# Why does my plex populate my transcode directory when restarted? **URL:** \ **Category:** Plex Media Server\ **Tags:** server-linux, server-docker\ **Created:** [January 4, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/why-does-my-plex-populate-my-transcode-directory-when-restarted/865014 "2024-01-04T00:33:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jonez86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e68b1a/32.png) [@jonez86](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jonez86)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/why-does-my-plex-populate-my-transcode-directory-when-restarted/865014/1 "2024-01-04T00:33:45Z")
Server Version#: 4.116.1 Player Version#:N/A Machine: Intel NUC w/ Ubuntu 22.04 Server installed via Docker Compose Back when I first setup my plex server I created a ram disk and named it /transcode. As such I passed it through to my docker container and put /transcode in the server setting for my temporary transcode directory. However, I moved to a better overall system but one with less RAM. So I stopped using this temporary directory. I removed it from my plex settings and all was well. But every time I restart my plex container it repopulates this setting and I have to go in and manually remove it. IDK where it’s getting the setting from. When I check the Preferences.xml file while the setting is in the GUI I see it there, but when I remove it from the GUI it disappears from preferences.xml, only to reappear when I restart my container. Could it be getting it from the ‘Setup Plex.html’ file? I grep’d that file for transcode and didn’t see anything. here it my plex directory for reference: /REDACTED/plex/data/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server$ ls Cache ‘Crash Reports’ Drivers Media plexmediaserver.pid ‘Plug-in Support’ Scanners Updates Codecs Diagnostics Logs Metadata Plug-ins Preferences.xml ‘Setup Plex.html’ Here is the relevant portion of my compose file for reference: plex: container\_name: plex image: plexinc/pms-docker:latest restart: unless-stopped environment: - PLEX\_UID=1000 - PLEX\_GID=1000 - TZ=America/New\_York # - PLEX\_CLAIM=claim-REDACTED - ADVERTISE\_IP= [http://x.x.x.x:32400](http://x.x.x.x:32400) hostname: plex.jones.lan volumes: - ./plex/data:/config - /data/plexmedia:/data - ‘/data/qnap/Pictures and Videos:/media’ devices: - “/dev/dri:/dev/dri” ports: - “32400:32400” ---
**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:** [January 4, 2024, 2:09am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/why-does-my-plex-populate-my-transcode-directory-when-restarted/865014/2 "2024-01-04T02:09:50Z")
> [@jonez86](#): > > However, I moved to a better overall system but one with less RAM. So I stopped using this temporary directory. I removed it from my plex settings and all was well. > > But every time I restart my plex container it repopulates this setting and I have to go in and manually remove it. IDK where it’s getting the setting from. Silly question – (but not that silly because I do it too 🤣 ) – Did you click SAVE after making the change ? ---
**Author:** ![jonez86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e68b1a/32.png) [@jonez86](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jonez86)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 2:59am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/why-does-my-plex-populate-my-transcode-directory-when-restarted/865014/3 "2024-01-04T02:59:53Z")
Hahahaha silly question but it needs asked! I have done that… this has actually been an issue for months but rather than deal with the underlying problem I have just been going in and manually updating the setting every time I update the image 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SwiftPanda16](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/swiftpanda16/32/81839_2.png) [@SwiftPanda16](https://forums.plex.tv/u/SwiftPanda16)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 3:21am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/why-does-my-plex-populate-my-transcode-directory-when-restarted/865014/4 "2024-01-04T03:21:59Z")
It’s part of the setup of the Docker container. > And you are supposed to map the folder to something. > **[GitHub - plexinc/pms-docker: Plex Media Server Docker repo, for all your PMS...](https://github.com/plexinc/pms-docker?tab=readme-ov-file#parameters)** > > Plex Media Server Docker repo, for all your PMS docker needs. - GitHub - plexinc/pms-docker: Plex Media Server Docker repo, for all your PMS docker needs. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2024, 3:22am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/why-does-my-plex-populate-my-transcode-directory-when-restarted/865014/5 "2024-01-04T03:22:13Z")
now don’t I feel stupid! LOLOLOL I looked at mine and realized. `/transcode` is needed. I didn’t have to look any further than at my NAS boxes 🤦‍♂️ `tmp_transcoding` is the directory the transcoder uses on Synology to ensure we have a place to download codecs. `/transcode` is its counterpart in docker. Why it’s there and not under `Plex Media Server/Cache/Transcode` is a mystery but it had to go somewhere. 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![jonez86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e68b1a/32.png) [@jonez86](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jonez86)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 3:35am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/why-does-my-plex-populate-my-transcode-directory-when-restarted/865014/6 "2024-01-04T03:35:25Z")
Well this is news to me!! Thank you! I will update my compose file as such. I wonder why this is a setting? Transcode file are temporary so it does no harm to store them in the container only and not have them persist outside the container. ---
**Author:** ![SwiftPanda16](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/swiftpanda16/32/81839_2.png) [@SwiftPanda16](https://forums.plex.tv/u/SwiftPanda16)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 4:15am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/why-does-my-plex-populate-my-transcode-directory-when-restarted/865014/7 "2024-01-04T04:15:13Z")
If you don’t map a folder then it’s stored inside the container. It says that in my second link. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 4:15am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/why-does-my-plex-populate-my-transcode-directory-when-restarted/865014/8 "2024-04-03T04:15:22Z")
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