Hey all, I’m stumped for the first time since adopting Linux. I can’t get Plex to see any of my folders and I cannot just move my movies to plexmediaserver because I don’t have the permissions.
I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the permissions commands and I’m not sure what the simplest way to set up my Plex library is. Has anyone been through this process that can help me out?
I remember running into this as well. It’s because Plex installs itself with its own user. So post-install, you need to add the Plex account to your user Group and restart the service.
sudo usermod -a -G <yourUserName> plex
sudo service plexmediaserver restartTwo commands and bam! You’re in business.
ref: https://askubuntu.com/questions/458547/i-cannot-get-plex-server-to-see-any-directories#1472193
Really appreciate this. I didn’t realize I could use my username as a group.
The simplest way is to run it in Docker. It’s another step to learn, but it’s much easier. I’d recommend the linuxserver.io container via docker-compose: https://docs.linuxserver.io/images/docker-plex/#docker-compose-recommended-click-here-for-more-info
I’d also recommend taking the opportunity to switch to Jellyfin. It’s not quite as polished, but in my experience it’s more stable (only had to reset my library once) and the devs aren’t enshittifying the project.
I’ll have a look at both! Thank you.
Are you running it via flatpak?
No, just the .deb downloaded from Plex’s website. Would a flatpak be better?
Deb is fine, but flatpak may need other permissions to access resources outside the runtime, which is why I asked.
Are you getting a specific error, and are your media files local to the system you’re running Plex from?
It’s not an error so much as when I go to manage my Plex library, only a few folders appear and I can’t move my movies to them. They’re on the same system.