# Media server adding files to blank library **URL:** \ **Category:** Plex Media Server\ **Tags:** server-linux\ **Created:** [April 10, 2020, 11:29pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831 "2020-04-10T23:29:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e99b99/32.png) [@bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/bob_morse_yuma_gmail_com)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 11:29pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/1 "2020-04-10T23:29:17Z")
Server Version#:Ubuntu 18.04 Player Version#: downloaded 3 weeks ago - not sure I loaded a fresh Ubuntu server and loaded plexmedia server. I created a temp library while getting files copied to an external USB drive. I created a second library (tv shows) and mounted the USB drive to it. Plex started scanning and adding. About an hour later the blank library now has a series of media files named caravam hunter and has about 500 episodes under it. In checking the individual episodes they are valid shows but of various series, seasons, and episodes. Is there something that would cause the media server to move episodes to a blank library and under a single name? ---
**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/2 "2020-04-10T23:31:32Z")
well… the common suspect is poor file naming or structuring. How did you name yours (files and folders)? When you share an example… could you please also share which folder is the one you added to the library? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e99b99/32.png) [@bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/bob_morse_yuma_gmail_com)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 12:24am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/3 "2020-04-11T00:24:18Z")
The drive is mounted to opt/plexmedia/Local/tv\_series. The show files are in a folder on the root of the drive named TV. The library I had created just testing plec was somewhere on the Linux drive and I never gave the plex user rights to it. The media content came from a friend that uses PLEX and had the content configured for plex. The scans for several hundred files worked well and picked up thumbnails and info. Don’t know how better to describe the action. It appears media is being copied to a library out of the drive path where media is. I tried deleting it before any files showed in it but it never responded to the delete command. ---
**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 12:30am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/4 "2020-04-11T00:30:23Z")
how about a specific naming example? `/opt/plexmedia/Local/tv_series/TV/...` ---
**Author:** ![bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e99b99/32.png) [@bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/bob_morse_yuma_gmail_com)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 12:32am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/5 "2020-04-11T00:32:08Z")
The files in that folder are good no issues. I am asking why the system would add files to another folder. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e99b99/32.png) [@bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/bob_morse_yuma_gmail_com)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 12:32am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/6 "2020-04-11T00:32:43Z")
another library folder in a completly different location ---
**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/7 "2020-04-11T00:39:27Z")
Plex isn’t moving things. It’s reading your file structure and trying to make sense of it. Therefore it expects files to follow a certain naming schema and (in case of tv shows) folder structures. Plex will add the files and try to identify them against its online sources (e.g. [TheTVDb.com](http://TheTVDb.com)). If names and folders are messed up (from a computer’s point of view), Plex will provide wrong information to that source and as a result show the files as the wrong shows. Structure should look like this: ```auto TV Shows <- the folder your library is pointing at Show Name <- the main folder for a show Season XX <- the folder for season X of that show Show Name - sXXeYY - optional information, e.g. episode title.ext Show Name - sXXeYY.ext <- episode file without the optional episode title ``` _where `XX` is the season and `YY` the episode number; `.ext` is the file’s extension._ If you leave some of those folders out or add others (e.g. to group shows), Plex will get it wrong. That’s why I’m asking for a specific example 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e99b99/32.png) [@bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/bob_morse_yuma_gmail_com)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/8 "2020-04-11T00:50:15Z")
How can I find the path for the library? Once added in PLEX it doesn’t show after. What I am trying to say is the library /opt/plexmedia/Local/tv\_series\_TV… Is fine. There is a different library, with a completly different path that at this point have no idea where its at. I will have to search in Linux to find it. But the contents in /opt/plexmedia/Local/tv\_series\_TV… should not get placed in a different library that is not even in that path. Does PLEX move unknown files to a different location? ---
**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 12:53am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/9 "2020-04-11T00:53:00Z")
1. Open Plex Web (e.g. [http://app.plex.tv/desktop](http://app.plex.tv/desktop) or [http://127.0.0.1:32400/web](http://127.0.0.1:32400/web)) 2. Hover your mouse over the library (navigation menu on the left) 3. Click on the vertical `...` next to the library name 4. Click `Manage Library` \> `Edit...` 5. Go to the `Add Folder` tab to see the folders associated with that library ---
**Author:** ![bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e99b99/32.png) [@bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/bob_morse_yuma_gmail_com)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/10 "2020-04-11T01:02:50Z")
Thank you. I probably set it wrong and it is creating a problem. The “bad” library is at /opt/plexmedia/Local. The actual content in Library TV Shows is at /opt/plexmedia/Local/tv\_series\_TV. So I can see where “orphaned” or bad files may get placed in a higher level folder. I have not looked at the actual folder in Linux yet. But thank you for your paitence. I just would not ha e expected the files to have gotten copied to another library location. ---
**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/11 "2020-04-11T01:08:59Z")
If you move your files around… keep in mind Plex has a “feature” to track files. When scanning them, Plex creates a fingerprint of the file – this can help prevent losing the link between the files and your metadata (but also view states or ratings) if users fix typos or do minor fixes on the file names. This can get in the way when you actually need to clean things up. To “overcome” this feature, you’ll need to perform the following steps (it’s called the “Plex Dance”): 1. move the files (or show folders) outside the folder that is linked with the Plex library 2. scan the library for updates (`...` \> ` Scan Library Files`) 3. empty trash (`...` \> `Manage Library` \> `Empty Trash`) 4. clean bundles (`Settings` \> `[your server name]` \> `Manage` \> `Troubleshooting` \> `Clean Bundles`) 5. fix the names of the files/folders and move them to their target 6. scan the library again for updates ---
**Author:** ![bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e99b99/32.png) [@bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/bob_morse_yuma_gmail_com)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/12 "2020-04-11T01:18:10Z")
Just checked the Linux path. The Local folder only has tv\_series folder in it. But sub folders of that folder has content of the library I want. How can I remove the library that I don’t want, and not impact the content in the subfolders in the Linux file path. I just want to remove the plex entry for it, not the folder or contents. I tried clicking the delete under edit when it showed empty, and never got prompted with a confirmation, but never got an error either. ---
**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:19am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/13 "2020-04-11T01:19:38Z")
Try this… consider the subfolder the “target” and the top level folder the “old version” – which is kind of true 😉 > **[Move Media Content to a New Location | Plex Support](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201154537-move-media-content-to-a-new-location/)** > > As your media collection grows, you might upgrade to a larger hard drive, install a NAS, or otherwise simply have... ---
**Author:** ![bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e99b99/32.png) [@bob\_morse\_yuma\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/bob_morse_yuma_gmail_com)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/14 "2020-04-11T01:25:38Z")
I will try this. Thank you. If it works I will let you know. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/media-server-adding-files-to-blank-library/571831/15 "2020-07-10T01:25:46Z")
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