Where Is the Plex Media Server Data Directory?
Plex Media Server data folder with metadata, database and Preferences.xml on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Last updated
Plex keeps its database, metadata, transcoder temp and Preferences.xml in one data directory per OS. Stop the server before touching it; the database corrupts easily under write load.
Media itself is never in here, only Plex bookkeeping. Backing up this folder preserves watch history, posters and library organization without re scanning.
Where Plex stores this, by platform
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server
Holds Plug-in Support (metadata), Media (database) and Preferences.xml. Relocate only via the documented LocalAppDataPath setting, not by dragging.
~/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server
Same internal layout as Windows. In Finder use Go > Go to Folder. App preferences plist sits separately under ~/Library/Preferences.
/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server
Debian/Ubuntu package default; needs root or plex group to browse. Snap installs use /var/snap/plexmediaserver/common instead.
Frequently asked questions
How do I move Plex to a new machine keeping history?
Stop both servers, copy the whole data directory to the same OS path on the new host, then start. Keep server versions matched or the database upgrade path complains.
What eats disk inside the Plex data folder?
Usually transcoder temp and photo transcoding caches plus metadata bundles. The metadata needs the space; temp clears on restart.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.