# Data Folder Location **URL:** \ **Category:** Plex Media Server\ **Tags:** server-windows\ **Created:** [July 21, 2020, 7:12pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671 "2020-07-21T19:12:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Webdoc](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/webdoc/32/94571_2.png) [@Webdoc](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Webdoc)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 7:12pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/1 "2020-07-21T19:12:08Z")
Server Version#: Player Version#: 1.19.5.3112-b23ab3896 July 20, 2020 Have just reloaded my server OS and put the above plex version on my server, cannot seem to find the section in settings where you can change where the data folder is, any help please I seem to be missing the following Settings - Server - General - Show Advanced - ‘The path where local application data is stored’ type in the new location ---
**Author:** ![FordGuy61](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@FordGuy61](https://forums.plex.tv/u/FordGuy61)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/2 "2020-07-21T19:37:26Z")
> [@\[HowTo\] An extended guide on how to move the Plex data folder on Windows](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-an-extended-guide-on-how-to-move-the-plex-data-folder-on-windows/197060): > > By default, Plex server stores all its own data on the system drive, in the AppData path of the Windows user. You might want to change that location, if your system drive is a small SSD or you are simply having capacity issues. Moving Plex data to a dedicated drive also makes it easier to retain your Plex server data when changing machines or re-installing Windows from scratch. For larger servers/collections, I recommend a dedicated, internal SSD drive. Exit/End/Quit/Close plex, using the t… ---
**Author:** ![Webdoc](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/webdoc/32/94571_2.png) [@Webdoc](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Webdoc)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/3 "2020-07-21T19:52:24Z")
Hello thanks for the reply but its the box that you can type data folder location in that should be here - Settings - Server - General - Show Advanced, I have nothing there it should give c drive as the data folder location, then if you move that folder, you just edit that box to reflect the new location ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 8:09pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/4 "2020-07-21T20:09:24Z")
This box doesn’t exist anymore, due to [Security: Regarding CVE-2020-5741](https://forums.plex.tv/t/security-regarding-cve-2020-5741/586819/1) ---
**Author:** ![Webdoc](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/webdoc/32/94571_2.png) [@Webdoc](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Webdoc)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 8:13pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/5 "2020-07-21T20:13:44Z")
Thanks I must have missed that change, I have edited the registry just going to check if its worked ---
**Author:** ![Webdoc](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/webdoc/32/94571_2.png) [@Webdoc](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Webdoc)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/6 "2020-07-22T12:56:19Z")
Thinking I did miss something, edited the registry to point plex data folder to the one that that I used on another drive, that contained all metadata and watched state only to find that everything I had watched is now marked unwatched, and with no way of getting data back from trakt looks like now have a few hours work in front of me, NOT HAPPY Any ideas on what I may have missed would be appreciated thanks ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 12:57pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/7 "2020-07-22T12:57:41Z")
Read the HowTo again. My guess: > Beware! The path you type in must **not** include ‘Plex Media Server’ as last part. > So if now your plex data reside in `E:\plex\Plex Media Server\` , you type only > `E:\plex\` into the input field. ---
**Author:** ![Webdoc](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/webdoc/32/94571_2.png) [@Webdoc](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Webdoc)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 1:05pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/8 "2020-07-22T13:05:29Z")
D:\Plex\ is what I typed the same as if that input was in the plex settings, every other time i have needed to reload I have just pointed to that folder and all watched state was back in plex, I could tell plex was using the folder I pointed to as the MB it contained was going up. ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/9 "2020-07-22T13:07:40Z")
Second possibility: the database file was damaged. Plex therefore did create an empty database. Try to restore one of the older backup copies (if you still have one from before the crash/move) > **[Restore a Database Backed Up via 'Scheduled Tasks' | Plex Support](https://support.plex.tv/articles/202485658-restore-a-database-backed-up-via-scheduled-tasks/)** > > One of the many Scheduled Tasks that a Plex Media Server performs is to make regular backups of the core... (replace the folder location from this article with the one you have moved to, of course) ---
**Author:** ![Webdoc](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/webdoc/32/94571_2.png) [@Webdoc](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Webdoc)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 1:11pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/10 "2020-07-22T13:11:22Z")
The folder I was using was the only one I had, (stupid mistake I know now) if we still had access to plugins and Plex scrobbler that got data back from trakt I would not mind so much, leaving us with no way to get data back is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 1:12pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/11 "2020-07-22T13:12:06Z")
The backups are supposed to be in this one folder. ---
**Author:** ![Webdoc](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/webdoc/32/94571_2.png) [@Webdoc](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Webdoc)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 1:25pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/12 "2020-07-22T13:25:17Z")
ok found the database folder it has content so maybe in luck, going to start fresh as I removed plex, will reload point to a new folder then add the library, do I then replace the database file until I find one that works? ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 1:26pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/13 "2020-07-22T13:26:30Z")
> [@Webdoc](#): > > will reload point to a new folder then add the library, Don’t “start fresh”. The whole point of using an old database is to retain the old data. ---
**Author:** ![Webdoc](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/webdoc/32/94571_2.png) [@Webdoc](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Webdoc)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/14 "2020-07-22T13:28:05Z")
ok will try that way first then ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/15 "2020-07-22T13:30:01Z")
Make sure that your media files are reachable under the exact same drive letters/server share names/foldernames/filenames as they were in the old server installation. Otherwise they might get re-discovered nonetheless and old metadata are discarded. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/data-folder-location/615671/16 "2020-10-20T13:30:12Z")
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.