# \[HowTo\] Use Plex with No Internet **URL:** \ **Category:** Tips, Tricks & How-Tos\ **Tags:** tipstricks\ **Created:** [March 3, 2019, 7:14pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325 "2019-03-03T19:14:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sekthree](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/sekthree/32/20440_2.png) [@sekthree](https://forums.plex.tv/u/sekthree)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 7:14pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/1 "2019-03-03T19:14:27Z")
I’ve seen far too many posts regarding “can’t connect to Plex with no internet”, and an uprising/outcry always ensues. It eventually settles down, but the lack of single point resources can be frustrating. I’ve been there, no internet - can’t google anything from a computer so a phone will have to do, but navigating through results and trying “solutions” can be daunting. I’m creating this How-To to help alleviate those posts and help everyone access their servers when the net is down. Couple of things before we get started. **First** : There are fragmented Plex articles and resources out there that describe how to do exactly what I’m about to demonstrate, but I’d like to consolidate them into one single post for easy accessibility/search-ability. I WILL be using some of the screen grabs and instructions from some of these articles. - [Network settings](https://support.plex.tv/articles/200430283-network/) - [Opening Plex Web app from Local](https://support.plex.tv/articles/200288666-opening-plex-web-app/) - [Advanced **HIDDEN** server settings](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201105343-advanced-hidden-server-settings/) - [Data Directory location](https://support.plex.tv/articles/202915258-where-is-the-plex-media-server-data-directory-located/) - [Internet and Network requirements](https://support.plex.tv/articles/200484903-internet-and-network-requirements/) **Second** : **THIS SHOULD BE DONE BEFORE YOU ENCOUNTER HAVING NO INTERNET** , but it can be done when it does go down, _instructions for this at the way bottom._ **Third** : I am demonstrating based and stepping through the setup THAT I KNOW. Hopefully yours is similar. I am using the Linux distro (Ubuntu 16.04LTS). I might have something wrong, or different, I welcome any corrections, criticisms or comments.. so please let me know. I am displaying what i know works for me. ## When Do You Need Internet Access There are a number of situations in which you will need an “internet” connection for either your Plex Media Server or a particular Plex app you’re using. - **Fast User Switching** For Plex Pass subscribers making use of the Plex Home feature, an internet connection is required to authenticate when using the Fast User Switching feature to quickly switch between members of your Home. _For more please see_ : [Fast User Switching](https://support.plex.tv/articles/204232453-fast-user-switching/) - **Certain Plex Apps** In some cases, certain apps may require an internet connection to use. Some, like game consoles, rely on the corresponding game service to be available. Others have components of the app itself that have to be loaded dynamically from an internet location. Affected apps: \*Both the app and server must be signed in; cached connections can be used when internet is temporarily unavailable # NETWORK SETTINGS - To help make it easier to access my Plex Media Server, in my router settings I assigned a static IP to my server, as well as setup port forwarding to 32400. I’m not sure if this is entirely neccessary, but those are my settings so I’m providing it here. PMS = 192.168.1.9 - Setup your Secure Connection to be “preferred” In the Plex Web App navigate to `Settings > Server > Network` Set `Secure Connections : Preferred` - Setup LAN IP addresses Click on the `Show Advanced` button at the top right of the settings area to toggle display of advanced settings. Scroll down to `List of IP addresses and networks that are allowed without auth`. Here the local subnet will need to be entered to allow the entire local network. My router gives addresses based off the 192.168.1.xx ip range, so here I have entered `192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0`. Depending on how your router is assigning IPs, the range might be different. > When the Plex Media Server is signed in to an account, specifying `127.0.0.1` will be ignored (you could instead use the specific LAN IP). # ACCESS - **Web Browser** Once the network settings have been configured, the PMS can be accessed via a webbrowser using the following: `http://[Local Plex Media Server IP Address]:32400/web` so in my case in the address bar I would enter `192.168.1.9:32400/web` In this image I am demonstrating accessing my PMS via the IP address while i have no internet (see bottom right corner showing exclamation on wifi). ![noInternet](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/a/7/a7ffe9e62e6a4edb33c9166db7428980f9012269.jpeg) When selecting the server drop down, I can no longer see my shared servers, but rather my local PMS with status as _Nearby_ ![status](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/4/8/48861f05639d818a04910277acef7a9f9d685317.jpeg) - It’s been mentioned that during an internet outage users should NOT clear browser cookies for [plex.tv](http://plex.tv). Please read the following from @OttoKerner. > Many users nowadays fiddle with their browser settings, so everything is cleaned out when the browser is closed. > While that is in general a good idea, it does make life complicated for a Plex web app user: it will invalidate the login session to [plex.tv](http://plex.tv) and therefore to one’s plex account. > Not only does one have to re-login to [plex.tv](http://plex.tv), the next time the browser is opened – logging-in is impossible if the internet is out! > This alone covers about 50% of all user’s ‘offline’ issues I reckon. - **Roku** My main streaming devices are Roku 3’s. - **Android** phone # Network settings - when web browser is not possible/fails While configuring network settings is easiest through the web browser, some folks (me included) might encounter an issue when the internet is down. This typically occurs when you have NOT already configured for offline access. If this is the case then directly configuring the preferences.xml file will need to be done. Each environment is different, and while I can’t provide examples for each one (if someone can i’ll be glad to edit and include in this post), the settings should be similar to my example. Again I am using Ubuntu 16.04LTS. - Find Preferences file For your environment you will need to find where the settings file is stored. You can [Find directory locations here](https://support.plex.tv/articles/202915258-where-is-the-plex-media-server-data-directory-located/), we will be working with the [Preferences.xml file](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201105343-advanced-hidden-server-settings/). For my setup it is located here: `/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Preferences.xml` I can access via command prompt directly on my PMS box or via an SSH connection. - Edit Preferences file I will be altering the Preferences file. Whenever altering any system or config files it’s always best to first make a backup copy of said file. After navigating to the directory location I execute the following command: `sudo cp Preferences.xml Preferences.bak` Once backed up i execute: `sudo nano Preferences.xml` With the preferences file open I browse through all settings to find the entry `allowedNetworks`. If this setting is NOT present i move the cursor to AFTER `PubSubServer="xx.xx.xx.xx"`(x’s are in place of numbers here), and before `OldestPreviousVersion="legacy"`. Here I enter the following line: `allowedNetworks="192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0"` Please Note: I’m currently going based off of my current preferences.xml, it’s a possibility that this setting can be entered anywhere in the file. I save the file using CTRL+X, then ‘Y’, then ‘Enter’. - I don’t know if a restart is required, but if you can’t immediately access your PMS then either attempt to restart the server or the service. - To restart just the service on Ubuntu the following can be performed: `sudo service plexmediaserver stop` `sudo service plexmediaserver start ` or ` sudo service plexmediaserver restart` I surely hope this helps someone. If there are any settings or steps I overlooked please let me know. Or any issues you have encountered and possible solutions. If anyone can provide setups to access from other streaming devices please do, I will include them in this tutorial. I apologize for not detailing things for other environments. ---
**Author:** ![NewPlaza](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/newplaza/32/128634_2.png) [@NewPlaza](https://forums.plex.tv/u/NewPlaza)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 9:28pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/2 "2019-03-03T21:28:55Z")
I don’t have linux and not likely to try this _how-to_ but it looks like you put a lot of work into it. I hope this will benefit many people to come! Good job! ---
**Author:** ![sekthree](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/sekthree/32/20440_2.png) [@sekthree](https://forums.plex.tv/u/sekthree)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 1:06am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/3 "2019-03-04T01:06:30Z")
Thank You! I’m more than willing to add different environment instructions if provided by other users. ---
**Author:** ![Kanslarinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@Kanslarinn](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Kanslarinn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 10:20am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/4 "2019-03-05T10:20:02Z")
Great job… Thanks a lot. Do you have windows instructions? Best regards Jóhannes ---
**Author:** ![sekthree](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/sekthree/32/20440_2.png) [@sekthree](https://forums.plex.tv/u/sekthree)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/5 "2019-03-05T13:44:56Z")
hello, THANK YOU! and your welcome. I don’t YET. but if you can access the server settings from a webbrowser the configuration should be the same under Network section above. I’ll see about setting up a windows box soon and attempt it so i can add to the tutorial if nobody provides them. ---
**Author:** ![Azg19](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@Azg19](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Azg19)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 3:58pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/6 "2019-03-06T15:58:06Z")
Thanks for the instructions. They work on Windows as well. ---
**Author:** ![Azg19](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@Azg19](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Azg19)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/7 "2019-03-06T15:59:18Z")
How can I avoid this problem that you mentioned: “Many users nowadays fiddle with their browser settings, so everything is cleaned out when the browser is closed. While that is in general a good idea, it does make life complicated for a Plex web app user: it will invalidate the login session to [plex.tv](http://plex.tv/) and therefore to one’s plex account. Not only does one have to re-login to [plex.tv](http://plex.tv/), the next time the browser is opened – logging-in is impossible if the internet is out! This alone covers about 50% of all user’s ‘offline’ issues I reckon.” ---
**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:** [March 6, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/8 "2019-03-06T18:54:01Z")
> [@Azg19](#): > > How can I avoid this problem that you mentioned: Depends on the browser. For Chrome, it is under Settings - ‘Advanced’ - Privacy & Security - Content Settings - Cookies - ‘Allow sites to save and read cookie data’ = ON - ‘Keep local data only until you quit your browser’ ← if this is OFF, you don’t need to read further. If this is ON, you need to add under ‘Allow’ the domain names `plex.tv`, `app.plex.tv`, and the local/private IP of your plex server * * * In Firefox I actually needed to use an add-on named ‘Cookie Auto-Delete’ to achieve what I wanted (delete all the cookies by default, but keep a defined list) > **[Cookie AutoDelete – Get this Extension for 🦊 Firefox (en-US)](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/cookie-autodelete/)** > > Download Cookie AutoDelete for Firefox. Control your cookies! This WebExtension is inspired by Self Destructing Cookies. When a tab closes, any cookies not being used are automatically deleted. Keep the ones you trust (forever/until restart) while... ---
**Author:** ![DarKni8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5e9695/32.png) [@DarKni8](https://forums.plex.tv/u/DarKni8)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 5:06am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/11 "2022-03-16T05:06:23Z")
Is it possible to have authentication still on ? I dont want my tv to have access to my account directly ---
**Author:** ![sixxnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@sixxnet](https://forums.plex.tv/u/sixxnet)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 5:17am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/12 "2022-03-16T05:17:14Z")
If you have no internet there will be no authentication. ---
**Author:** ![DarKni8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5e9695/32.png) [@DarKni8](https://forums.plex.tv/u/DarKni8)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 7:36am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/13 "2022-03-16T07:36:21Z")
Dammn,If i dont put local ips that dont need authentication and only put ip and subnet which is to be considered local, will that work if I dont have internet access. ---
**Author:** ![voodoo\_ca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b782af/32.png) [@voodoo\_ca](https://forums.plex.tv/u/voodoo_ca)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/14 "2022-03-16T14:54:28Z")
I am trying this with a Roku Express and so far it isnt working. I have seen people who say the Roku needs internet for ads, and others who say it works fine. Really dont know if there is a solid answer on this. What I am not sure about, is if the wireless connection says connected when the Roku doesnt find internet. I can get on the Wifi, but then you need to stay connected. Anyone gone this far into the offline rabbit hole with Roku? ---
**Author:** ![voodoo\_ca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b782af/32.png) [@voodoo\_ca](https://forums.plex.tv/u/voodoo_ca)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 1:46pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/15 "2022-03-17T13:46:38Z")
Ok, so I have an update to this. The Roku Express is not connecting to the network. It connects, then looks for internet - when it doesnt find the internet, it stops and doesnt stay connected to the wifi. I thought the roku would be an easy solution because it is compact and has a simple remote (this is for some older people who are not computer literate), but I need another option. Thinking about a chromcast with the remote maybe? ---
**Author:** ![jjross](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jjross/32/5936_2.png) [@jjross](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jjross)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 11:34pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/16 "2022-04-13T23:34:45Z")
If you have the Roku connect one time I believe it’ll connect even without internet after that. I think disabling network pings would help too. ---
**Author:** ![kiwichick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/46a35a/32.png) [@kiwichick](https://forums.plex.tv/u/kiwichick)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 9:31pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/17 "2022-05-22T21:31:57Z")
> [@sekthree](#): > > cached connections can be used when internet is temporarily unavailable Hi there, I am so confused about setting this up using the Android TV app to access local files from the server installed on my laptop. I’ve found that if I lose internet I can usually watch whatever was playing right through to the end. But, if I try to go forward or backward within what’s playing, or try to play something new, it won’t work. Is that what is meant by “cached connections”? ---
**Author:** ![LostOnTheLine](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/lostontheline/32/201375_2.png) [@LostOnTheLine](https://forums.plex.tv/u/LostOnTheLine)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 11:00pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/18 "2022-06-13T23:00:20Z")
> [@voodoo\_ca](#): > > Thinking about a chromcast with the remote The **Chromecast with Google TV** works great. I have replaced my firesticks & Roku with them. They work well without the internet if setup right. It’s actually the device I’ve had the least trouble with in that regard, PS4, XBox One, PS3, Roku, Firestick, Vizio TV, Samsung TV, LG TV, One of the game consoles was the easiest for No Internet, I don’t remember which, but had other issues that I’ve dealt with, The Chromecast has been universally easy, everything is easier with it, & it has just run smoothly for everything ---
**Author:** ![voodoo\_ca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b782af/32.png) [@voodoo\_ca](https://forums.plex.tv/u/voodoo_ca)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 10:15am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/19 "2022-06-14T10:15:21Z")
Thanks Lost My problem seems to be keeping the chromcast connected to the WiFi. It doesn’t like to stay connected and then looses the plex server. It might just be the cheapo WiFi router that I grabbed, not sure. Of course I have someone using it that can’t do things like reconnect it. I am thinking of trying a hard Ethernet connection…. I saw some that you can buy for chromcast with google tv. Chad ---
**Author:** ![LostOnTheLine](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/lostontheline/32/201375_2.png) [@LostOnTheLine](https://forums.plex.tv/u/LostOnTheLine)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 10:29am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/20 "2022-06-14T10:29:16Z")
> [@voodoo\_ca](#): > > hard Ethernet connection Just know that any USB-C ones will work. it might be cheaper to get a USB powered hub & a USB Ethernet port. But the Chromecast shouldn’t have trouble staying connected. That’s odd. Unlike the Firestick & Roku you can have multiple networks saved & if one has no connection it will switch to another so if the internet goes out & you have the Network SSID of a different network that you have connected to before that might be causing your issue. I personally have not had a problem like that so I cannot say for certain. I do know that when we have had the internet out I’ve never had it disconnect. I’m even able to connect it to a network that currently doesn’t have internet, something that the Roku refuses to do & the firestick you have to do a whole workaround to get it to not disconnect if there is no internet. One thing that I don’t think is ideal, but maybe you could give a try, most routers have a `Guest Network` or `Multiple SSID` option. If you set a 2nd SSID up & put both in the Chromecast maybe it’ll stay connected? My thought is that if it’s trying to connect to another network & failing maybe it’s staying on that one instead of the other. It’s unlikely but possible ---
**Author:** ![SE56](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/se56/32/222425_2.png) [@SE56](https://forums.plex.tv/u/SE56)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 11:12am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/21 "2022-06-14T11:12:04Z")
For me I believe tethering a great option for authorizing your Plex connection. 1. Create a hotspot with your Mobile phone 2. Make sure your Plex Clients and Server are on the same network Authorization occurs and you can have Plex on your Big Screen TV. Yes it’s WiFi but a great work around with a land based Internet outage. Have used this method now a few times and it works perfectly with a good WiFi network. ---
**Author:** ![voodoo\_ca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b782af/32.png) [@voodoo\_ca](https://forums.plex.tv/u/voodoo_ca)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 11:44am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325/22 "2022-06-14T11:44:46Z")
So the problem with the Wifi seems to be connecting when you dont have internet. You can go through the steps, connect, and when it checks for internet - it gives you a message and wont let you continue. You have to “back out” of the steps instead of finishing the connection… it seems to stay connected, but only for a bit and then has issues. Quite frustrating… The location where I set it up doesnt have internet, so I cant even just use that to try it. I had it working at my house, but I was able to do it using an internet connection. I am hoping the hardwire will just automatically take care of the IP and keep the chromcast hooked up. Lost, there is a setting that says “automatically connect” - its a radio toggle or something (I am not in front of it at the moment). Because I cannot complete the internet connection, I cannot turn that option on to have it automatically connect. I think that was the other thing… [Next page](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-use-plex-with-no-internet/383325.md?page=2)