Deleting content without removing parent directory

[F1Guy123]

This is a feature change/add request.
Today when using the web or Windows player app, when the final program or item in a folder is deleted, Plex deletes the parent directory it was contained in with it.

For example; I have a library called “TV Shows” and under it, I have a folder called “Last Week Tonight” that I manually add content to. When I view the last show in that folder and delete it, Plex deletes the …\Last Week Tonight folder as well. That’s inconvenient because every time I want to add another show, I have to recreate the folder OR I have to leave a watched show in all such folders as a ‘placeholder’ to keep the parent folder in tact.

This does not affect shows recorded by Plex because they of course recreate sub folders automatically. So when I clean up watched shows I have to try and recall which are recorded by Plex and which are added manually so as not to have Plex delete the parent directory. Kinda messy especially for other users in the house who don’t know how it works.

If there were a global option I could set to select whether or not to delete the containing folder when the last item in it was deleted it would be a great help.

Thanks.

[tom80H]

I remember users complaining that Plex did not delete the show’s folder if it contained some local media assets (e.g. posters, subtitles…). Not sure this has been fixed in accordance with the request of those users… if it’s still working you could at least use it as a workaround to prevent Plex from deleting your show folder.

[beckfield]

Yes, you can find several requests in the Feature Suggestions forum asking that the folder be deleted when the last item in the folder was deleted. A couple of them also made the bold, revolutionary suggestion that this behavior should be optional, but Plex tends to avoid options.

[ParadiseLost13]

Simply put a dontdelete.txt file in the directory. It won’t delete it. You can name it anything.