Suggested Server Settings
There are many Plex settings that you can change to help manage and customize your server.
This article will focus on some of the important settings to help get you started with setting and configuring your Plex server.
Accessing the settings
The Plex settings can be accessed using the Plex Web App. To access the settings, use the following steps:
- Log into your Plex server using an admin account.
- From the local Plex Web App, click the Settings icon.
The 'Plex Settings' icon
Once you access your Plex server settings you will see a sidebar on the left, separated by multiple sections.
This article will focus on the links under the Settings section.
The last section will focus on the recommended settings for different media libraries, which can be accessed from the Manage->Libraries link in the sidebar.
Each section page has a Show Advanced button in the upper-right corner of the page. Click that button to show all setting options for that page as some settings may be hidden by default.
All settings that can be found in Plex won't be listed below. Instead, only the settings that have a suggested value will be provided.
General
The settings on this page provide overall server settings such as how updates are handled and debug logging.
Friendly Name. The name you would like to appear in your Plex apps.
Send crash reports to Plex. Unchecked.
Push notifications: Unchecked.
Enable Plex Media Server debug logging: Checked.
Enable Plex Media Server verbose logging: Unchecked.
Server version updates: Ask me.
Server update Channel: Public. (Plex Pass required for Beta channel).
Ask to add a login item for externally mounted drives: Checked (macOS only).
Remote Access
You can make your Plex server available outside of your network. The settings specified on this page are used to make your server accessible remotely.
If you aren't going to access your server remotely, then you can disable this section and continue to the next.
Manually specify public port: 32400.
Internet upload speed: Your Internet upload speed.
Limit remote stream bitrate: Set the limit you prefer. Must be lower than your Internet upload speed. (Plex Pass required).
Agents
The options specified on this page are used by the legacy agents. You should be using the new Plex agents, so you can ignore these settings.
The agent settings for the new Plex agents are managed in the settings for each library.
Library
While each library has its settings, these settings apply to all libraries on your Plex server.
Scan my library automatically. Checked.
Run a partial scan when changes are detected. Checked.
Scan my library periodically: Unchecked.
Empty trash automatically after every scan. Unchecked.
Allow media deletion. Unchecked.
Generate video preview thumbnails. never.
Generate intro video markers: as a scheduled task and when media is added. (Plex Pass required).
Generate credits video markers as a scheduled task and when media is added. (Plex Pass required).
Generate chapter thumbnails: as a scheduled task and when media is added.
Analyze audio tracks for loudness: as a scheduled task.
Analyze audio tracks for sonic features: as a scheduled task.
Database Cache Size (MB): 2000.
Network
The settings in this section control how the network is configured for Plex.
Enable server support for IPv6: Unchecked if not using IPv6.
Secure connections: Preferred.
Strict TLS configuration: Unchecked.
Enable local network discovery (GDM): Checked.
Remote streams allowed per user: 2.
LAN Networks: The networks that will considered local. Defaults to the server subnet if left blank.
Treat WAN IP As LAN Bandwidth: Checked.
Enable Relay: Unchecked.
Custom server access URLs: If you are using a custom domain, such as with a reverse proxy, to access your Plex server. Enter all the custom domain URLs here.
Webhooks: Checked (Plex Pass required).
Transcoder
The settings for how Plex transcodes media are managed in this section.
Transcoder quality: Automatic.
Transcoder temporary directory: Directory where you want the transcoder temporary files to be located, if possible, use a RAM disk.
Enable HDR tone mapping: Checked (Plex Pass required).
Tonemapping Algorithm: hable.
Disable video stream transcoding: Unchecked.
Use hardware acceleration when available: Checked (Plex Pass required).
Use hardware-accelerated video encoding: Checked (Plex Pass required).
DLNA
If you have a device that doesn't have a supported Plex app, you can use DLNA to stream from your Plex.
As there are many Plex apps for most common types of devices, you should disable DLNA unless it is needed.
Enable the DLNA server: Unchecked.
Scheduled Tasks
Plex can run scheduled tasks within a period that you can specify. Some of the tasks can help keep your Plex server clean and optimized, so it is recommended to run the scheduled tasks.
Time at which tasks start to run: Select a start time when the server is not used.
Time at which tasks stop running: Select a time when the server will start being used.
Backup database every three days: Checked.
Backup directory: Directory where the database backups will be stored.
Optimize database every week: Checked.
Remove old bundles every week: Checked.
Remove old cache files every week: Checked.
Refresh local metadata every three days: Checked.
Update all libraries during maintenance: Unchecked.
Upgrade media analysis during maintenance: Checked.
Refresh library metadata periodically: Checked.
Perform extensive media analysis during maintenance: Checked.
Extras
The settings in this section mainly have to do with trailers that can played from your Plex server.
These settings are personal choices, so you can check the settings that work for you.
Libraries
The Libraries section can be found under the Manage heading in the sidebar.
This section allows you to add, edit, scan, and perform actions on your libraries. The settings listed for the media types below can be accessed by editing a library and then clicking the Advanced option in the dialog that appears for the library.
Movies
Scanner: Plex Movie.
Agent: Plex Movie.
Use local assets: Checked.
Prefer local metadata: Unchecked.
Minimum automatic collection size: 2.
Enable video preview thumbnails: Unchecked.
Collections: Hide items which are in collections.
TV shows
Scanner: Plex TV Series.
Agent: Plex TV Series.
Episode ordering: The Movie Database.
Use season titles: Checked.
Use local assets: Checked.
Prefer local metadata: Unchecked.
Enable video preview thumbnails: Unchecked.
Collections: Hide items which are in collections.
Seasons: Hide for single-season series
Enable intro detection: Checked.
Music
Scanner: Plex Music.
Agent: Plex Music.
Sonic Analysis: Checked.
Album Art: Both Plex Music and Local Files