Plex server won't claim — stuck in loop, not linking to account

Plex Media Server
1

Hi everyone,

I’m running Plex Media Server on Ubuntu and I’m having persistent trouble claiming my server. The service starts correctly, and the web interface responds with a 302 redirect to /web/index.html. However, when I try to claim the server via an incognito browser session, the “Claim Server” button keeps reappearing and the server never links to my Plex account (username: MusicalLover).

Here’s what I’ve already tried:

  • Cleaned Preferences.xml by removing PlexOnlineToken, PlexOnlineUsername, PlexOnlineMail, and PublishServerOnPlexOnlineKey
  • Used a fresh claim token via systemd override (PLEX_CLAIM), then removed it after failed attempts
  • Restarted Plex and verified it’s active and listening on port 32400
  • Accessed the web interface via incognito mode
  • Repeated the claim flow exactly once per attempt
  • Verified no 403 or 429 errors in journal logs
  • Reached the point where the server no longer appears under “Your Media”

I also noticed Plex reported API service issues between Oct 27 and Nov 10, which may have affected my claim attempts. I suspect my server or token may have been impacted.

I’ve generated a support bundle from the server and can upload it if needed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated — I’ve exhausted all local troubleshooting steps.

Thanks in advance!

2
  1. verify that your network is using a dedicated “private” IPv4 address range as per Private network - Wikipedia
  2. For claiming, you must use the local version of the web app, and not the one hosted on app.plex.tv
    Use the IP address of the server to load it, not a domain name.
  3. disable any redirection from http to the https protocol, which may be enforced by your web browser (either natively or by browser add-in)
  4. if your server is running in a VM, and is using its own layer of NAT, you need to perform the claiming via the method described as “On a different network” in this article: https://support.plex.tv/articles/200288586-installation/
    Rule 1) does also apply to the private IP network range of the container
    (For easier handling, just set the container of PMS to use “host network”.)
  5. verify that your DNS server is resolving all domains related to plex (try using known-working DNS services like 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8)
  6. If it’s still failing, try this claim script: GitHub - ChuckPa/UserCredentialReset: User Credential Reset utility for Plex