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This guide will walk you through creating your first channel in Kolibri Studio, adding content, and publishing it for use with Kolibri.
Time to complete: 5-10 minutes

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, you’ll need:
  • A web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
  • An internet connection
  • Some educational content to upload (optional — you can also use content from the public library)

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Step 1: Create an account

1

Visit Kolibri Studio

Go to studio.learningequality.org and click Create an Account.
2

Fill out the registration form

Provide your email, name, and create a password. You may also be asked about your use case and organization.
3

Verify your email

Check your inbox for a verification email and click the activation link.
4

Log in

Return to Studio and log in with your new credentials.

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Step 2: Create your first channel

Once logged in, you’ll see your channel dashboard.
1

Click New Channel

From the dashboard, click the New Channel button.
2

Enter channel details

Fill in the channel information:
  • Channel name: Give your channel a descriptive name (e.g., “Grade 6 Math Resources”)
  • Description: Explain what content is in this channel
  • Language: Select the primary language
  • Thumbnail: Upload an image to represent your channel (optional)
3

Select a license

Choose the default license for content in this channel. Common options:
  • CC BY: Allow reuse with attribution
  • CC BY-SA: Allow reuse with attribution and share-alike
  • All Rights Reserved: Restrict reuse
Learn more about licensing.
4

Create the channel

Click Create to generate your new channel. You’ll be taken to the channel editing page.

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Step 3: Add content to your channel

Now you can start adding educational materials to your channel.

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Option A: Import from the public library

The easiest way to get started is by importing existing content:
1

Open the clipboard

Click the Clipboard icon in the bottom right corner.
2

Browse public channels

Switch to the Library tab to see public channels available for import.
3

Find content

Search or browse for content relevant to your channel. You can filter by subject, language, and content type.
4

Add to clipboard

Click the + icon next to any topic or resource to add it to your clipboard.
5

Copy to your channel

Go back to the Clipboard tab, select the items, and click Copy to Channel to add them to your content tree.

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Option B: Upload your own content

1

Create a topic

Topics help organize your content. Click New Topic in your channel tree.
2

Add a resource

Click Add and select the type of resource:
  • Upload files: Videos (MP4), documents (PDF), audio (MP3)
  • Exercise: Create interactive questions
  • Import: Add content from other channels
3

Fill in resource details

For each resource, provide:
  • Title: Name of the resource
  • Description: What learners will find
  • Files: Upload the actual file(s)
  • License: Specify the content license
  • Tags: Add relevant keywords
4

Save the resource

Click Save to add the resource to your channel.
File formats supported:
  • Video: MP4, WebM
  • Document: PDF, ePub
  • Audio: MP3
  • Subtitles: VTT, SRT

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Step 4: Organize your content

Arrange your content in a logical hierarchy:
1

Create topics and subtopics

Topics act as folders to group related resources. Create a structure that makes sense for your learners (e.g., by grade, subject, or unit).
2

Drag and drop to reorder

Click and drag items in the tree to rearrange them.
3

Move content between topics

Drag resources from one topic to another to reorganize your channel.

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Step 5: Publish your channel

Once you’re happy with your content, publish it so it can be imported into Kolibri.
1

Review your channel

Click through your topics to make sure everything looks correct. Check for:
  • Missing descriptions or metadata
  • Incorrect file uploads
  • Licensing issues
2

Click Publish

In the top right corner, click the Publish button.
3

Add a version description

Describe what’s in this version (e.g., “Initial release with Grade 6 algebra content”).
4

Confirm publication

Click Publish Channel. Studio will package your channel and make it available for Kolibri.
Publishing can take several minutes for channels with large video files. Don’t close the browser until it completes.
5

Get your channel token

After publishing, you’ll receive a channel token (a unique ID). Share this token with Kolibri users so they can import your channel.

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Step 6: Import into Kolibri

Your channel is now ready to be imported into a Kolibri instance.
1

Open Kolibri

On a device with Kolibri installed, log in as an admin or coach.
2

Go to Device > Channels

Navigate to Device → Channels from the sidebar.
3

Import new channel

Click Import from Studio (or Import more channels).
4

Enter your channel token

If your channel is unlisted, enter the channel token. Otherwise, search for it by name.
5

Select content

Choose which topics and resources to import (you can import a subset if storage is limited).
6

Import

Click Import and wait for Kolibri to download all content files. This may take a while depending on file sizes and network speed.

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Example: Creating a math channel

Here’s a complete example of a channel structure: 
Grade 6 Math
├── 1. Number Sense
│   ├── Place Value (video)
│   ├── Rounding Numbers (video)
│   └── Practice: Rounding (exercise)
├── 2. Fractions
│   ├── Introduction to Fractions (video)
│   ├── Adding Fractions (video)
│   ├── Practice: Adding Fractions (exercise)
│   └── Fraction Reference Guide (PDF)
└── 3. Geometry
    ├── Angles (video)
    ├── Area and Perimeter (video)
    └── Practice: Area Problems (exercise)

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Next steps

Organize Content

Learn best practices for structuring your channel

Create Exercises

Build interactive assessments with multiple question types

Collaborate

Invite team members to help curate content

Use Ricecooker

Automate content import with the Python SDK

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