# Plex Server Cover Image Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Plex Media Server\ **Tags:** server-windows\ **Created:** [January 10, 2025, 1:26pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823 "2025-01-10T13:26:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Brodieman37](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/brodieman37/32/271974_2.png) [@Brodieman37](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Brodieman37)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 1:26pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/1 "2025-01-10T13:26:36Z")
Happy Friday all! I have Plex server on a Windows machine currently. I have gone through and manually changed a lot of posters in the web client, I am wanting to reset those in favor of putting the cover image in the folder. It seems if you changed it on the web client Plex has troubles changing to the image in the folder. I am looking for the best way to “reset” all the cover images in Plex. Anyone have any suggestions? Can I just delete `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\\Media\localhost` ? EDIT, I have looked into Kometa but it seems pretty convoluted for just this one thing. Was hoping for a quick simple way. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2025, 1:43pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/2 "2025-01-10T13:43:58Z")
1. ensure that your poster files conform to the supported naming scheme [https://support.plex.tv/articles/200220677-local-media-assets-movies/](https://support.plex.tv/articles/200220677-local-media-assets-movies/) 2. configure your library to actually use local poster art, by enabling “Use local assets” in the properties of the library 3. [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) 4. “scan library files” – wait until completion 5. “Refresh Metadata” on the library level ---
**Author:** ![Brodieman37](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/brodieman37/32/271974_2.png) [@Brodieman37](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Brodieman37)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/3 "2025-01-10T14:18:12Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Brodieman37](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/brodieman37/32/271974_2.png) [@Brodieman37](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Brodieman37)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/4 "2025-01-10T14:49:21Z")
The script for unlocking the files does not appear to work. Nothing really happens and the “sort name” that is locked stays locked and the posters do not seem to refresh. Plex is seeing the covers as the local media is the first options. It’s just not picking it. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/5 "2025-01-10T14:54:56Z")
The sort name has nothing to do with the poster. If you want to unlock it, you need to adapt the query string. The method I described above might not actually _select_ the local poster. It just allows the metadata agent to select its own “best” version (which can either be from the agent or the local poster file, if there is no poster from the agent). You might have to enable “Prefer local metadata” as well in the library properties. HOWEVER, this also gives embedded meta tags in mp4/m4v files priority. If you have such files, they better all have either _correct_ or _no_ meta tags in them. ---
**Author:** ![Brodieman37](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/brodieman37/32/271974_2.png) [@Brodieman37](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Brodieman37)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:58pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/6 "2025-01-10T14:58:31Z")
Local media is configured in settings as ones I never changed will pick them up. After I run that I should be able to rescan and update metadata and the poster should switch to the local media but it’s not. Sorry, I thought it unlocked the entire item, not just the poster. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/7 "2025-01-10T14:59:22Z")
> [@Brodieman37](#): > > Local media is configured in settings as ones I never changed will pick them up. I’m not sure what you are saying here. ---
**Author:** ![Brodieman37](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/brodieman37/32/271974_2.png) [@Brodieman37](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Brodieman37)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/8 "2025-01-10T15:00:47Z")
You said: “You might have to enable “Prefer local metadata” as well in the library properties”, meaning making sure that Plex is set to use local media. I am saying that ones I never changed (thus using the plex default and not locked) are picking up the local media. Ones that I changed before are not, seemingly still locked, Was just saying that Plex settings are right to pick up the local media. ---
**Author:** ![Brodieman37](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/brodieman37/32/271974_2.png) [@Brodieman37](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Brodieman37)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 3:04pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/9 "2025-01-10T15:04:21Z")
Scratch that, I think it’s working. Thanks! ---
**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:** [January 10, 2025, 3:04pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/10 "2025-01-10T15:04:50Z")
> [@Brodieman37](#): > > I am saying that ones I never changed Whether you have _changed_ it is not the question. If you want the local poster to be used _preferably,_ you need to fill the checkbox. If you don’t, the posters which are automatically delivered by the metadata agent are selected – i.e. _not_ those which are lying as jpg’s beside your video files. ---
**Author:** ![Brodieman37](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/brodieman37/32/271974_2.png) [@Brodieman37](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Brodieman37)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 3:17pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/11 "2025-01-10T15:17:51Z")
It is part of the question because Plex locks them when you change them manually and will not look for the local media until it’s unlocked. The point of this was to unlock them all so it will pickup the local media. I was saying the ones that were never locked were picking it up and some that were locked did not seem to be unlocked to pick it up. Seems to be working now though. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2025, 3:19pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/12 "2025-01-10T15:19:07Z")
> [@Brodieman37](#): > > The point of this was to unlock them all so it will pickup the local media. Unlocking the poster selection is what the point 3) above is all about. ---
**Author:** ![Brodieman37](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/brodieman37/32/271974_2.png) [@Brodieman37](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Brodieman37)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 3:22pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/13 "2025-01-10T15:22:56Z")
I am aware. What I was saying was that, Plex was properly configured to look for the local media because ones that were never locked were working and some that were locked still appeared to be locked. I was pointing out that configuring Plex to look for local media was correct and working. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 3:23pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-cover-image-question/901823/14 "2025-04-10T15:23:30Z")
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