Inventory the recovery task
Write down what must return after a reinstall: sources, library state, add-ons, skins and any local configuration. Then identify the separate media storage, such as a NAS or external drive. Kodi’s official guide says its documented backup concerns Kodi, with media files outside that scope.
For an illustrative home setup, the computer might hold Kodi data while a NAS holds the videos. Both can be necessary for a working restoration, but they are different backup jobs. A new player can open with an empty-looking library even though the underlying media remains safely on the NAS.
Select the applicable backup route
Kodi describes manual data-folder copying and its backup add-on as possible methods. Use the current method appropriate to the platform and access available. Read the actual folder-location guidance rather than copying a Windows path onto Android, Flatpak or another environment.
Keep an independent copy of the backup outside the storage you are about to replace. Record the Kodi version, date, method and included scope. A folder named backup is not enough evidence if nobody knows whether it contains only userdata or the broader Kodi data required by the chosen method.
Verify recovery without destroying the baseline
Before removing the working setup, inspect the backup contents and, where practical, use the supported restoration method in an appropriate separate environment. Keep the original intact until the intended configuration and authorised sources are available. Kodi’s full-data-folder guidance excludes cross-operating-system and cross-major-version transfers; choose a supported migration method for those changes.
Treat source credentials and private paths inside the backup as sensitive. When asking for help, share the scope and redacted file list rather than the entire archive publicly. A complete recovery plan preserves both configuration and separately backed-up media according to their roles, without confusing either with a fresh application download.