How to Remove a Kodi Build: Reset Kodi to its Default, Factory Settings

Kodi is great because it’s both free and open-source – and the latter is perfect if you like customizing things. Although Kodi (XBMC as it used to be called) can stream almost anything from the internet or your local hard drive, there are lots of ways of making it look and function exactly as you want. The quickest way to do that is to use a Kodi build. Regardless, there may be times when you need to uninstall the current build to try something new or refresh the appearance and navigational elements.

Simply put, a Kodi build is a version of XBMC that comes “pre-baked” with popular add-ons and a graphical user interface (GUI) or skin that changes the look and navigational elements. This scenario means you don’t have to manually install certain Kodi add-ons, tweak most options, or configure the settings. The Kodi builds are made by other Kodi fans and developers and, depending on their level of knowledge, can be highly advanced and technical or a bit glitchy.

While most Kodi builds work without issues, you may have problems with a particular one or just want to remove it. This article shows you how to remove Kodi builds and restore the original one.

Deleting and reinstalling Kodi does not remove the currently used build, and getting Kodi to its default state isn’t possible natively. Regardless, there is a way to remove a Kodi build and restore Kodi to its factory settings.

Ensure Unknown Sources is On

Before you can delve into Kodi and install or remove third-party add-ons or builds, Unknown sources must be activated.

How to Remove Kodi Add-Ons

Here’s how to remove Kodi add-ons on a Firestick:

1. Open Kodi and click Add-Ons on the left-hand side.
2. Click My Add-ons from the menu that appears.
3. Filter the add-ons you’d like to remove or select All.
4. Click on the add-on to remove it and then click the trashcan icon.

You can do this for multiple add-ons by following the same steps as above.

How to Remove a Kodi Build

Before you begin, it’s worth checking if you have the fusion repo installed. Fusion repo, or Fusion repository, lets you install multiple Kodi add-ons. It was shut down in July 2017 but came back later that year with fewer features.

If you do have a Fusion repo, this tutorial is extremely quick. If you don’t, you’ll need to download it. Fortunately, that doesn’t take too long.

1. Open up your Fusion repo

2. Once Fusion is installed, navigate to System > Settings > Add-ons, and select Install from zipping. If Fusion is part of your Kodi installation, you should see it on the list with other repos. Click on it.

3. On the next screen select Start-here, and then go to plugin.video.freshstart-X.X.X.zip, with x.x.x signifying the latest version of the zip file.

4. After that’s installed, go to the home screen and then Program > Add-ons > Fresh Start, click OK, and then you’ll be prompted to restart Kodi. When Kodi reboots, you’ll see it’s been restored to factory settings. 

How to Reset Kodi on a Fire TV

If you use Kodi on a Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, here’s a quick rundown on how to reset it.

1. Navigate to Settings on your device.
2. Next, click on Applications.
3. Now, click on Manage Installed Applications.
4. Then, select Kodi from the list.
5. Next, select Clear data from the options.
6. You’ll be prompted with a similar screen, select Clear data again.
7. Launch the application and go through the setup prompts again.

You should be up and running with a fresh install of Kodi. Now you can customize it to your hearts content.

Please note that many add-ons contain content that isn’t officially licensed and accessing such content could be illegal. It is the user’s responsibility to comply with all applicable laws in their country in regard to use. Dennis Publishing Ltd excludes all liability for such content. We do not condone and are not responsible for the infringement of any intellectual property or other third party rights and shall not be liable to any party as a result of any such content made available. In short, if the content is free, but looks too good to be true, then it probably is.