# Disable transcoding not working **URL:** \ **Category:** Plex Media Server\ **Tags:** server-linux\ **Created:** [June 12, 2023, 6:19am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-transcoding-not-working/844189 "2023-06-12T06:19:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![murf66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@murf66](https://forums.plex.tv/u/murf66)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 6:19am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-transcoding-not-working/844189/1 "2023-06-12T06:19:10Z")
Hi all. I have disabled transcoding because the majority of my media can play direct in chrome browser, and I dont want my meager cpu cores being smashed in the rare case that i accidentally watch a show that has to be transcoded (I would rather it pop up a message and tell me, then I will just manually transcode it at my leisure). When I set disable transcoding EVERY media I play says “The server does not have enough CPU cores”, even ones I know can direct play. Is this a bug, or something I am doing wrong. thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![FordGuy61](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@FordGuy61](https://forums.plex.tv/u/FordGuy61)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 7:54am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-transcoding-not-working/844189/2 "2023-06-12T07:54:37Z")
> [@murf66](#): > > “The server does not have enough CPU cores”, Translation: “I need to transcode the media, but you disabled transcoding.” Use Plex Desktop instead. It is much more capable than Plex Web. It direct plays most media. Download: [https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app](https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app) Documentation: [https://support.plex.tv/articles/categories/player-apps-platforms/windows-mac-desktop/](https://support.plex.tv/articles/categories/player-apps-platforms/windows-mac-desktop/) ---
**Author:** ![murf66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@murf66](https://forums.plex.tv/u/murf66)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 7:57am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-transcoding-not-working/844189/3 "2023-06-12T07:57:48Z")
> [@FordGuy61](#): > > Translation: “I need to transcode the media, but you disabled transcoding.” Thanks for the suggestion. Sorry but how do you see that? Direct play does not require transcoding , it is a direct stream. So the translation is “I DONT need to transcode the media, I need to direct play it, SO I disabled transcoding” I just want direct play, no option to transcode, and I dont want plex desktop either thanks. > **[How to Disable Video Transcoding in Plex](https://www.plexopedia.com/plex-media-server/general/disable-video-transcoding/)** > > Follow these easy step-by-step instruction to disable transcoding on your Plex server to prevent Plex from transcoding when streaming media. Quote: " Of course, once you disable transcoding, any clients that rely on movies being transcoded into a specific format may either have a bad streaming experience, such as buffering, or refuse to play the movie altogether. For such clients, however, it would be more beneficial to [avoid transcoding by providing compatible movie files to stream](https://www.plexopedia.com/plex-media-server/general/avoid-transcoding/)." I guess I should read that as “the only way you can do what you want is only have media that doesnt need transcoding” rather than “disabling transcoding will do what you need”. I wonder what “disabling transcoding” is even for if that is the case. ---
**Author:** ![FordGuy61](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@FordGuy61](https://forums.plex.tv/u/FordGuy61)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 8:21am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-transcoding-not-working/844189/4 "2023-06-12T08:21:24Z")
Plex Media Server cannot direct play/stream the media. It wants to transcode the video for some reason. You disabled transcoding. Therefore, the media fails to play and Plex displays a poorly worded message. Suggestion: Enable transcoding and determine why the media is transcoding. There could be multiple reasons: unsupported video/audio/subtitle formats, server or client settings, or something else. Once you know why the media needs to transcode, you can then figure out the next steps. Plex Web is one of the least capable clients. Start with H.264 8-bit video, AAC 2.0 audio and no subtitles. That should direct play. If you are using current versions of Plex Media Server and Chrome, HEVC 8-bit video should also direct play. Simple test: Use the [JellyFish](http://www.larmoire.info/jellyfish/) test files. The 10 Mbps or lower 8-bit files should not transcode. ---
**Author:** ![murf66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@murf66](https://forums.plex.tv/u/murf66)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 8:22am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-transcoding-not-working/844189/5 "2023-06-12T08:22:59Z")
> [@FordGuy61](#): > > Plex Media Server cannot direct play the media. > > You disabled transcoding. > > Therefore, the media fails to play and Plex displays a poorly worded message. > > Suggestion: Enable transcoding and determine why the media is transcoding. There could be multiple reasons: unsupported video/audio/subtitle formats, server or client settings, or something else. Once you know why the media needs to transcode, you can then figure out the next steps. > > Plex Web is one of the least capable clients. Start with H.264 8-bit video, AAC 2.0 audio and no subtitles. That should direct play. If you are using current versions of Plex Media Server and Chrome, HEVC 8-bit video should also direct play. > > Simple test: Use the [JellyFish](http://www.larmoire.info/jellyfish/) test files. The 10 Mbps or lower 8-bit files should not transcode. Ok thanks again, I think I will just delete media as I find ones that cant be streamed direct. I really like an option to do what i want, I might suggest it to Plex 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 8:23am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-transcoding-not-working/844189/6 "2023-09-10T08:23:47Z")
Closed on September 10, 2023, 8:23am UTC This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.