How to set up a Plex media server and access it remotely

Discover how to configure a personal media library using the Plex media server on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and access it remotely over Meshnet.

Introduction

Plex is a powerful media server software tool that allows you to organize, watch, and access your personal media files from various devices. You can use Plex to conveniently manage various types of media — for example, videos, pictures, and music.

Self-hosting a media server, such as Plex, can be empowering because you are in full control of your files and don’t have to upload them to the cloud. However, if you want to access your media while away from home, you would need to resort to setting up port forwarding. While opening up ports in your firewall may not be too difficult, it can leave your home network vulnerable to malicious attacks.

With the use of Meshnet, you can connect your Plex media server and all client devices to a single virtual network. This configuration allows you to remotely access your media from any device without exposing the server to outside connections.

This article contains instructions on how you can set up a media server using Plex on desktop devices and use Meshnet for secure remote connections.

Before you begin

To use Plex as a media server, you are required to have a Plex account. You can create a free account on the Plex sign-up page. Alternatively, you can use your Google, Facebook, or Apple account.

Installing Plex media server

First, you need to install the Plex software on the device that you will use as the media server.

Windows

To install the Plex media server on Windows:

1. Visit the Plex downloads page.

2. Download the Plex media server installer for Windows.

3. Follow the instructions provided by the installation wizard.

4. Click Finish to complete the installation and launch the Plex media server.

   

macOS

To install the Plex media server on macOS:

1. Visit the Plex downloads page.

2. Download the Plex media server installer for macOS.

3. Extract the downloaded ZIP archive by double-clicking it.

4. In Finder , drag and drop the Plex media server app to the Applications folder.

   

5. Launch Plex media server. If you receive a confirmation dialog, select Open.
6. From the menu bar, click the Plex icon and select Open at login to start the Plex media server with each system reboot.

Linux

Note

In this article, Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS distribution is used as an example.

There are various methods available for installing the Plex media server on a Linux machine. Depending on your setup, you may choose to install Plex using a graphical package manager, such as Ubuntu Software, or directly from a terminal window.

Method 1: Using Ubuntu Software

Take the following steps to install the Plex media server using Ubuntu Software:

1. Open Ubuntu Software.

2. In the upper-left corner, click the search icon.

3. In the search field, enter plexmediaserver and select the matching result.

   

4. Click Install.

Method 2: Using the terminal

Take the following steps to install the Plex media server using the terminal:

1. Open Terminal.

2. Run the following command to download and import the GPG key for the Plex downloads repository:

   curl https://downloads.plex.tv/plex-keys/PlexSign.key | sudo apt-key add -

3. Add the Plex downloads repository to your system with this command:

   echo deb https://downloads.plex.tv/repo/deb public main | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plexmediaserver.list

4. Execute the following command to fetch all repository updates and install the Plex media server:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install plexmediaserver

5. To ensure that Plex is started with each system reboot, enable its daemon process with this command:

   sudo systemctl enable plexmediaserver

6. Run the following command to add the automatically created plex user to your user group.

   sudo usermod -aG $USER plex

7. Restart your device.

Access the Plex dashboard

Once the Plex media server has been installed, you can start the setup process by visiting its web interface.

1. Open your internet browser and navigate the following URL: localhost:32400/web/

2. Select your preferred login method and log in to your Plex account.

3. On the How Plex works page, click Got it!.

4. Enter a name for your Plex media server, clear the Allow me to access my media outside my home checkbox, and click Next.

   

5. Remove the pre-configured media libraries, if there are any, by clicking the X button next to them. Click Next.

6. Select Done.

Adding media libraries

Upon finishing the server setup, you can freely navigate and customize your media server. Currently, you have not imported any media content to your server. You can choose to import locally stored media or shared media, such as shared folders.

Add locally stored media

To add media content that is stored directly on the server:

1. Open your Plex media server web interface.

2. In the upper-right corner, click the Settings button.

3. On the left, under Manage, click Libraries, and select Add library.

4. Select the type of media for this library. You can enter a custom name or leave the default one. Click Next.

   

5. Click Browse for media folder.

6. In the Add folder pop-up window, select the folder containing your media files. Alternatively, you can enter the folder’s path. Click Add.

   

7. Click Add library.

You should see a new entry for your added media location on the Libraries page.

Tip

If content from your media library is unavailable after adding it, restart your computer.

Add shared media

Aside from locally stored media, you can have network shares from your network-attached storage (NAS) devices or shared folders from your Meshnet peer devices. Media stored on such mediums must first be mounted to the operating system and only then can they be imported to the Plex media server.

Windows

Instructions for mounting network shares on Windows can be found in the Mount a shared folder section of the "Configure and access shared folders on Windows" article.

After mounting the shared drive, follow the steps from the Add locally stored media section to import your remote media files to your Plex media server.

macOS

On macOS, the shared location is mounted automatically after you connect to it. To connect to a network share on macOS, refer to the Access shared folders section of the "Configure and access shared folders on macOS" article.

After mounting the shared folder, the path to it will be as follows:

/Volumes/<NameOfShare>

Example

/Volumes/RemoteVideos

After mounting the shared drive, follow the steps from the Add locally stored media section to import your remote media files to your Plex media server.

Note

Upon restarting your Mac, you'll need to reconnect to the network share. Until you do so, the media content will be visible but unplayable.

Linux

Instructions for mounting network shares on Linux can be found in the Mount a shared folder section of the "Configure and access shared folders on Linux" article.

After mounting the shared drive, follow the steps from the Add locally stored media section to import your remote media files to your Plex media server.

Enable automatic library updates

If you regularly expand your media library, manually initiating a library scan each time can be tiresome. To avoid this, you can enable automatic library updates.

1. Open your Plex media server web interface.

2. In the upper-right corner, click the Settings button.
3. On the left, under Settings, click Library.

4. Select the Scan my library automatically checkbox.

   

5. Scroll down and click Save changes.

Your media library should be updated automatically each time there are any changes to its content.

Allowing Meshnet connections

Since Meshnet IP addresses use a different subnet than standard local area networks (LANs), devices in your Meshnet running Plex applications cannot automatically discover the media server. However, Plex allows you to specify custom URLs that are used for server discovery. You can use this option to provide your Meshnet details and enable connections to your media server over Meshnet.

1. Open your Plex media server web interface.

2. In the upper-right corner, click the Settings button.
3. On the left, under Settings, select Network.

4. Click Show advanced.

   

5. Clear the Enable relay checkbox, to use direct connections to your server.

   

6. In the Custom server access URLs, enter the following string replacing <NordName> and <MeshnetIP> with your media server’s Nord name and Meshnet IP address, respectively: http://<NordName>:32400/,http://<MeshnetIP>:32400/ Example http://secret.meerkat-himalayas.nord:32400/,http://100.96.239.157:32400/

7. Click Save changes.

Accessing your Plex media server over Meshnet

With your Plex media server fully set up, you can access it over Meshnet to watch your media content remotely.

Method 1: Using an internet browser

A convenient method to access your Plex media server from any device without installing additional software is via an internet browser.

1. Copy the Nord name of your Plex media server from the NordVPN app.

2. Open your internet browser.

3. In the URL field, paste the copied Nord name followed by :32400/ and press Enter. Example secret.meerkat-himalayas.nord:32400/

4. Log in to your Plex account.

Upon logging in, select your media library from the menu on the left. All of the content from the selected library should appear.

Method 2: Using the Plex app

Another way to access your Plex media server is by using the Plex app on each device.

Windows

Install Plex for Windows

To install Plex on Windows:

1. Visit the Plex downloads page.

2. Download the Plex for Windows app.

3. Open the downloaded installer file.

4. Follow the installation wizard instructions to install Plex.

Connect to your media server

After installing the Plex app:

1. Launch Plex.

2. At the top of the page, click Sign in and select Sign in once more.

3. Log in to your Plex account and close the browser window.

4. Select the preferences for your media and click Finish setup.

5. From the menu on the left, click More.

6. Select your added media library.

Android

Install Plex for Android

You can download and install the Plex app for Android from Google Play.

Connect to your media server

After installing the Plex app:

1. Launch Plex.

2. Tap Sign in.

3. Log in to your Plex account.

4. Select your layout preferences and tap Let’s go.

5. In the upper-left corner, tap the menu icon and select your added media library.

iOS

Install Plex for iOS

You can download and install the Plex app for iOS from the App Store.

Connect to your media server

After installing the Plex app:

1. Launch Plex.

2. Tap Sign in.

3. Log in to your Plex account.

4. On the Plex needs local network access screen, tap Continue

5. Tap OK to grant local network access to the Plex app.

6. Select the preferences for your media and tap Continue.

7. In the upper-left corner, tap the menu icon and select your added media library.

macOS

Install Plex for Mac

To install Plex on macOS:

1. Visit the Plex downloads page.

2. Download the Plex for Mac app.

3. Extract the downloaded ZIP archive by double-clicking it.

4. Drag and drop the Plex app to the Applications folder.

Connect to your media server

After installing the Plex app:

1. Launch Plex.

2. At the top of the page, click Sign in and select Sign in once more.

3. Log in to your Plex account and close the browser window.

4. Select the preferences for your media and click Finish setup.

5. From the menu on the left, click More.

6. Select your added media library.

Linux

Install Plex for Linux

To install Plex on Linux:

1. Open Terminal.

2. Run the following command to install the Plex app:

   sudo snap install plex-desktop

   

Connect to your media server

After installing the Plex app:

1. Launch Plex.

2. At the top of the page, click Sign in and select Sign in once more.

3. Log in to your Plex account and close the browser window.

4. Select the preferences for your media and click Finish setup.

5. From the menu on the left, click More.

6. Select your added media library.

Android TV

Install Plex for Android TV

You can download and install the Plex app for Android TV from Google Play.

Connect to your media server

After installing the Plex app:

1. Launch Plex.

2. Select Sign in.

3. Log in to your Plex account.

4. From the menu on the left, select your added media library.