7 hidden Plex settings you should use

Plex owns some hidden settings for users to explore. However, they are not available through the Plex Media Server application main interface. Instead, you'll need to drill down into Plex's own files and make changes manually.

Although they are primarily aimed at advanced users, there are some hidden Plex settings that all users should use. So let's take a look at TipsMake.com to see these hidden Plex settings and how to find them on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Warning

Before going into the article, there is an important note you need to remember. If you make a mistake while adjusting these settings, you may cause Plex to be unusable.

This situation can be fixed, but eventually you will lose the usual settings and have to start over. The article will explain this in more detail at the end, but you should note before starting to adjust these hidden Plex settings.

How to find hidden Plex settings

How to find hidden Plex settings on Windows

On Windows, you will need to go to the Plex entry in the registry. Follow the instructions below for how to do it:

1. Press Win + R

2. Type regedit and press Enter .

3. Access HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePlex, Inc.Plex Media Server .

4. Create a new String Value, Integer or Boolean according to the specific installation requirements.

( Note : Some values ​​may already exist. If yes, just edit the value to change the settings.)

How to find hidden Plex settings on Mac

If you run Plex Media Server on macOS, you need to navigate to the library options for the operating system user account.

The easiest way to access library options is to open Finder and use the Go menu to navigate to ~ / Library / Preferences / com.plexapp.plexmediaserver.plist.

Open the PLIST file in the text editor and add new lines or modify existing values ​​as required. You need to reboot before the installation will take effect in the Plex Media Server application.

Experienced users can also achieve the same result from Terminal by using either of the following commands:

 defaults write com.plexapp.plexmediaserver [option name] [value] 

Or:

 defaults write com.plexapp.plexmediaserver [option name] -boolean [Value] 

How to find the hidden Plex installation on Linux

Linux users can adjust hidden Plex settings by opening the application's Preferences.xml file. In most Linux distributions, you will find it at $ PLEX_HOME / Library / Application Support / Plex Media Server / .

However, there are some exceptions. On Debian, Fedora, CentOS and Ubuntu, it is located at / var / lib / plexmediaserver / Library / Application Support / Plex Media Server / . On FreeBSD is at / usr / local / plexdata / Plex Media Server / , FreeNAS is at $ {JAIL_ROOT} / var / db / plexdata / Plex Media Server / and on ASUSTOR NAS is at / volume1 / Plex / Library.

The best hidden Plex settings

Now you know where to find advanced Plex settings. Here are my favorite hidden Plex settings that every user should know.

1. Change the default album sorting criteria

1. Optional name: AlbumSort
2. Value: String

Everyone has their own favorite way to enjoy music collection. If you prefer to enjoy full albums rather than single songs, installing this secret Plex is a lifesaver.

You can choose to sort by year, artist, name or any other metadata section that comes with album files by default. Make sure you select both sort options and decide whether you want the data in ascending or descending order (eg artist: desc ).

2. Clear authentication for specific networks

1. Optional name: allowNetworks
2. Value: String

You can allow users from some networks to access your Plex Media Server without authentication. Doing so will reduce the server's security, but allow people to access your media more simply.

To add a network, you need to know the IP address, netmask IP and netmask. Format them with a slash in between each value ( [IP] / [netmaskIP] / [netmask] ).

3. Change the number of diary files Plex holds

1. Optional name: LogNumFiles
2. Value: Integer

Log files are a great way to keep track of what other users are viewing on your Plex server. It is also an important tool to identify and fix any errors.

By default, Plex retains 5 log files (delete the oldest file each time a new file is created). If you want to keep more files, just enter your preferred number as a new integer.

4. Enable or disable DLNA access

1. Optional name: DlnaEnables
2. Value: 1/0

DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance. This is a certification standard from 2003 that allows digital media to be shared across a variety of devices.

Plex has DLNA enabled, but you might not want your library to appear in computer network locations or on TV media sites. If you don't want to do this, set the value of the setting to 0. Value 1 means the feature is enabled.

5. Adjust transcode priority

1. Optional name: BackgroundTranscodeLowP Warriority
2. Value: 1/0

Transcode or transcoding is the process by which Plex changes the format and resolution of the video file to suit the type of device you are watching.

Unfortunately, this process consumes a lot of CPU power. If Plex Media Server runs on a low-power machine, it makes more sense to switch to real-time streaming instead of transcoding in the background. To do so, set the value of the setting to 1 .

6. Change library scan interval

1. Option name: ScheduledLibraryUpdateInterval
2. Value: Integer

You can set Plex to scan the library and find new content at specific intervals. However, in the server user interface, there are only 7 options available: every 15 minutes, every 30 minutes, every hour, every two hours, every six hours, every 12 hours or every day.

If you want to set a custom amount of time, set an integer as the number of seconds you want between scans.

7. Ignore words when arranging titles

1. Optional name: ArticleStrings
2. Value: String

You can ask Plex to skip specific words from movies, artists, song titles, etc. when sorted in alphabetical order. For example, you can make Plex skip 'The' in 'The Beatles' so that the band appears in a section that begins with the letter B instead of the letter T.

Just enter all the words you want Plex to ignore as comma-separated lists (e.g., a, a, in, that, to, etc.).

How to undo changes to a hidden Plex setting

The process of changing Plex secret settings, can quickly become confusing. Due to the nature of the files you edit, a misspelled or misplaced option name can also cause Plex to no longer work as expected.

If you're having trouble, you can fix the problem by deleting the Plex option file (Mac and Linux) or deleting all Plex entries in the registry (Windows).

When you reload Plex, it will create a new, blank, optional file. All previous settings will be lost and you will have to customize them, but at least Plex Media Server will work again.

Learn more about how to use Plex

Stealth settings Plex stealth is a great way to customize apps. But there are many other things you can do to make Plex work the way you want.

If you want to learn more about exploiting Plex, read the following articles of TipsMake.com:

1. How to install Plex on Windows 10 and watch movies anywhere
2. How to install Plex media server on Ubuntu 19.04