How to Customize Kodi Menu Options and Change Kodi’s Look

Kodi’s home menu is controlled by its active skin. In the default Estuary skin, open Settings > Interface > Skin > Configure skin to hide or show supported home-screen items, adjust widgets, and change artwork. For a different layout or custom shortcuts, choose a skin that offers those controls. The exact options vary by Kodi version and skin.

These interface illustrations are mockups. Your screen may look different, and some options appear only with a compatible skin.

Hide or show Kodi home menu items

Estuary lets you control the built-in home menu items and widgets. Turning an item off removes it from the home screen; it does not delete your media library or uninstall an add-on.

1. From Kodi’s home screen, select the Settings gear.
2. Open Interface, choose Skin, then select Configure skin for the currently active skin.
3. Open Main Menu Items and switch off items you do not want to see. Return to the same screen to turn one back on.

Estuary also provides widget and category controls for supported library sections. If you see Edit widgets or Edit categories, use them to adjust which rows appear under sections such as Movies, TV Shows, Music, or Music Videos. Creating new library categories can involve nodes or smart playlists, so leave those controls alone if you only want a simpler home screen.

The default skin has limits: its built-in settings do not provide a general tool for adding any arbitrary new home-menu entry. Kodi’s custom home items guide explains that adding extra entries requires a skin designed to support that feature.

Change Kodi’s home-screen background

In Configure skin, open Artwork. Estuary’s artwork settings can show the fanart for the selected library title behind the menu, apply a background pattern, or use an optional skin fanart pack.

• Turn Show media fanart as background on or off to control whether the highlighted library item supplies the backdrop.
• Select Choose background pattern to try the patterns available in the skin.
• For a different background collection, open Choose skin fanart pack and use Get more.... Kodi may prompt you to install its Image Resource Select add-on the first time. After installing a pack, return to this setting and select that pack to activate it.

These choices affect the skin’s presentation; they do not change the posters or files in your library. The Kodi Wiki’s Estuary settings reference describes the artwork options and their behavior.

Adjust colors, fonts, and interface size

Go to Settings > Interface > Skin to see the appearance controls supported by the active skin. Depending on the skin, this screen may include a theme, color set, font set, or zoom control.

Not every skin offers alternate colors, themes, or fonts. If a control is missing, that skin may not support it; installing another skin is usually easier than editing files. Zoom changes the size of Kodi’s on-screen interface, not the video image. A font choice can also affect whether some languages’ characters display correctly. See the Kodi Wiki guide to skin settings for details.

Install a skin for more menu options

A different skin can change Kodi’s overall layout and may offer controls for adding, renaming, or reordering home-menu entries. The controls are skin-specific, so check that a skin supports your Kodi version and the type of menu change you want before switching.

1. Open Settings > Interface > Skin, then select Skin.
2. Choose Get more... to browse skins in Kodi’s add-on catalog for your version. Select a skin and install it from the built-in repository.
3. When Kodi asks whether you want to use the installed skin, choose Yes only if you are ready to switch.

After switching, return to Settings > Interface > Skin > Configure skin. Look for options such as Home, Main menu, or Customize menu. Some skins let you choose a favorite, playlist, or add-on as a shortcut; others only change appearance. Follow that skin’s own documentation because button names and capabilities differ.

To go back, open the Skin selector again and choose Estuary. Kodi’s official skin-change instructions cover the installation flow. The Kodi add-on catalog lists available add-ons by Kodi version, so avoid relying on old instructions for a repository or skin that may no longer be maintained.

When a menu setting is missing

• No “Main Menu Items” option: confirm which skin is active. A different skin may use another label or may not allow menu editing.
• No “Get more...” button: check that Kodi can reach its official add-on repository, then reopen the Skin selector.
• Menu is hard to read on a TV: check whether the skin offers a zoom or font option. Settings affect the interface only, not video playback.

A skin changes how Kodi looks and navigates; it does not provide movies, channels, or other media. For routine customization, the built-in settings and skins available through Kodi’s version-specific catalog are the safest place to start.