Sonarr Prefer X265 Jun 2026

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To block x265 entirely, create a custom format that matches x265/HEVC releases and assign it a large negative score (e.g., -10000) in your quality profile. Alternatively, use the "Must Not Contain" field in a release profile with the same regex pattern.

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: Use release group filtering to favor reputable encoders known for quality x265 work. Create custom formats that score trusted groups higher while penalizing or blocking known low-quality encoders.

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. sonarr prefer x265

This is the professional way to handle x265. It allows you to score x265 releases positively while penalizing low-quality releases. Note: This requires the "Custom Formats" feature, which is available in newer versions of Sonarr (v3/v4).

Here’s a full, unbiased review of whether you should , covering quality, storage savings, hardware compatibility, and real-world usage. : To block x265 entirely, create a custom

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

Sonarr will upgrade a downloaded release if a better one becomes available. To get Sonarr to upgrade a 720p x264 release to a 720p x265 release, you must ensure the x265 Custom Format score is higher than the existing release's score. Also, ensure your quality profile allows upgrades ( Allow Upgrades ) and that the Upgrade Until quality is set appropriately. Create custom formats that score trusted groups higher

. If they don’t, your media server will have to "transcode" the video, which puts a massive heavy load on your CPU. Regex strings

To prefer x265 but fall back to x264 when unavailable, use the Preferred words method with positive scores (e.g., 100 ), or create a Custom Format with a positive score. This will make Sonarr choose x265 releases when available but still accept x264 releases when they are the only option.