# Replacing Plex Harddrive **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/replacing-plex-harddrive/227101 "2018-02-26T19:09:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phattrance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@phattrance](https://forums.plex.tv/u/phattrance)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/replacing-plex-harddrive/227101/1 "2018-02-26T19:09:07Z")
One of my hard drives is going to break down any day now, and i have around 6TB of movies there sorted after “date added” in the plex library (that are stored on the hard drive. I have total of 11TB movies on other hard drives). How can i keep the “date added” library when i transfer the movies to the new hard drive? All the 6TB will be added as “new” when plex finds out ive removed them and then added then on the new hard drive. The last thing i want is to get the old movies at the top of the page on “date added” section. Any ideas on how to solve this? ---
**Author:** ![leo2006](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f08c70/32.png) [@leo2006](https://forums.plex.tv/u/leo2006)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/replacing-plex-harddrive/227101/2 "2018-02-26T19:32:33Z")
Maybe [that](https://www.elwinsoft.com/safecopy-free.html "that") can help you. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/replacing-plex-harddrive/227101/4 "2018-02-26T20:03:11Z")
If you’re on Windows: shut down Plex Server copy the content to the new hard drive, make sure to keep all folder names as they were on the old drive take a note of the current drive letter of the defective drive remove the drive put the new drive into its place assign the new drive the same drive letter which the defective one had: [https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-change-a-drive-letter-2626069](https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-change-a-drive-letter-2626069) start Plex server done ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/replacing-plex-harddrive/227101/5 "2018-02-26T20:04:09Z")
@phattrance The steps from @flow below work perfectly. PMS keeps the same GUID (matching information) and shows the duplicate `2` indicator. This is what preserves your watched status > flow said: > Copy files to new hdd > add that new folder to Plex library and initiate a scan > if the movies get a little “2” sign: > delete the old folder from Plex library and rescan (the 2 should vanish) > done. ---
**Author:** ![leelynds](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/leelynds/32/82049_2.png) [@leelynds](https://forums.plex.tv/u/leelynds)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:46pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/replacing-plex-harddrive/227101/6 "2018-02-26T20:46:30Z")
I have used both methods described. Both worked perfectly. In both cases, I shut down the server during the copy process, possibly an unnecessary precaution. I also disabled “Run a partial scan when changes are detected” and “Empty trash automatically after every scan” before I shut down the server, again possibly unnecessary. The method described by @OttoKerner is probably the better choice. Plex doesn’t even realize there is a new and different drive, and you skip the step of getting rid of the duplicates, as well as any fake “new Additions” because there are a couple of movies that used a different agent in the original matching process. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NewPlaza](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/newplaza/32/128634_2.png) [@NewPlaza](https://forums.plex.tv/u/NewPlaza)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/replacing-plex-harddrive/227101/7 "2018-02-26T20:59:23Z")
> @flow said: > Copy files to new hdd > add that new folder to Plex library and initiate a scan > if the movies get a little “2” sign: > delete the old folder from Plex library and rescan (the 2 should vanish) > done. To add to @flow method. Be sure you are using the same metadata agent before you add the new folder to PLEX. If the old movies are using the agent “The Movie Database” then be sure it’s still using that agent. An example of what I’m talking about. `Avatar (2009)` matched via **The Movie Database** is not the same as `Avatar (2009)` matched via **Plex Movie**. ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:12pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/replacing-plex-harddrive/227101/8 "2018-02-26T21:12:03Z")
There is a specific support document about this: [https://support.plex.tv/articles/201154537-move-media-content-to-a-new-location](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201154537-move-media-content-to-a-new-location) ---
**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:** [February 26, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/replacing-plex-harddrive/227101/9 "2018-02-26T21:29:18Z")
> @ChuckPA said: > There is a specific support document about this: > [https://support.plex.tv/articles/201154537-move-media-content-to-a-new-location](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201154537-move-media-content-to-a-new-location) If you can make the new location _appear_ to be the old location, you don’t need to do it that way. Plus, my method doesn’t fall over when there are items matched to different agents (which can happen easily with a library that’s already existed for some years). ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:40am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/replacing-plex-harddrive/227101/10 "2020-01-08T00:40:48Z")