# Plex Media Server location - Need to move it
**URL:** https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636
**Category:** Plex Media Server
**Tags:** server-windows
**Created:** [February 7, 2021, 12:06am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636 "2021-02-07T00:06:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ChefGS](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChefGS)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2021, 12:06am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/1 "2021-02-07T00:06:35Z")
Server Version#: 1.21.2.3997
Player Version#:4.51.1
I have done this several times over the years. I look it up every time. And every time it is a pain in the ass to find the answer. This time I am simply going to ask because I am tired of looking for the answer as not one I have found is actually answering the questions. (even though some people thank those that gave them NO information in their post. LOL)
So, I lost my C drive. Not a big deal, it happens. Many times over the years. Just suck it up and start over. However, while I still have to reinstall all my apps I don’t ever put them on the C drive. They are all on the D drive. So I have all my files and info, just need to reinstall so windows knows they are there. (I miss my old mac…no stupid registry!!!)
I have my movie files on 2 drives, my tv shows on 3 drives, my 3D and 4K movies on 2 other drives. Luckily, when I reinstalled PLEX onto my D drive it happily found all my settings and such for the server but I still need to tell it where the movies and shows are. Not a problem. However, it wants to create and put the **PLEX MEDIA SERVER** folder in the appdata directory and I keep it also on my D drive. However, I can never remember how to tell PLEX it is there.
ONE answer I found stated that you just tell PLEX it’s there via the options. Well, that doesn’t exist anymore if it ever did.
So, can someone please help me figure out how to tell the PLEX server that all data files are located D:\Plex Data\Plex Media Server instead of C:\Users\fmc\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server
And then, could some admin maybe make a sticky with the instructions in there so people don’t ever have to go looking it up again and sifting through 30 minutes of garbage… Just a thought. Many people need to do this…please make it easier to do and or find the answer.
Thank you much in advance,
Greg
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### Author:  [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2021, 12:11am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/2 "2021-02-07T00:11:49Z")
You can do this via a hidden setting in the Windows Registry
> [@\[HowTo\] An extended guide on how to move the Plex data folder on Windows](https://forums.plex.tv/t/howto-an-extended-guide-on-how-to-move-the-plex-data-folder-on-windows/197060):
>
> By default, Plex server stores all its own data on the system drive, in the AppData path of the Windows user. You might want to change that location, if your system drive is a small SSD or you are simply having capacity issues. Moving Plex data to a dedicated drive also makes it easier to retain your Plex server data when changing machines or re-installing Windows from scratch. For larger servers/collections, I recommend a dedicated, internal SSD drive. Exit/End/Quit/Close plex, using the t…
[https://support.plex.tv/articles/201105343-advanced-hidden-server-settings/](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201105343-advanced-hidden-server-settings/)
#
**Edit:** 1st link is listed in the tips & tricks section; 2nd link is an official support article
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### Author:  [@Dan\_Bev](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Dan_Bev)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2021, 12:47am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/3 "2021-02-07T00:47:00Z")
> [@ChefGS](#):
>
> ONE answer I found stated that you just tell PLEX it’s there via the options. Well, that doesn’t exist anymore if it ever did.
It did exist at one time. I thought it still did until I saw your post.
Not sure why Plex decided to hide it. Thst always makes set up easier. 🙂
That’s why you have to look it up every time. Plex changes stuff constantly.
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### Author:  [@ChefGS](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChefGS)
#### Post date: [February 8, 2021, 6:35pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/4 "2021-02-08T18:35:39Z")
Thanks much tom!! That indeed helped me figure it out. I’ll post the exact HOW TO here so others don’t have to do all the reading. I know some get totally googoo if they have to touch their registry. LOL I have, myself, trashed mine a few times. Thus, I like playing in there…but I make backups of it all the time before I do.
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### Author:  [@ChefGS](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChefGS)
#### Post date: [February 8, 2021, 6:45pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/5 "2021-02-08T18:45:30Z")
Dan, I was pretty sure it did as I don’t ever remember having to change my registry for it. What a really stupid thing to remove from prefs… I mean, why keep the server management easy when you can make it harder and literally freak a few people out!!! This should be put back or maybe even better, when you install the server (first time or like me…re-install because of lost system drive) It should simply ask you what location you want the folder to be located at. This would save you getting the default one, then having to change it, then having to delete the old, etc…etc… THAT would be nice.
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### Author:  [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)
#### Post date: [February 8, 2021, 6:57pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/6 "2021-02-08T18:57:59Z")
The option to edit this via Plex Web had been removed due to security concerns.
From the [release announcement for PMS version 1.19.3.2831](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server/30447/342):
> **Plex Media Server 1.19.3.2831 is now available in the Beta update channel**
>
> FIXES:
>
> - (Security) Remove the Windows AppData path preference from the web app (#11355)
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### Author:  [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)
#### Post date: [February 8, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/7 "2021-02-08T19:26:10Z")
Precisely, their hand was forced, by this [Security: Regarding CVE-2020-5741](https://forums.plex.tv/t/security-regarding-cve-2020-5741/586819/1)
If there is a CVE, you gotta act on it.
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### Author:  [@ChefGS](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChefGS)
#### Post date: [February 8, 2021, 8:36pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/8 "2021-02-08T20:36:32Z")
Well, I changed the registry as per instructions. Saved it. Rebooted computer. the data is in the registry :
```auto
String Value Name: LocalAppDataPath
Value data is: D:\Plex Data\Plex Media Server
```
Yet, the server started up and created a new PMS in the defaul C drive location. WTF!!! This is totally NOT acceptable in my case. I can’t have 60+ gigs on that drive, which is how large my data folder is. Any ideas??
Greg
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### Author:  [@ChefGS](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChefGS)
#### Post date: [February 8, 2021, 8:40pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/9 "2021-02-08T20:40:02Z")
Otto: I get that. However, as I read the information, I guess because 1% of server owners will use that stupid photo upload feature (why that is needed in this app is beyond me…) the rest of us get to suffer dealing with moving the data folder. And since probably 3% move it…we should get the priority! 🙂 LOL
Greg
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### Author:  [@Dan\_Bev](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Dan_Bev)
#### Post date: [February 8, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/10 "2021-02-08T20:56:44Z")
I think the path should be D:\Plex Data\
Include the trsiling .
_Plex Media Server_ isn’t required.
Mine is in V:\Plex Media Server and the registry value is V:
I have TranscoderTempDirectory set to V:\ also.
V:\ is an SSD.
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### Author:  [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)
#### Post date: [February 8, 2021, 8:57pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/11 "2021-02-08T20:57:30Z")
You haven’t read the caveat: don’t include `Plex Media Server` as the last part of the path in the registry.
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### Author:  [@ChefGS](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChefGS)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2021, 2:28am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/12 "2021-02-09T02:28:46Z")
Yeah, I just learned that lesson the hard way. LOL!!! Oddly enough, when I got it right, it is saying my db is corrupt. This shouldn’t be. It was never affected by anything. I simply lost my system on my C drive and had to re-install it. Nothing in the server info should have changed. Unless when I reinstalled plex it did something goofy. I was amazed that it had all my settings when I connected after re-installing, as well as all the accounts of friends that use my server. But the server info and movies/tv shows were all gone. This is soooo frustrating. I have rebuilt that DB a couple times over the years. I do NOT want to do it again. Making groups for over 3000 movies and 200 TV series is so beyond NOT FUN!!!
Greg
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### Author:  [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2021, 6:58am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/13 "2021-02-09T06:58:29Z")
This happens if you copy the data while the server is still running.
Shut down the server and copy the primary database file again.
If you lost the source, revert to one of the backups.
> **[Restore a Database Backed Up via 'Scheduled Tasks' | Plex Support](https://support.plex.tv/articles/202485658-restore-a-database-backed-up-via-scheduled-tasks/)**
>
> One of the many Scheduled Tasks that a Plex Media Server performs is to make regular backups of the core...
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### Author:  [@ChefGS](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChefGS)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 2:04am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/14 "2021-02-10T02:04:40Z")
I had done the restore before years ago…but totally forgot it does the backup!!! THANK YOU, PROGRAMMERS!!! And thanks for the reminder of that Otto!!! Always been there to bail me out! All is happily fixed now. 🙂
Greg
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### Author:  [@ChefGS](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChefGS)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/15 "2021-02-26T19:03:37Z")
Just a fun sidenote…after all that, and getting it all back the way it was supposed to be…I got my FIRST virus attack in over 35 years that I wasn’t able to catch… It roasted through my C and D drive (1 drive, 2 partitions) and took out my Plex database and backups with it!
I have had to reinstall my system many times for various reasons…but NEVER my D drive. Years and Years of software (it’s the only place I ever install software to) and data files all gone. And yes, I had a backup of both. But the backups were corrupted as well when I tried to reinstall them from the cloud service.
All I can do now is laugh… I finally got bit after all the years of me wondering how others could get nailed by virus doing harmless internet stuff…and I never got tagged (that I didn’t catch pre-damage that is) with some of the sites and things I do online. LOL Kapow!!! 🙂 So now, btw, I will be keeping 2 backups in 2 cloud locations and will have them scanned routinely.
Maybe a cool add-on feature Plex could offer would be a cloud backup service for the server databases. THAT would be worth tagging onto my lifetime membership!!
Greg
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### Author:  [@Dan\_Bev](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Dan_Bev)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/16 "2021-02-26T21:55:54Z")
I’ve had it happen. Like you said, all you can do is laugh.
Think of it as an opportunity to fix and get rid of stuff you really didn’t need. 🙂
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### Author:  [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server-location-need-to-move-it/687636/17 "2021-05-27T21:56:12Z")
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