# Missing posters: How to force select posters after database restore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Plex Media Server\ **Tags:** server-linux, server-docker, metadata\ **Created:** [April 3, 2026, 7:50am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671 "2026-04-03T07:50:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Binson\_Buzz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/binson_buzz/32/85726_2.png) [@Binson\_Buzz](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Binson_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 7:50am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/1 "2026-04-03T07:50:42Z")
Server Version#: Version 1.43.1.10561 Player Version#: 4.159.0 \ I restored my server only using a DB backup. After running “refresh all Metadata” several times, it is downloading all the poster variants but for many library items it is not selecting a Poster and instead stays blank. If I go into the media and look at the posters (without manually selecting one) and then refresh Metadata it works - but I can’t do this for thousands of items. See video. Is there a way to fix this? Is it a bug that needs fixing by Plex? > **[Watch Metadata | Streamable](https://streamable.com/8s1f9n)** > > Watch "Metadata" on Streamable. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2026, 8:09am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/2 "2026-04-03T08:09:02Z")
Probably because the posters had previously been “locked” by manually selection. > [@Reset all manual poster selections in a library at once or unlock other metadata fields](https://forums.plex.tv/t/reset-all-manual-poster-selections-in-a-library-at-once-or-unlock-other-metadata-fields/764732/1): > > The following could be most useful for very old libraries, which had their metadata agent already changed several times. For instance if the server admin has manually selected different posters on many items, but now wants to make a clean break and leave all poster selections to the agent. While one could do that by deleting the library and re-creating it, it might however be a bit drastic a measure. What it does: reset the locked attribute of all poster selections in a given library. Upon th… ---
**Author:** ![Binson\_Buzz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/binson_buzz/32/85726_2.png) [@Binson\_Buzz](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Binson_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 8:26am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/3 "2026-04-03T08:26:55Z")
Thanks - I’ll give it a go ---
**Author:** ![Binson\_Buzz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/binson_buzz/32/85726_2.png) [@Binson\_Buzz](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Binson_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 9:31am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/4 "2026-04-03T09:31:06Z")
@OttoKerner that didn’t work. It was a long shot as we are talking about literally thousands of show and movie posters and I haven’t manually changed that many over the years. I did wonder if a service like Kometa might have, but the reset didn’t work. From the video you can see that it looks like the posters aren’t there until I go to the edit option - there is a slight delay before they become visible. Could this be the problem? ---
**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:** [April 3, 2026, 9:39am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/5 "2026-04-03T09:39:49Z")
Have you verified on some test items that the Lock status was indeed engaged, and that it has been successfully cleared after the API call? Did you Refresh Metadata after resetting the lock status? ---
**Author:** ![Binson\_Buzz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/binson_buzz/32/85726_2.png) [@Binson\_Buzz](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Binson_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 9:46am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/6 "2026-04-03T09:46:34Z")
@OttoKerner thanks for the reply. I’m not sure how to see the Lock for posters? I can see it for e.g. genres. I tried refresh Metadata after running the API call and the experience is the same as in the video I posted: 1. Refresh Metadata: progress indicator whirls, but poster doesn’t change 2. Go to edit and look at posters but do not change - the posters “flicker” which seems to indicate being downloaded for the first time (or maybe just the thumbnails?) 3. Refresh Metadata again and the poster gets updated ---
**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:** [April 3, 2026, 9:59am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/7 "2026-04-03T09:59:23Z")
> [@Binson\_Buzz](#): > > I’m not sure how to see the Lock for posters? If the poster is locked. it should be shown as `thumbnail` among the other “locked” data, like the genre. > [@Binson\_Buzz](#): > > Go to edit and look at posters but do not change - the posters “flicker” which seems to indicate being downloaded for the first time (or maybe just the thumbnails?) I can only assume it is a side effect of how the library was transferred/restored. Maybe you could enable “Refresh library metadata periodically” in the Scheduled Tasks and simply wait until the server has processed all the items. ---
**Author:** ![Binson\_Buzz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/binson_buzz/32/85726_2.png) [@Binson\_Buzz](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Binson_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 10:06am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/8 "2026-04-03T10:06:14Z")
I’m still not sure how to see if a Poster is locked - I can see padlocks on the “General” screen, but not the Poster Screen. I’ve already got all the scheduled tasks options ticked - I really hope that works eventually as I don’t want to do the [Plex Dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064). ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/c/8/e/c8e0c5d9df47e4695c5479a149822b86310e7263.jpeg) ---
**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:** [April 3, 2026, 10:08am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/9 "2026-04-03T10:08:28Z")
Inspect the [plex media info](https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201998867-Investigate-Media-Information-and-Formats) **XML**. On items which have at least one field locked, there is an XML property named `Field locked`. You typically find it below the cast list and chapter and credit markers. ---
**Author:** ![Binson\_Buzz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/binson_buzz/32/85726_2.png) [@Binson\_Buzz](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Binson_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 10:12am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/10 "2026-04-03T10:12:40Z")
Thanks - checked and the posters weren’t locked. I’m going for the [Plex Dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064) option - hopefully it’ll go fast before everyone wakes up for the Bank Holiday weekend! ---
**Author:** ![bbaorbb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/bbaorbb/32/245449_2.png) [@bbaorbb](https://forums.plex.tv/u/bbaorbb)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/11 "2026-04-03T16:19:17Z")
Have you tried to do a “Fix Match…”? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 4:20pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/missing-posters-how-to-force-select-posters-after-database-restore/937671/12 "2026-07-02T16:20:11Z")
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.