Help with Plex remote access- done a fair amount of troubleshooting, still stuck

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
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Server Version#: Version 4.2.2
Player Version#: Not sure

I’ve been trying to enable remote access from my home PC and keep getting the “Not available outside your network” message. Screenshot (edited with blocked out information): https://imgur.com/a/hRVlMQ6

I tried selecting manually specify public port (note: all I did was click this button, I have no idea if I’m supposed to do anything else) and I also checked my router’s UPNP settings. Screenshot of the router settings showing UPNP enabled: https://imgur.com/a/CaKEOkK

Not sure what to try next, any tips? I run a VPN (PIA) and have tried it both with the VPN on and off.

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Question 1: have you tried to connect to your server from a remote device (e.g. via your mobile’s browser using Plex Web while it’s disconnected to your WIFI)?
The status indicator inside Settings > Remote Access is not 100% reliable and might give you a false alert while remote access is actually working fine.

There appears to be a disconnect as you manually define a port while relying on UPnP… the manual port setting inside Plex refers to a manual port forward inside your router!

PS: you should remove at least your 1st screenshot as it shows your public IP address and what public port you’re using.

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Hi thanks a lot for the reply. I went ahead and edited my picture to remove the IP address.

I verified that the remote access isn’t working outside my network (works in my household fine).

One thing I didn’t understand was

What exactly is this telling me, or what action should I take on this to fix it?

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If you’re using UPnP, you can uncheck the Manually specify public port.

This should only be required if you configure your router with a manual port forward. If UPnP doesn’t work it could be an option to manually define a port forward by telling your router to connect incoming requests going to a specific tcp port to the Plex Media Server (using its local IP address and port 32400).
If doing this, you’ll need to let Plex know the public tcp port you want remote access to connect to (therefore requiring Manually specify public port).

Try one at a time… when the router is configured you should double-check if the port is accessible from the outside. To do so you can use a service such as canyouseeme.org

  • with UPnP: your router’s public IP address and tcp port 32400
  • with a manual port forward: your router’s public IP address and the public port you’ve specified in the router settings (and Plex).

If you cannot access the public IP / port from outside your network you might want to contact your ISP. Sometimes they block ports for all kinds of reasons.

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