Run Your Own Plex Media Server
YOU’LL NEED THIS
A PC OR NAS DRIVE
Along with a collection of media that you want to play
on your devices.
WHO DOESN’T LOVE A GOOD MOVIE, or enjoy relaxing by kicking back listening to music? Many people have a huge media collection sitting on their computer, and knowing how to keep this organized—and how best to access it—is a problem that you’ve probably encountered. One of the best tools for the job is Plex. This incredible piece of software can be used to catalog your entire media collection, make it easier to navigate and play back, and gives you the ability to stream your music and movies to all of your devices.
Plex can be used in a couple of ways, and at its heart is its server component. Don’t let the word “server” put you off; the Plex server is simply software that you install on your PC—or on a NAS drive—and point at your media files, ready for playback from other connected devices. Read on to find out more. –MARK WYCIŚLIK-WILSON 1 CREATE A PLEX ACCOUNT First, point your web browser at www.plex.tv [ Image A], and click the “Sign Up” button at the upper-right of the page. You can use a Google account, your Facebook credentials, or an email address to set up a new account. If you opt to use your email address, you’re prompted to create a password—otherwise, you just have to provide your Facebook or Google details. 2 DOWNLOAD PLEX MEDIA SERVER Next you need to install the Plex software on the PC or device that you intend to use as your media server. You should automatically be taken to a page linking to the Plex Media Server download, but if you aren’t, go to https://app.
plex.tv/desktop. If you are installing the software on a network drive, you need to click the “Download for NAS Platforms” link, otherwise click “Download for Computer Platforms.” 3 INSTALL THE SERVER SOFTWARE With Plex Media Server downloaded, you now need to install it. You don’t need to be concerned about changing any settings; just run through the installation, clicking “Yes” if a User Account Control dialog appears. Once the installation is complete—it shouldn’t take very long—click the “Launch” button, and you’re ready to start configuring your Plex server.
4 START SERVER CONFIGURATION A Plex icon should now appear in the notification area of the system tray—either right-click it and select “Open Plex,” or double-click it to access Plex Server’s web interface. On the web page that loads, you should see a message informing you that an unclaimed server has been detected. Click “Claim it now,” followed by the “Claim Server” button [ Image B] . You can now configure your media. 5 ADD YOUR MEDIA LIBRARIES In the list of options that appear on the left, scroll down and click “Libraries” followed by “Add Library.” Choose the type of media library you’d like to add first (in this case, music), and click the corresponding icon, followed by “Next”
[ Image C]. Click “Browse For Media Folder,” then navigate to a folder on your PC containing the relevant media. Click “Add.” 6 ADD MORE LIBRARIES AND SCAN FOR MEDIA If your media is stored in more than one location, click the “Browse For Media Folder” button again to add another folder. When you’ve added all the necessary folders, click “Next,” select “Create a basic music library” (unless you have paid for a Plex subscription) [ Image D], and click “Next” followed by “Add Library.” You can then repeat the process for all your other media files and libraries. 7 BROWSE YOUR LIBRARIES Now wait while Plex scans the folders you have selected, analyzes the files it finds, and adds tags and labels. If you click the “Home” button in the upper-left corner, you can watch in real time as media files are added to your library. While the library update is underway, you’ll notice that the “Activity” icon— the “pulse” icon, upper-right—spins to show you that something is happening [ Image E]. 8 INSTALL PLEX MEDIA PLAYER There are various ways to access your media collection with Plex, including the browserbased app at https://app.plex.tv, and the desktop version, named Plex Media Player, for Windows and macOS [ Image F]. To download and install the standalone app for your PC, head to https://www.plex.tv/appsdevices/#modal-devices-plex-media-player, and click
the “Get Download” button. 9 PLAY YOUR MEDIA With Plex Media Player installed, fire it up, sign in to your Plex account, and the app searches for available servers. Once your Plex server has been located, use the left-hand navigation bar, or the deck view to the right, to navigate through your media collection, as well as online content [ Image G]. Controls and navigation are much like any other media player. 10 INSTALL MOBILE APPS Whether you have an iPhone or Android phone—or an iPad, for that matter—there’s a mobile app you can use to enjoy your media collection when you’re away from your PC. Just make sure your Plex server is on, and an Internet or data connection is available. The Plex mobile apps can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Google Play [ Image H].