How to Back Up Plex Media Server Data

[Wilhelm]

For your operating system, make a backup of the main Plex Media Server data directory. The location will vary by platform.

Back Up Additional Settings
In addition to the main files, there may also be some additional special settings that should also be backed up.

Windows
Certain Plex Media Server settings are stored in the registry on Windows. In the registry, they’re located under:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Plex, Inc.\Plex Media Server
You can make a standard backup of either the full registry or only the specific “Plex Media Server” registry key.

Related Page: Microsoft – Back up the registry

OS X
Using the Finder’s “Go” menu, select Go To Folder… then enter the following in the dialog box that pops up:

~/Library/Preferences/
Back up the com.plexapp.plexmediaserver.plist file.

Linux
In Linux, the preferences.xml file in the main Plex Media Server directory contains the corresponding settings. So, that means there isn’t anything else special that you need to back up.

Restoring the Backup
If you need to restore your backed up data, it’s as simple as putting the main data back in the original location (as noted above). Then, restore the “additional settings” mentioned above, which would be restoring the registry data on Windows or the .plist file for OS X.

After you install the backed up data, you can re-install the Plex Media Server application.