Setting up a new computer as a server and not generating thumbnails for old files only new ones

[lanec]

Server Version#: 4.47.3
Player Version#: Latest on WebOS

I had been running Plex on a 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with an external USB hard drive for a while. Working from home last year brought new challenges and Plex was competing with my work apps so I stopped using it on this laptop in August 2020. I unplugged the hard drive and put it in a box in a cabinet for safe keeping.

I thought about using a PC for a while but the external hard drive had all my files on it and was formatted for Mac so it just sat.

Last week, a family member sold me a 2013 MacBook Pro that they weren’t using anymore. I set it up as a new computer (reformatted the hard drive and reinstalled MacOS) then attached the external hard drive I had put away.

After it was up and running with MacOS, I loaded Plex up as the only app on the computer. All of the videos got detected and the computer streams the video fine to my TV.

However, I see generated thumbnails of all the video files I had on the hard drive and not the box art / cover art. When I add a new file to the hard drive the box art / cover art shows up pronto.

Anyone know how to get the artwork to refresh for all the files on the drive?

[lanec]

Fixed this on my own. I moved all the old files out of the directories, waited for the library to update removing the videos, then put the videos back.

[Dan_Bev]

That, and a few other steps, is referred to as the Plex Dance.

The Plex Dance ™

The purpose of this is to remove all cached metadata and xml data for an item that Plex usually keeps. This helps when you want to “start from scratch” for particular item move all files for the media item out of the directory your Library is looking at, so Plex will not “see” it anymore scan the library library (to detect changes) empty trash clean bundles (in menu next to server name, when accessed under ‘More’) double check naming schema and move files back scan the library Support articl…