Server Version#: 1.42.2.10156
Player Version#: Web 4.147.1
I have two separate main paths for my movies, e.g. /Movies/1080 and /Movies/4K. Both are added as paths into one “Movies” library. If I have an existing title in 1080, say added July 2025, and then add a 4K version in the 4K path, the title updates in Plex as having both versions. The metadata for date added remains July 2025.
However, if I then decide I want to save disk space, and delete a 4K version of a movie, that title now shows up in the “Recently Added” section of movies as if it was just added to Plex - even though the 1080 version was untouched, and added long ago.
As a result, I’ll wind up having old movie titles “re-appearing” as recently added, even though those titles have been in my library for (in some cases) years.
Is this by design? If I have a title in my library from long ago, then decide to add a 4K version, then later decide to remove the 4K, I don’t want the “Date Added” information to be updated…
It’s more likely something unintended - it looks and smells like a bug. I’m willing to bet not many users likely have their libraries set up like this so likely has gone unreported until now.
It doesn’t bother me personally - while I do empathize with it being annoying.
Hopefully this gets someone to report it to the appropriate devs.
This is where you’d submit a bug report - it’ll be up to an employee now to see it and take it any further.
@BigWheel Sorry to poke you if this isn’t your wheelhouse (no pun intended), are you able to submit a report for this or can point in the right direction?
Yeah, removing a version shouldn’t have reset that recently added reference.
Did your art and watch status stay the same and just the “recently added” aspect changed?
If you move titles around while automatically delete and autoscan is enabled it can do funny things so turning that off can help. Maybe check that and see if it treats it differently?
One thing you might check, as it’s come up in a couple areas now about poster resets, is the KEY field is changing on them. Video ratingKey="70780" near the top if you do Get Info and then View XML on a title. That field is a unique reference that is incremental as you add titles (you’ll see it repeated in your metadata references and such). If you look at titles you added recently and ones that you added in the past and then compare it to the old titles that suddenly showed up in “recently added” you can check and see if Plex reset your key. It shouldn’t for titles that already exist in the same library.
But I saw recently with changing subfolders around it doesn’t always work right. I keep titles in bulk folders and tested fixing that by created title specific folders within the loose file bulk folders (all in the same library). When I moved a title from bulk area into a “Movie Title” folder it worked fine no problem (transparent change in Plex). When I moved that title back out from “Movie Title” folder it reset that key and showed up as “recently added”, but kept my art and watch history. It shouldn’t have reset that key.
I reported a different poster issue than the one in that thread and they asked about that key resetting (it wasn’t in my case) so this might be another example of that key resetting when it shouldn’t be … but it might partially be from the autoscan\partial scan\auto delete so if you have more titles you could try with those settings off that might help with providing more detail about where the bug exists (and workarounds to avoid it).
100% shouldn’t be resetting just because you took one version away. I’ve removed versions all the time - just removed like 100+ - and didn’t have a problem but those versions were in the same path (4k\1080p both in same folder). So your example and mine where it did change the recently added status both indicate some path management issue might be at play.
If you confirm that the key did change, maybe ping Atomatth (don’t want to ping yet) as they were helping in that other key changing thread and this might be useful additional information for them to gather for it.
Edit: I lied… it did reset my artwork on that key reset on that one title I mentioned (it was just using the poster that matched what I was already using so I didn’t notice it until I just went to confirm). It kept my watch status and watch history but did reset the artwork which makes sense as that’s tied to that key.
You might want to wait and confirm if there was a key change triggered?
My example of file changes in a library causing a key change when it shouldn’t and that other topic I linked about posters resetting caused by file changes resetting the key when it shouldn’t as well might be all related to this one as well. So if @jp.briggs is experiencing a key change from removing versions in the same library but different folders, it’d likely be related to whatever bug is resetting that key. Maybe? Just a thought…
I removed several 1080p versions that were in same folder as the 4K version of the same titles (bulk loose but still same folder) and didn’t have an issue of those titles treated like new titles. That was just a couple weeks ago. That example might’ve been lost in my earlier longer post.
The question is… are we going to be forced to put all of our versions of movies into the same folder to avoid this, or can functionality be added to allow us to continue as we have been with the use of separate folders?
I think we really need the OP to see if the key reset.
We’ve already got multiple examples of the key resetting when it really shouldn’t and reps have already said that’s not right in those situations so this might be another one.
In another topic I was also asked to check to see if key change happened as a possible reason for a different issue.
As I said I will report it. I’m sure it was not intended to happen but don’t know if there is some sort of unfortunate technical reason above my head that it does that. I’m sure if it can be fixed it will be.
This is how my library paths are structured, yes. I’ve heard anecdotally from a friend with a library where 1080p and 4K versions are in the same folder that this behavior is NOT experienced, i.e. removing the 4K version does not trigger a date added update.
BLUF: The ratingKey does in fact change when removing a 4K version.
OK. I took a movie “MovieA” which I only had a 1080p version of in Movies/1080p/MovieA/
The ratingKey for MovieA was 1006271
I created Movies/4K/MovieA/ and just linked another 4K video file to Movies/4K/MovieA/MovieA - Bluray.2160p.blah.blah.blah.mkv
Saw the library update in Plex - MovieA now shows 2 versions. ratingKey is still 1006271.
Now I removed the whole directory Movies/4K/MovieA
I was looking at my home screen, and saw MovieA disappear out of my Recently Added (MovieA was already one that had been affected by this issue - I just re-added a 4K version for this test). MovieA did not re-appear until I scanned library files. Now MovieA is at the front of the line in “Recently Added” and its ratingKey is now 1006941.
@jp.briggs Can you screenshot your Server Settings > Library settings page for me? Should look something like this (obviously your setting preferences might be different).
This is where you’d submit a bug report - it’ll be up to an employee now to see it and take it any further.
