On Windows, while I prefer to have the Plex Media Server installed in its default location (i.e. C:\ drive), I would still like to benefit from using the “Video Preview Thumbnails” feature.
Problem is, this feature uses the default installation path, and ends up filling up the OS / Program drive.
Would like to see a way where this feature can have it’s own storage path for following reasons:
The ability to specify alternative device / path, that has a lot more storage capacity and / or different (enhanced) disk IO specs.
As “Video Preview Thumbnails” does not need to be part of monitored or backed-up media (in my opinion of course). It could be, as an option, data that does not need to be “persistent”, and therefore does not need to be backed up, unlike like the Plex Media Server settings & database. “Video Preview Thumbnails” can be re-generated from store media at any time.
what you can do, is create a junction to where the video preview thumbnails are stored.
Shut down Plex.
Copy the %USERPROFILE%\Appdata\Local\Plex Media Server\Media folder to what drive you want it on.
Rename the old folder Media-backup or something to your taste.
Open the start menu, type cmd and hit return. This starts a command prompt.
In the command prompt window, type mklink /J %USERPROFILE%\Appdata\Local\Plex Media Server\Media <this is where you want the directory to reside>
An example of the command line: mklink /J "%USERPROFILE%\Appdata\Local\Plex Media Server\Media" G:\Media
Restart Plex.
If everything works, you can now safely delete the old folder that you renamed in step 3.
This solution worked PERFECTLY! Thank you so much!
I was considering doing a symbolic link as well, but was not sure if performance would be affected if the “Media” folder was not local to the PMS system folder(s).
@MoveiFan.Plex :
Thanks for the suggestion as well. I am aware of this setting. However, I do offsite backups of my OS root (i.e. C:\ Drive), and the extra load of 60+ GB of thumbnails hardly seems necessary, as they can get re-built if needed.
With @FirstAidPoetry 's solution, I can image / backup the C:\ drive with all my PMS database and setting data, without the “Video Preview Thumbnails” in the “%USERPROFILE%\Appdata\Local\Plex Media Server\Media”, as overhead.
Call it a +1 wish list item, that the “thumbnail” folder becomes configurable, in a future release.
My suggestion basically does the same thing. You still move the files to your location of choice, except PMS will see this folder directly instead of going through a symlink. Either method works, just a matter of choice.
@MovieFan.Plex said:
My suggestion basically does the same thing. You still move the files to your location of choice, except PMS will see this folder directly instead of going through a symlink. Either method works, just a matter of choice.
I’m looking to do what you’re suggesting but I don’t see this option under the General Tab in Server Settings. I don’t see it anywhere actually. Has it bee removed?
@IamSpartacus said:
I’m looking to do what you’re suggesting but I don’t see this option under the General Tab in Server Settings. I don’t see it anywhere actually. Has it bee removed?
Is only present in the Windows version of PMS. All others must use the ‘symlink’ method.
@IamSpartacus said:
I’m looking to do what you’re suggesting but I don’t see this option under the General Tab in Server Settings. I don’t see it anywhere actually. Has it bee removed?
Is only present in the Windows version of PMS. All others must use the ‘symlink’ method.
How does one go about configuring the symlink method when using docker (basically Linux)?
@IamSpartacus said:
How does one go about configuring the symlink method when using docker (basically Linux)?
Sorry, no Linux guy here.
I guess the standard Linux way. I’ve seen dozens of threads in here, explaining the procedure.
e.g. this one here https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/comment/1160922/#Comment_1160922
Whether there are specialties to consider regarding docker, I don’t know.
A small note, I am not overlay comfortable or proficient with command line stuff. I kept getting either a syntax error or a cannot find path error. Both of which I am sure have embarrassingly simple solutions, which I just couldn’t wrap my head around.
I used the instructions below from HTG and a little programme called Link Shell Extension. Once installed I had the link set up within 30 seconds and it was simple enough for a dullard like myself to follow.
I had to rebuild my Plex server (dedicated HTPC) from scratch about a year ago when the SSD (OS) drive was completely filled and apparently corrupted some essential files for Plex. The reason was because I use the video preview index feature and have a very large library so the thumbs take up a lot of room. So when I rebuilt, I did what MovieFan.Plex suggested and moved Local Application Data to an external HD and changed the location in the PMS Setting.
This has worked fine and I’m in no danger of running out of room on the large external drive, but I noticed immediately (almost a year ago now) that my menus definitely load slower now than they did before when everything but the actual video files was on the SSD. I’ve assumed the reason was that the HD is just far slower (and connected by USB 2.0) vs the boot drive SSD which makes sense to me.
But now reading about this and the use of a symlink (which I’ve never used before) I’m thinking I can just copy everything from
[External Drive]:\Plex Server\AppData\Local except for the one superhuge folder with the .bif thumbnail files: [External Drive]:\Plex Server\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Media
back to the OS SSD @
C:\Plex Server\AppData\Local
And create and put a symlink file in place of
C:\Plex Server\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Media to tell Plex to use the external drive folder (where the thumbs already are) for all reading/writing of video preview files. Then finally change the server setting to point to C:\Plex Server\AppData\Local
My server is working now… the only reason to do this would be to try and speed up my menu loading. So does it make sense that having everything but that Media(thumbnails) folder on the SSD would speed things back up? Or would having that one giant folder on the external drive mean that nothing would speed up anyway even with Metadata, Cache, etc folders back on the SSD. In which case there would be no point? If that’s the case I guess the only options are buy a bigger SSD, or keep dealing with sluggish menus (because I like the video preview thumbnails). Sorry this post is so long… I decided to revive this topic because after a lot of searching for an answer to my question, this topic was the most on point that I found.
There is unfortunately no automated way to only move the video previews to a different folder.
Because they are not separated by folder but sit inside the metadata ‘bundle’ of each individual video item.
So all you can do is either
Thank you @OttoKerner for the on-point reply. This saved me from trying this out only to be disappointed. So the real “problem” from my point of view is that video previews are not separated into their own folder which could be addressed with a symlink, but bundled with the other metadata for each video. I was apparently misled in my reasoning by the fact that there are separate folders other than “Media” (with the .bif files) named “Metadata” and “Cache”. But if it is a metadata bundling issue, then am I wrong in thinking this would be hard to change and separate out? Would it be pointless to make that a feature request because it would mean a change in architecture? I’m clearly not the only one who would welcome such a change, but I’m not holding my breath. So maybe when 1TB SSD’s become cheaper, I’ll be able to upgrade and speed up; until then I guess I’ll continue to make-do with slow menus.
