Hey everyone, I tried this before, but I don’t think I knew how to ask the question. First off, I DO NOT have Plex-Pass. I have already made a backup of the server as a whole, now, I’m trying to backup the metadata of plex itself. I have over 1500 movies and of the 1500, about 300 did not populate with movie posters, descriptions, year released, etc. I have MANUALLY put all that information in. I would like to backup the entirety of the 1500 movie library metadata so that if need be, I can use the backup and not have to spend days re-entering information. Any advice?
If you need ANY information, let me know!
Thanks in advance! I don’t know what I would do without this community.
Also, for artwork, consider placing the files in the same folder as the movies, instead of adding them to the database. They will be easier to change. Also, if you ever point another Plex server at the same data, the desired poster is already in place.
Sorry, I just got around to seeing this. I don’t quite understand, there’s not like a metadata config that I can just copy and paste? I’m moving from one computer to an actual server, so I’m just moving everything. That’s why I’m asking. I did all the editing and such in plex. Like, movie pictures, synopsis, years, etc. Thanks.
The info about file naming, etc was to help with matching when adding media to your server. It is not about moving to a new system.
Regarding moving to a new system, metadata is stored in the Plex Data Folder. Make a backup of the folder, then copy it to the new system.
See the support document below for additional details.
The procedure will clone your old server to the new server - same name, etc. You cannot run both simultaneously.
Disabling “empty trash automatically” is important if the path to the media is different on the new server. You do not want Plex Media Server on the new system to start, not find media in the expected location, and remove associated movie names, artwork, etc.
If you want to run both servers at the same time (which is not a problem), do not copy the Preferences.xml file to the new server. Let Plex create a new Preferences.xml on the new server.
Keep the backup of the Plex Data Folder during the move process. That way, if something goes wrong, you still have the backup to help with recovery.
Hey @FordGuy61 . I appreciate the help. I couldn’t find the plexdata folder at all. I googled and googled and after starting over, I found the “match” button and matched to appropriate titles.
However, out off all my movies, only 2(which is great!) were not available to match. So, with match, is there a way that I can add actors, times, dates, etc and help update the system or point to it?
Also, regarding this folder now that I spent all that time matching. Any idea how to back up the newly acquired match and data? Thanks!
For future reference, in the forums, text in orange is a link. Click on Plex Data Folder. The document lists the location of the folder for multiple OS, including FreeBSD.
I tried that, not there. However, I haven’t followed the guide you posted on creating it yet? I think I expected it to populate when plex was installed, etc? Let me know your thoughts.
If you can find the file com.plexapp.plugins.library.db , you’ll find where it’s at
(BSD has the find command ? – find / -name com.plexapp.plugins.library.db -print )
You’ll want Plex Media Server and all its contents
