Plex is great for getting a media server up and running and streaming to devices in your house, but as easy as it is, it’s always best to be prepared. Had I known these Plex tips beforehand, I wouldn’t have been as frustrated during my first setup attempt.

1

Have Dedicated Storage and Backups

Dedicated storage can come in many shapes and sizes. Using an old laptop to serve as a Plex server and storage is totally fine; in fact, that’s a useful, cheap option, assuming you aren’t using said laptop for anything but running your server.

However, a good and proper storage system, like a NAS, can house your Plex Media Server and contains numerous slots for hard drives. A NAS is likely more expensive than a cheap old laptop, but it does give you more options and control over your Plex data. They don’t have to cost a fortune, either; the Synology DS223j Diskstation is under $200 and a great option for beginners.

Either way, having backups is both for the preservation of digital files and for having a backup in case a file someone is trying to stream isn’t working properly. Consider following the 3-2-1 backup method. You’d have three copies of said files in two storage drives, with one copy separated in another.

2

Go All Out on Organization

I can’t stress enough how much pre-organization helps with your transition into Plex. Before adding content libraries to your Plex server, move and manage any content into very specific folders. It’s a bit tedious, but you’ll be happy you did when searching for something to watch.

Break content into genres, then break those smaller folders into more refined ones. Come up with your system, too, and if you think you’re going too far, you probably aren’t.

3

Plugins and Supporting Apps Make Plex Easier to Use

Plex is already easy and intuitive to use, but having a couple of plugins working in the background makes your entire setup headache-free, especially if you’re running a server for the purpose of streaming to friends and family. Personally, I have several Plex plugins I can’t live without.

Even having a couple of simple plugins, like adding subtitles or catching duplicates, adds QOL changes that are otherwise missing.

There are even supporting apps that help you manage your plugins, like WebTools-NG, which only becomes more important the more plugins you add. Not to mention making adding and removing plugins painless.

4

Plex Can Be Used For More Than Movies and TV Shows

Plex is undoubtedly great at housing and streaming your entertainment but remember—Plex is a media server. You can use it for the entire breadth of media, such as music, videos, and images.

In other words, if you don’t have a big entertainment collection and just want a way to access family photos and videos, you can do that. I’ve organized all my old hard drives with family photos into one folder. When it’s ready, I’ll connect the library to Plex.

If you have a bunch of CDs, you can stream your music using Plexamp, just like you can stream content remotely. That way, none of your music takes up storage on your smartphone.

5

Actually Spend Time Using Your Plex Server

I know it sounds silly, but take it from me—I spent nearly a week tinkering with Plex, went to use it, and realized I had made a couple of mistakes. It’s very easy to set up, which makes it easier to get sucked into this loop of getting all your movies and whatnot ripped and ready to go that you forget the server needs to be used, too.

Furthermore, actually using your Plex server lets you iron out the kinks, as it did in my case. I recommend testing out every library you add, one at a time, and on every device that plans to use your Plex Media Server.

There’s no doubt in my mind I would’ve had an easier time moving over to Plex if I knew these tips ahead of time. I certainly wouldn’t have had to start over from scratch. Although Plex is a simple bit of software, it doesn’t hurt to be overly prepared before you start.