Sonarr Prefer X265 • Recommended & Plus

Custom Formats work on a scoring system. Sonarr will always choose the release with the highest cumulative score. Go to > Profiles .

Under , click Add Condition and select Release Title .

In the field, leave it blank (forcing it will cause Sonarr to reject downloads if an x265 version doesn't exist).

Sonarr utilizes (v3) or Custom Formats (v4) to evaluate and score torrents or Usenet NZBs before downloading them. For Sonarr v4 (Recommended) sonarr prefer x265

Sonarr v4 manages media preferences using . This approach evaluates release titles using precise text matching and assigns scores to control what Sonarr downloads. Step 1: Create the x265 Custom Format Open the Sonarr web interface. Navigate to Settings > Custom Formats . Click the + (Add New) button. Name the format HEVC / x265 .

This article will guide you through everything you need to know about forcing Sonarr to prefer x265, the pitfalls of transcoding, and the hardware required to actually play these files back.

x265 truly shines at content. The standard for 4K releases is x265, as x264 struggles to efficiently handle the massive data of 4K resolution. Custom Formats work on a scoring system

By tailoring Sonarr to look for x265 encodes, you can easily cut your library's storage footprint in half without sacrificing video quality. Just ensure your playback devices are modern enough to handle the codec smoothly.

Enter the regex pattern: \b([hx].?265|hevc)\b and assign it a positive weight value (e.g., 100 ).

Set the to 0 (this ensures Sonarr still downloads x264 files if an x265 version is unavailable). Click Save . Method 2: Configuring Release Profiles (Sonarr v3) Under , click Add Condition and select Release Title

TRaSH takes a nuanced stance on x265, recognizing that codec preferences depend heavily on resolution and use case. Their recommendations:

For the absolute best results, look into . This is a community-maintained repository of highly optimized Regex patterns for Sonarr and Radarr.

The x265 codec offers significant advantages over the older x264 standard:

Ultimate Guide to Setting Up Sonarr to Prefer x265 (HEVC) Media

Creating custom formats only defines what Sonarr should look for; you must assign numerical weights to these formats within your to change Sonarr's downloading behavior. Navigate to Settings > Profiles .