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Here is the final, battle-tested recommendation for 99% of users:
By implementing this "Prefer but not Mandatory" strategy, your Sonarr instance will slowly, intelligently, and automatically upgrade your library to x265. Your hard drives will thank you, your electricity bill will drop (less spinning rust), and your users will never notice the difference—unless they try to watch on a 2014 Smart TV, in which case, tell them to buy a Fire Stick.
Now go reclaim your storage space.
This article was originally published for the /r/sonarr and /r/DataHoarder communities. Always verify your local copyright laws before automating downloads.
Preferring x265 (HEVC) in Sonarr is the "holy grail" for users with limited storage space. While x264 is the legacy standard, x265 offers similar quality at roughly half the file size.
In Sonarr v3 and v4, this is achieved through Custom Formats (or "Preferred Words" in older versions), allowing the system to intelligently rank releases. 🚀 The Core Logic: Why x265?
Storage Efficiency: A 1GB x264 episode often shrinks to ~500MB in x265 without visible quality loss.
Bandwidth Savings: Ideal for users with data caps or slower download speeds.
Compatibility Trade-off: Requires more CPU/GPU power to play back. Older smart TVs or low-end streaming sticks may struggle to "Direct Play" these files, causing your server (like Plex) to transcode. 🛠️ How to Set Up Preferences
To make Sonarr prioritize x265 while still allowing x264 as a fallback, follow these steps: 1. Create the Custom Format Navigate to Settings > Custom Formats. Add a new format named "x265/HEVC".
Use a Release Title condition with a regular expression like \b(x265|hevc)\b. 2. Assign Scores in Profiles
Go to Settings > Profiles and select your active profile (e.g., "HD-1080p"). Find the Custom Formats section at the bottom. Give your "x265/HEVC" format a positive score (e.g., +100). sonarr prefer x265
Set an Upgrade Until score if you want Sonarr to keep searching for an x265 version even after an x264 version is downloaded. ⚠️ Common Pitfalls
Quality Trumps Score: Sonarr prioritizes "Quality" (e.g., Bluray-1080p vs. WEBDL-1080p) over Custom Format scores by default. If a high-quality x264 file is found, it may be picked over a lower-quality x265 file unless scores are high enough.
Naming Issues: Some release groups don't include "x265" in the filename. Sonarr may incorrectly tag these as "HDTV" or standard quality, causing it to ignore them.
The "HEVC Garbage" Problem: Not all x265 encodes are created equal. "Mini-encodes" (very small files) can sometimes have lower visual fidelity than a high-bitrate x264 file. 💡 Pro-Tip: Use Trash Guides
The community gold standard for these settings is Trash Guides. They provide pre-made JSON snippets you can import to: Prefer specific high-quality encoders (like QxR or Tigole). Avoid "fake" or low-quality HEVC releases.
Manage complex audio preferences simultaneously (e.g., avoiding TrueHD if your device can't play it). If you'd like to dive deeper, let me know: Which version of Sonarr are you using (v3 or v4)? Do you use Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby for playback?
Are you more concerned about perfect video quality or saving maximum disk space?
I can provide the specific regex strings or scoring values to match your needs.
To make Sonarr prefer x265 (HEVC) content over x264, you must use Custom Formats Release Profiles
. Unlike "Must Contain" filters, these methods allow Sonarr to still download x264 if no x265 version is available, rather than failing the search entirely. 1. Recommended Method: Custom Formats (Sonarr v4)
This is the most modern and flexible way to prioritize specific codecs. Create the Format Navigate to Custom Formats button to add a new format. Name it "x265/HEVC". Release Title and enter the regex: \b(x265|hevc)\b (case insensitive). Save the format. Assign Scores Select the profile you use (e.g., HD-1080p). Custom Formats section at the bottom. Here is the final, battle-tested recommendation for 99%
Set the score for your "x265/HEVC" format to a positive number (e.g., Ensure your Upgrade Until Custom Format Score
is set to at least that number if you want it to replace existing x264 files. 2. Legacy Method: Release Profiles (Sonarr v3)
If you are still on v3, use Release Profiles to "weight" titles. Add Preferred Terms in some versions) > Release Profiles to add a new profile. section, add Assign a score (e.g., ) to these terms.
Save. Sonarr will now add 100 "points" to any release containing these strings, making them rank higher than standard x264 releases. 3. The "Hard" Limit (Optional) want x265 and wish to ignore all x264 content entirely: Show Advanced Restrictions Must Contain x265, HEVC
Note: This is risky as it will prevent downloads if an x265 version isn't uploaded yet. Summary Table: Setup Comparison Custom Formats (v4) Release Profiles (v3) Restrictions Flexibility High (weighted scoring) Medium (weighted scoring) Low (Binary Yes/No) Downloads x264 if x265 is missing Downloads x264 if x265 is missing Fails if x265 is missing Advanced Regex support String matching Basic string matching For automated cleanup of your existing library, tools like
can monitor your folders and convert older x264 files to x265 automatically, as discussed by users on Regex strings
to capture high-bitrate HEVC releases while avoiding low-quality "mini" encodes?
Optimizing Sonarr: How to Prefer x265 (HEVC) Content Sonarr is a powerful
for managing TV show libraries, but by default, it often prioritizes standard H.264 (x264) files. For many users, x265 (HEVC)
is the gold standard because it offers roughly 50% better compression efficiency, saving massive amounts of disk space without sacrificing visual quality.
Because Sonarr treats x265 as a codec rather than a "quality" (like 1080p or WEB-DL), you cannot simply move it to the top of a list. Instead, you must use Custom Formats Release Profiles to tell Sonarr that x265 is your preferred choice. 1. Why Prefer x265? Storage Efficiency By implementing this "Prefer but not Mandatory" strategy,
: High-definition episodes that might be 1.5GB in x264 often shrink to 600–800MB in x265. Future-Proofing : x265 is essential for 4K and 8K content. Note of Caution
: x265 requires more processing power to play. While modern smart TVs and devices like Nvidia Shield handle it easily, older hardware may struggle or "stutter". Prefer Content - x265,HEVC,Ecnoder,Rips · Issue #1724
Problem: "I added x265 as +100, but Sonarr keeps downloading x264."
Solution 1: Check the raw release name. Is x265 actually in the title? Some indexers hide the codec in the description. Sonarr only sees the release name.
Fix: Add HEVC and H.265 to your preferred terms.
Problem: "It downloaded x265, but it's actually 720p when I wanted 1080p."
Solution 2: Your Quality Profile overrules your Codec preference. If you have "WebDL 1080p" set to score 100, and "HDTV 720p x265" set to score 50, Sonarr takes the 1080p x264. Fix: Lower your quality scores or create a Custom Format that is mutually exclusive.
Problem: "Librarian OCD – I have both versions."
Solution 3: Go to Series > [Show Name] > Edit > Monitoring. Select "Only monitor future episodes" or manually delete the x264 file and use the "Re-scan" broom icon.
| Device | x265 playback | Notes | |---------------------------|---------------|-------| | PC (VLC, MPV, MPC-HC) | ✅ Perfect | Software decode works fine | | NVIDIA Shield / Apple TV | ✅ Perfect | Hardware decode | | Plex / Jellyfin direct stream | ✅ | Works if client supports HEVC | | Plex / Jellyfin transcode | ⚠️ Heavy | CPU transcoding x265 → h264 is very slow | | Old laptop (pre-2015) | ❌ Stutters | No hardware decode | | Roku / Fire Stick (basic) | ⚠️ Some work | Newer models OK | | Browser (Chrome/Safari) | ⚠️ Partial | Safari good; Chrome needs GPU support |
Biggest issue: If you remote stream and your client doesn’t support x265, your Plex server will transcode → high CPU usage.
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