watch and delete" user after the smallest files, a 4K HDR collector needing the best codec, or simply a hoarder running out of drive bays, this guide provides everything you need to take complete control. Happy automating!

Notes:

Think of it this way: In Sonarr's mind, quality is the king, and codec preferences (like x265) are merely tiebreakers used when two releases have the .

Unlike "Must Contain" restrictions, which will ignore any release without the keyword, scoring allows Sonarr to grab an x264 file if it's the only one available and then upgrade to x265 later when it's uploaded. sonarr prefer x265

Sonarr will now automatically target the highest-scoring file available.

Managing a media library requires balancing video quality with storage capacity. Television shows with multiple seasons can quickly fill up hard drives. The x265 video codec—also known as HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding)—offers a solution by providing the same visual quality as older x264 encodes at roughly half the file size. After saving, manually search a popular season

HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding), also known as H.265 or x265, is the successor to AVC (H.264/x264). It offers several advantages for home media servers (Plex, Jellyfin, Emby):

Before diving into the settings, it is important to understand why this shift matters for your home server. Happy automating

The only significant downside to x265 is the processing power required to decode it. While modern devices like Apple TV, Nvidia Shield, Fire TV sticks, and newer Smart TVs handle x265 natively (Direct Play), older streaming sticks, web browsers, and budget tablets may not. If a client device cannot decode x265 natively, your media server (Plex/Jellyfin) will have to transcode the video on the fly, heavily taxing your server's CPU or GPU. How to Configure Sonarr to Prefer x265