I like to add info to movie titles, like the rating, actor names, etc and Plex keeps changing the names I have written. l How can I prevent this ?
Thanks
Jules
I run my movies through Media Center Masters, which verifies the proper naming of the file, as well as fetches a full metadata for the movie.
You have two choices:
1. Don't put this information in filenames, use the edit feature in the Plex app to put it in
2. Use a "videos" section type instead of a "movies" section type, so that Plex leaves your filenames alone. (Note that you lose all the automatic features of a movies section then.)
Thanks PJE. This is exactly the info I needed. Problem solved
hi also thank you pje this help a lot my problem was i had everything in main directory so when and i added all the files as movies so when plex sorted tv show example it change everything around. so i place everything in sub-directory and now its looking good. for example i created a tv-shows folder and then a movies folder.
I have this issue as well. I have all of my movies in a Movie folder. My best example is all of my James Bond movies. I have the regular title as the movie title e.g. Dr. No. For my sort title, I use “James Bond 001.” This should keep all of my James Bond movies in order of release but all in the “J” section. I lock the sort title after changing, re-sort and it’s fine. When I look again later, It is either alphabetically
(sorted) under Dr. No OR the movie title has changed to “James Bond 001.” Plex uses the word “lock” but I do not think it means what they think it means.
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@ToolFreak941 said:
Plex uses the word “lock” but I do not think it means what they think it means.
This has been one of my pet peeves with Plex for a long time.
A forced refresh has no respect for locked data.
Supposedly if you select “Unmatch” it keeps Plex from ever changing that metadata as well… but that doesn’t seem to be what many others have experienced.
The lock means lock - just doesn’t seem to work properly. 
Do make sure that if isn’t embedded metadata causing the issue though if it is an mp4 file.
The newest PMS update 1.4.3 will now enforce the lock, except for the poster. There are technical issues that make this not possible right now, but all text should stay locked.
I’d be happy and would welcome suggestions on a similar issue with name/title and auto update… My issue is the same but different… I too wish the “lock” button by title/name worked, and would override any future auto-update of the file! I Didn’t have that issue until either the Jan 2017 update or I hit 1200 files. Names reverting to the (locked file) original names/titles started at the same time as the update and hitting around 1000 to 1200 files. I can’t get a consistent fix but at have times can get it to work at random. I was able to use Plex settings for my “movie” drive/folder and have it update until I hit somewhere around 1000 to 1200 video files in 6 libraries. It was only then (and around the Jan 2017 Plex update) I have played around with this for a few days as well and have to agree that if a manual rename of a title is implemented via ‘edit’ on the video (movie), and the lock tab is “secured”, that should indeed override and system automatic title rename. I tried setting options to only update new or modified files automatically, however it wasn’t catching any added movies. Trying to work with only adding new/modified files, I can add a file which won’t auto-update, go int that file’s metadata header, modify properties save and sometimes auto-update will catch and then update only the new, freshly modified file. Other times It just won’t auto-add and when i update the library, I find myself “fixing” file titles for around 30 movies or so. Sometimes Plex would auto-update after a modification to the file, sometimes it wouldn’t. I can take a file and use the mkvtoolnix to only modify the header and change the title which works perfectly but It would be awesome if the Lock button worked with a rule that a title/name field when “locked”, would not be changed bu auto-update if the library (folder) is updated, OR if all folders are updated during a maintenance occurrence. Without digging deep my guess is that either the file count and database size or the Jan (or early Feb) update is what changed something in my option settings which did use-to-work, at one time to stop auto-update from auto-renaming 30 to 40 files every time the library is updated. I’m open to trying anything before I go ahead and edit all the headers for what would end up being in all libraries somewhere around 80 to 100 files, to change the title so auto update didn’t keep changing them back the the original file title… Thoughts / Suggestions? (I am going to check out Media Center Master per previous suggestions as well) Can someone confirm the Media Center Master you referring to is the one located at mediacentermaster.com/ please?
I’m amazed at the length people will go to run non-compliant file names/structures.
Prove me wrong - and help Plex identify the real problem. Two birds - one stone:
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200250417-Plex-Media-Server-Log-Files
Drag zip file to message window and drop it.
@itprome said:
Trying to work with only adding new/modified files, I can add a file which won’t auto-update, go int that file’s metadata header, modify properties save and sometimes auto-update will catch and then update only the new, freshly modified file
PMS does not look into the file’s metadata a second time. Also, you mention MKVToolNix, which is for MKV files. PMS does not even look in the properties of an MKV file. It will only look at the file’s metadata on the initial scan and only for MP4 and M4V files.
Thanks, & understood. Good to know before I started digging and changing a slew of mkv files titles in metadata. I can assume from that then; The unlocked files that do allow for title edits that are updating, are mp4/m4v and thus it would seem logical if I was not paying attention to extension and trying to whiz through multiple files, that the mp4 are changing, the mkv are not thus why it appears ‘random’ at a glance… makes perfect sense now… If the entire library is manually updated, does it stil skip files already read? If so that would mean then; It is the mkv files changing title names back, correct? How about refreshing the entire library? Would that re-read or same thing?
"So I correct myself… Not random… I have used handbrake to convert a few larger mkv to mp4 to save space, but it takes so long to render files over 5gb. As for mp4/m4v, and changing titles only, do you know of any ‘fast’ metadata/header editor programs where like with the mkv tool, a user can modify only the header metadata and save? (I am able to edit the header for a locked media file in the mkvtool, but being as how it is a moot point, I could modify any new mp4 files so maybe the better question would be is there a best practice as far as before a locked file is imported? In other words,any suggestions outside of converting the mkv to mp4 for those that keep changing back title names?) Thanks so much for your input!
Here’s a fix for mp4/m4v files that’s faster than any handbrake or metadata stripper:
Plexweb/Settings/Server/Agents/
drag local media assets to the bottom of every available Agent list you can lay your hands on and that will stop Plex’s madness of PREFERRING an embedded title field over a PERFECTLY NAMED AND STRUCTURED FILE!
PS: Fix your file names and structures - if you have any bad ones:
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/categories/200028098-Media-Preparation
FileBot is ‘The Miracle Worker’ - link in my signature.
@itprome said:
If the entire library is manually updated, does it stil skip files already read? If so that would mean then; It is the mkv files changing title names back, correct? How about refreshing the entire library? Would that re-read or same thing?
A file is not reread when doing a library update or even doing a refresh.
As for mp4/m4v, and changing titles only, do you know of any ‘fast’ metadata/header editor programs where like with the mkv tool, a user can modify only the header metadata and save?
I don’t know of any tools. I personally do not bother adding titles to the files themselves. All my files are named according to the guidelines mentioned above by @JuiceWSA, and PMS matches them perfectly so I have no need for titles to be in the file.
In other words,any suggestions outside of converting the mkv to mp4 for those that keep changing back title names?) Thanks so much for your input!
I’m not sure why the titles are changing. The only thing I can think is that the movies were never matched properly so PMS tries to rematch them to another movie, but instead of reusing the old information, it creates a brand new movie entry.
To look into why the actual changes are taking place, you’ll need to provide the XML’s for the movie, before and after the change, as well as all the PMS logs.
I actually go the extra mile and remove ALL metadata from ALL files (except music, of course - I actually put those in myself). My OCD demands it, even though I assume Plex doesn’t read and react to anything other than MP4/M4V files. I can’t help myself. It’s a sickness that will be cured only by my death.
settings-server-agents-personal media-deselect local media assets
settings-server-agents-plex movie-deselect local media assets
move plex movie to the top of the list
refresh all metadata
This should fix all naming issues
I use Mp3tag program to remove all metadata and then make sure my file naming meets the requirements of plex. It works so easy. Just open, open directory, select all then right click and remove. you can do 100’s of movies in minutes. Do it before you scan it with plex. Just fyi, I also use Advanced Renamer program to rename a large amount of a tv season instead of doing one at a time.
Good luck!
