Getting Started with Bazarr on SonicBit: Automatic Subtitles for Your Media Server in 5 Minutes

Watching a movie where the dialogue keeps cutting out, or worse — sitting through an entire episode of a foreign-language series with zero subtitles — is a special kind of frustration. You've got the media server, you've got the library, but the subtitle situation is a mess. You're manually searching subtitle sites, downloading ZIP files, renaming them to match your video files, and hoping the sync isn't off by two seconds. It's tedious, and it's exactly the kind of thing that should be automated.

Enter Bazarr.

Bazarr is a companion app that watches your Sonarr and Radarr libraries, automatically fetches subtitles for everything you add, and drops them right where Plex or Jellyfin can find them. And on SonicBit, deploying it takes about five minutes — no Docker commands, no config files, no terminal. Just a few clicks and you're done.

What Bazarr Actually Does

Before diving into the setup, let's get clear on what Bazarr handles and what it doesn't.

Bazarr is a subtitle manager. It connects to your existing media automation stack and does one thing really well: making sure every movie and TV episode has subtitles.

Here's how it fits into your setup:

When Sonarr grabs a new episode of your favorite show, Bazarr notices it. It checks which languages you want, searches a dozen subtitle providers, downloads the best match, and saves it alongside the video file. By the time you sit down to watch, the subtitle is already there.

What You'll Need Before Starting

This is a beginner-friendly setup, but you'll need a few things in place first:

• A SonicBit account (the Free plan works for testing, but you'll want at least the Starter plan at $2.45/month or Standard at $4.35/month to run the full media stack)
• Sonarr and Radarr already deployed on SonicBit
• Plex or Jellyfin deployed and connected to the same media folders
• A basic understanding of where your media is stored (your /media or /downloads paths)

If you haven't set up Sonarr and Radarr yet, you'll want to do that first. Bazarr is a companion app — it needs something to talk to.

Step 1: Deploy Bazarr in One Click

This is the easy part. Bazarr is available in the SonicBit app library, so there's no manual installation.

1. Log in to your SonicBit dashboard
2. Navigate to the Apps section
3. Find Bazarr in the app library (it's in the Media category)
4. Click Install or Deploy
5. Wait about 30-60 seconds for the container to spin up

!Bazarr app deployment screen on SonicBit dashboard

That's it. SonicBit handles the reverse proxy, SSL certificate, and container orchestration automatically. Your Bazarr instance will be available at a URL like bazarr.yourname.sonicbit.net.

Once it's deployed, open Bazarr and you'll see the initial setup wizard.

Step 2: Connect Bazarr to Sonarr and Radarr

Now comes the configuration. Bazarr needs to know where your media lives and how to reach your Sonarr and Radarr instances.

Find Your App URLs

In your SonicBit dashboard, each app has its own URL. You'll need:

• Your Sonarr URL (something like sonarr.yourname.sonicbit.net)
• Your Radarr URL (something like radarr.yourname.sonicbit.net)
• Your API keys for both apps

To find API keys in Sonarr and Radarr:

1. Open Sonarr (or Radarr)
2. Go to Settings → General
3. Copy the API Key

Add Sonarr to Bazarr

In Bazarr:

1. Go to Settings → Sonarr
2. Click Add to create a new Sonarr connection
3. Enter the Sonarr URL
4. Paste the API key
5. Click Test to verify the connection works
6. Save the connection

!Bazarr Sonarr connection settings with API key field

Repeat the same process for Radarr under Settings → Radarr.

Bazarr will immediately start scanning your Sonarr and Radarr libraries. You'll see your TV shows and movies populate in the Bazarr interface.

Step 3: Configure Your Subtitle Languages

This is where you tell Bazarr what languages you want for subtitles.

1. Go to Settings → Languages
2. Set your default language (e.g., English)
3. Add any additional languages you want
4. Set a minimum score for subtitles (higher score = better quality match)

The minimum score matters. Bazarr scores subtitles from 0 to 100 based on factors like:

• Whether the subtitle file name matches your video file
• Release group matching
• Sync accuracy
• User ratings from the provider

A score of 80 or higher is generally a good starting point. If you're finding too few subtitles, lower it to 60. If you're getting bad syncs, raise it to 90.

Here's a quick reference for score settings:

Step 4: Choose Your Subtitle Providers

Bazarr pulls subtitles from multiple sources, and you get to pick which ones it uses.

1. Go to Settings → Providers
2. Browse the available providers (OpenSubtitles, Addic7ed, Podnapisi, and more)
3. Enable the ones you want
4. Add your credentials for providers that require accounts

Some providers are free and open. Others (like OpenSubtitles.com) require a free account to access their API. Here's a comparison:

You don't need to enable every provider. Start with OpenSubtitles.com and Addic7ed — those two cover most use cases. Add more if you find gaps in coverage.

Step 5: Run Your First Subtitle Search

Now for the satisfying part — actually getting subtitles.

After connecting Sonarr and Radarr, Bazarr will show you which media is missing subtitles. Look for the Wanted section in the sidebar.

To fetch subtitles for everything at once:

1. Click Wanted in the sidebar
2. Select all items
3. Click Search All at the top
4. Bazarr will start fetching subtitles in the background

!Bazarr wanted subtitles page showing pending items

You can also search for individual items. Find the movie or episode in Bazarr, click the subtitle icon next to it, and choose Search.

Bazarr will download the subtitle, rename it to match your video file, and save it in the same folder. When you open the file in Plex or Jellyfin, the subtitle will be there.

Step 6: Fine-Tune Your Setup

Once the basics are working, a few tweaks will make Bazarr even better.

Enable Automatic Subtitle Fetching

This is the whole point of automation. In Settings → Subtitles, make sure:

• Automatic Subtitles Download is enabled
• Subtitle Language matches your preference from Step 3
• Minimum Score is set to your chosen threshold

With this enabled, Bazarr will automatically fetch subtitles for any new media that Sonarr or Radarr adds. No manual intervention needed.

Set Up Notifications (Optional)

Want to know when subtitles are downloaded? Bazarr supports notifications through multiple channels:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications
2. Choose your preferred notification method (Discord, Telegram, email, or webhook)
3. Configure the connection details
4. Test it to make sure it works

This is optional but nice for peace of mind. You'll get a ping when Bazarr can't find subtitles for something, so you can manually search.

Handle Foreign Language Audio

If you have movies with non-English audio (anime, foreign films), make sure your language settings cover both the audio language and subtitle language.

For example, if you watch Japanese anime with English subtitles:

• Set Audio Language to Japanese
• Set Subtitle Language to English
• Enable Hearing Impaired if you want closed captions

Bazarr will prioritize English subtitles for Japanese audio content.

Common Issues and Quick Fixes

Here are a few things that trip up new Bazarr users:

Why This Beats Manual Subtitle Hunting

Before Bazarr, here's what you were doing:

1. Notice a movie has no subtitles
2. Open a subtitle site in your browser
3. Search for the exact release
4. Download a ZIP file
5. Extract it
6. Rename the file to match your video
7. Upload it to your seedbox or sync it to your media folder
8. Check if the sync is correct
9. Repeat for every movie and episode

With Bazarr on SonicBit, all of that is automated. The first time you sit down to watch a show and the subtitles are just... there — that's the moment you realize you're never going back.

What's Next?

Now that Bazarr is running, here are a few ways to level up your media setup:

• How to Set Up the Complete Media Stack on SonicBit — Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, Bazarr, and Plex in one guide
• Getting Started with Prowlarr on SonicBit — Better indexer management for Sonarr and Radarr
• How to Use Overseerr for Media Requests — Let family members request movies and shows

Your subtitle problem is solved. The next time you're watching a quiet, mumbled scene in a Christopher Nolan movie, you'll actually know what's being said.

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