Libraries in odd order after database move, cannot reorder them

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
, ,
1

Server Version#: 1.21.1.3766
Player Version#: 4.43.4

Moving from Win1 to Win2. Both servers had the same version of PMS. Shutdown PMS on Win1, copied database to a USB drive, installed PMS on Win2, set registry LocalAppDataPath, attached USB to Win2, started PMS. Everything is working, but my libraries are in a nonsensical order. I can’t find any way to reorder them manually under Settings -> Libraries. The only solution I’ve found at the moment, and it isn’t a good one due to my lengthy library list, is to reset customization on every streaming device, then add libraries back in one a few at a time to get them into the desired alphabetical order. This is true for all apps – Roku, Plex Web, Android, Xbox, Apple, everything. Any help would be massively appreciated. Having to go through the process I’ve described on all of the family’s devices will be time consuming to say the least. Thanks in advance for any help!

2

I think you forgot to copy the registry branch for Plex to the new machine.
This contains the server’s “identity”. If this remained the same, no changes would have been necessary on the clients.

You just need to keep in mind that you must never, ever start the server on the old machine again, after doing this.
(There are some precautions to take if you want to keep on using the old server as well.)

3

Thanks for the info, but yes, I did change the server identity in the process. FWIW, I have done this in the past the last time I life-cycled a server without the default ordering of libraries being affected.

Resetting customization isn’t a major concern because we were used to having everything in alphabetical order. Instead of #, A, B, C, etc., for example, we have C, D, S, #, etc. The order the libraries are listed in isn’t even chronological, it’s completely random.

4

You are talking about the order when you go into the MORE view mode of the side bar, right?
This was changed to
Type of Library > Title of library

You can and should “pin” your libraries to your side bar, in the order you’re preferring.

5

I don’t think that the more page is ordered by type and then title of library, at least not alphabetically, it seems to have no sensible order.
Here is my current order:
plexsort
if it was type and the title it should be:
Anime Movies
Documentary (Movies)
Foreign Movies
Movies
Anime Series
Cartoons
Comedy
Documentary (Series)
Hentai
TV Series
Music
Mobile Photos
Other Videos

2 Likes
6

I’m having this exact same problem, even when I refresh tv shows, movies keep showing on top
Edit*
Plex is currently managing your home screen automatically.
it seems it is this new unwanted feature

7

Could you edit your “Movies” library and make sure that this library’s title doesn’t begin with a space character?

8

I just got word that it will be sorted by
Type of Library > Title of library
in an upcoming server version.

So this would explain the difference between my and your experience, as I am on a server alpha version which already has the necessary change.

2 Likes
9

I checked that on my side, no spaces… Mine orders first by category in order Movies, TV, Music, Photos, Other. Within each category, the individual libraries are in an order that doesn’t make any logical sense. For example: #, C, F, I, L, O, etc. instead of #, A, B, C, D, E, etc.

10

See my response above.

1 Like
11

10-4. Thanks!

12

For my own curiosity… do you have any explanation for how the software orders the libraries currently? Is it just random, or is there some method to the madness?

13

The (internal to Plex) library ID number might be a clue. You can see it when hovering the mouse over the library titles in the side bar, when using the web app. Or when looking at the Plex XML info of any media item.

14

Thank you for this info!

15

Unfortunately, this change has also carried through to the ordering of libraries on DLNA devices (such as my Sony TV). I had a library naming convention which forced TV shows to the start of the list - since these are the most common libraries I watch - but now all the movie libraries are listed first.

It seems that Plex should really provide an option to allow users to decide their own library order, to avoid these arbitrary changes that Plex make from time to time.

1 Like
16

Agreed, my preferred order is Alphabetically, PLEX please make this an available option.

6 Likes
17

Why can Plex not just let us organise them alphabetically I do not want all my libraries of the same type grouped together.

For example I have loads of tutorials that use a TV Type Library for organisation.

I don’t want or need them pinned to my sidebar

I have the library named as zTutorials. They used appear at the bottom of my library list

(and I still use PMP so do not have any options to pin stuff in there)

1 Like
18

and it also begs a question if the unreleased version has added back in (at least partially) some sort of alphabetical sorting, why was a version released without it.

Would it not have been better to wait, rather than releasing it half baked…

1 Like
19

This has just been a huge headache even trying to understand my home screen now. Even setting it to manual I can’t even seem to make it seem like the old default combined bars. Then it also seems to be a per device setting which is going to be fan f-----g tastic to explain my grandmother and fix. Why I can’t just set the default view as a library option and let people do goofy unhelpful Plex nonsense on manual per device? Why is it the inverse?

20

If it was changed to Type of Library > Title of Library, then my list would still be in alphabetical order. It seems to be Type of Library > Random Order To Annoy The Piss Out Of Me.

1 Like