Backup and restore function

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

As a Plex user with thousands of files on my server, I often face challenges when changing computers or recovering from drive failures. Currently, I’m in the process of transitioning to a new computer, and it took nearly a day to compress 700,000 files (73 GB) from the Plex Media Server directory, followed by another day to decompress them. This seems excessively cumbersome, especially when considering the sheer number of files involved.

To streamline this process, I suggest that Plex implement a feature that generates a CSV file containing essential information for all movies and TV shows in the library. This CSV should include:

  • Local file names
  • IMDb IDs for each file
  • Current META file names
  • User settings, drive assignments, and other configurations

This file would allow for easy editing, enabling users to adjust drive letters or unique settings when moving to a new machine.

For the restore process, whether on the same or a new machine, Plex could use the CSV to match entries with the files and leverage the IMDb IDs to repopulate metadata and cover thumbnails for each item.

While I understand the logistics may be complex, it seems this feature would significantly enhance user experience. I am curious as to why a backup and restore process isn’t already in place.

Thank you for considering this suggestion!

2

Vote here:

3

I think it would be faster to simply copy the whole Plex data folder.
I swapped machines a year ago and the copy took under two hours over a Gigabit network link to a NVMe drive.
Not zipping the folder will also keep all the symlinks valid in there, which the zip format cannot properly store.

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