# Adding music files without running a full scan!

**URL:** <https://forums.plex.tv/t/adding-music-files-without-running-a-full-scan/760564>\
**Category:** Metadata & Adding Files\
**Tags:** server-windows\
**Created:** [November 27, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/adding-music-files-without-running-a-full-scan/760564 "2021-11-27T17:01:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nothingistrulyoriginal\_gmail\_com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/edb3f5/32.png) [@nothingistrulyoriginal\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/nothingistrulyoriginal_gmail_com)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/adding-music-files-without-running-a-full-scan/760564/1 "2021-11-27T17:01:29Z")

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Server Version#: latest  
Player Version#:

It took me 11 hours to scan my external hard drive and sync my 256 gb music library. My laptop slows while doing it.

I just want to add music files without running a full scan of ext.hdd as it takes forever and slows my laptop in the meantime.

Is there anyway around this? Can I stop a scan midway once it has found the new files (how)?

I appreciate any insight please.

Cheers  
Any ideas

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**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/adding-music-files-without-running-a-full-scan/760564/2 "2021-11-27T17:06:55Z")

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Plex needs to scan the underlying folders in order to find your new files.  
Usually subsequent scans won’t take as long as the initial one as it’ll only do a full analysis if changes to a file are detected. Similarly, a sonic analysis is only performed when an album is added to the library (not on every update) – if you have enabled the sonic features.

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**Author:** ![nothingistrulyoriginal\_gmail\_com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/edb3f5/32.png) [@nothingistrulyoriginal\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/nothingistrulyoriginal_gmail_com)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 5:09pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/adding-music-files-without-running-a-full-scan/760564/3 "2021-11-27T17:09:14Z")

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Can it not just update from date added?

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**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/adding-music-files-without-running-a-full-scan/760564/4 "2021-11-27T17:11:24Z")

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That’s what it’ll do…  
It goes through the directory and checks:

1. if files/folders have been added
2. if files/folders have been removed
3. if media has changed (using e.g. the date added but also some other characteristics to avoid redoing a full analysis if you simply fixed a typo in your file naming).

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/adding-music-files-without-running-a-full-scan/760564/5 "2022-02-25T17:12:24Z")

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