Auto-Download TV Shows with Sonarr on Your PC

// Before you start

What you need

Windows, macOS, or Linux computer that stays on (or a NAS/Raspberry Pi)
A BitTorrent client (like qBittorrent) or Usenet client (like SABnzbd) already installed
An indexer account — a torrent tracker or Usenet indexer that provides RSS feeds
About 1 GB free disk space for Sonarr itself (your media needs much more)
Admin/sudo rights on your machine

Step 1 of 6

Download and install Sonarr

5 min

Sonarr provides ready-made installers for every platform. Go to the official download page and grab the right one for your OS. On Windows you get a normal .exe installer. On Linux/Raspberry Pi you run a one-line install script from their wiki. The installer sets Sonarr up as a background service so it starts automatically with your computer.

Terminal · mac

$ # Windows: download the installer from https://services.sonarr.tv/v1/download/main/latest?version=4&os=windows

$ # Then double-click the downloaded .exe and follow the prompts.

$ # Linux (Debian/Ubuntu/Raspberry Pi OS) — run this in a terminal:

$ curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Sonarr/Sonarr/develop/distribution/debian/install.sh | sudo bash

What you should see

Windows: installer wizard completes with no errors. Linux: terminal prints 'Sonarr installation complete' and the service starts.

This might happen

Linux script asks for your password and you see 'permission denied'

Make sure you typed 'sudo bash' at the end of the command. sudo gives the script the admin rights it needs.

Step 2 of 6

Open the Sonarr web interface

1 min

Sonarr runs as a local web app. You control everything through your browser — no separate app needed. After installation, open your browser and go to the address below. You should see the Sonarr setup wizard.

Terminal · mac

$ # Open this address in any browser on the same computer:

$ http://localhost:8989

What you should see

The Sonarr welcome screen or dashboard loads in your browser.

This might happen

Page says 'This site can't be reached'

The service may not have started yet. On Windows, search for 'Services' in the Start menu, find 'Sonarr', and click Start. On Linux, run: sudo systemctl start sonarr

Step 3 of 6

Tell Sonarr where to save your TV shows

3 min

Sonarr needs to know which folder on your hard drive to put finished TV episodes in. This is called a Root Folder. In the Sonarr UI, click Settings in the left menu, then click Media Management, then scroll down and click Add Root Folder. Browse to or type the path of your TV shows folder (for example C:\TV on Windows or /mnt/media/tv on Linux). Click OK to save.

Terminal · mac

$ # This step is done entirely in the browser UI — no terminal command needed.

$ # Settings → Media Management → Root Folders → Add Root Folder

What you should see

Your chosen folder path appears in the Root Folders list with a green checkmark.

This might happen

Sonarr shows the folder in red or says it cannot write to it

The Sonarr service needs permission to access that folder. On Windows, make sure the folder exists and is not read-only. On Linux, run: sudo chown -R sonarr:sonarr /your/tv/folder

Step 4 of 6

Connect your download client

5 min

Sonarr does not download files itself — it tells your existing download client (like qBittorrent or SABnzbd) what to grab. You need to connect them. In Sonarr, go to Settings → Download Clients → click the big plus (+) button → choose your client from the list. Enter the host (usually 'localhost'), the port your client uses, and your client's username and password if it has one. Click Test — if it shows a green tick, click Save.

Terminal · mac

$ # Done in the browser UI:

$ # Settings → Download Clients → + → choose client → fill in host/port/credentials → Test → Save

$ # Common default ports for reference:

$ # qBittorrent Web UI: 8080

$ # SABnzbd: 8080

$ # NZBGet: 6789

$ # Deluge: 8112

What you should see

A green 'Connection successful' message appears when you click Test.

This might happen

Test fails with 'Unable to connect'

Make sure your download client is actually running and its web interface is enabled. In qBittorrent, go to Tools → Preferences → Web UI and make sure it is turned on.

Step 5 of 6

Add an indexer (where Sonarr searches for episodes)

5 min

An indexer is the source Sonarr searches when looking for episodes — a torrent tracker or Usenet index site. The easiest way to manage indexers is through a free tool called Prowlarr, but you can also add them directly. In Sonarr, go to Settings → Indexers → click + → choose your indexer type → fill in the URL and your API key from that site → Test → Save. If you use Prowlarr, connect it under Settings → General → Prowlarr instead.

Terminal · mac

$ # Done in the browser UI:

$ # Settings → Indexers → + → select type → enter URL and API key → Test → Save

What you should see

Green tick on Test and your indexer appears in the Indexers list.

This might happen

You do not have an API key or do not know your indexer URL

Log in to your torrent tracker or Usenet indexer website and look in your profile or account settings for an 'API key' or 'RSS key'. Copy that value into Sonarr.

Step 6 of 6

Add your first TV show and let Sonarr monitor it

3 min

Now the fun part. Click Series in the left menu, then Add New. Type the name of a show you want. Sonarr will look it up on TVDB and show you a match. Choose the Root Folder you set up earlier, pick a quality profile (HD-1080p is a safe default), and decide whether you want Sonarr to search for all missing past episodes right now or only grab new ones going forward. Click Add to start monitoring.

Terminal · mac

$ # Done in the browser UI:

$ # Series → Add New → search show name → set Root Folder and Quality Profile → Add

What you should see

The show appears in your Series list. If you chose to search for missing episodes, you will see activity in Activity → Queue as Sonarr sends downloads to your client.

This might happen

Sonarr finds the show but says '0 episodes found' or nothing downloads

Your indexer may not have that show. Try a manual search: click the show → click the search icon next to an episode → this shows you exactly what Sonarr found and why it may have rejected releases.

// Status

cooked. baked. worked.

A browser-based dashboard that automatically monitors your favorite TV shows, grabs new episodes as they air, renames them neatly, and drops them in your chosen folder — all without you lifting a finger after setup.

// the honest bit

The honest part

Sonarr is powerful but it depends entirely on the quality of your indexers and download client setup — if those are not working, Sonarr cannot help. Free public torrent indexers are unreliable; paid private trackers or Usenet services work much better. Sonarr also does not handle movies (use Radarr for that) or music (use Lidarr). Getting the full stack working — indexer + download client + Sonarr + media player like Plex — takes a few hours the first time. Each piece must be configured correctly before the automation kicks in.