# Plex for Beginners: Install, Libraries, and Seedr Canonical URL: https://www.seedr.cc/pulse/articles/6750579f2f1468b50cf54489-The-Plex-how-to-begin/ Updated: 2026-10-08T17:30:55.333Z Beginner's guide to Plex Media Server. Install, create libraries, add a Seedr mount as a cloud library. Troubleshooting and clear limits. Plex is a media server. You install it on a computer, point it at folders full of movies or TV, and it fetches posters and metadata so you can watch on any device — phone, TV, laptop, console — with your own library. This guide walks a complete beginner through install, library setup, and connecting a [Seedr]() account so your files can live in the cloud instead of on a noisy home drive. ## What this gets you - A working Plex server on your PC or NAS. - A first library (Movies or TV), scanned and organized with posters. - An optional Seedr mount added as a second library, so files added to Seedr from anywhere show up in Plex automatically. ## What you need - A free [Plex account](). - A computer that will run Plex Media Server: Windows, macOS, Linux, or a supported NAS. - Some media files to add, with sensible filenames. - **Optional**: a Seedr plan to use cloud storage as a library source. Master for WebDAV, Pro / Basic for FTP. ## Setup, step by step ### 1. Create a Plex account Go to plex.tv → **Sign Up**. Use email, Google, Facebook, or Apple ID. Any works. ### 2. Install Plex Media Server Download the installer from plex.tv/media-server-downloads for your OS: - **Windows**: .exe installer, or install Plex from the Microsoft Store. - **macOS**: .dmg installer, or the Mac App Store. - **Linux**: .deb for Debian/Ubuntu, .rpm for Fedora/CentOS. Install via sudo apt install ./plexmediaserver\_...deb or sudo dnf install plexmediaserver.rpm. - **NAS**: Synology, QNAP, Asustor have Plex packages in their app stores. Run the installer. When it finishes, your browser opens http://localhost:32400/web — that is the Plex web UI. ### 3. Name your server and add the first library 1. In the first-run wizard, give your server a name (any string). Tick **Allow access outside your home** if you want to watch away from your network. 2. Click **Add Library**. 3. Pick **Movies** or **TV Shows**. 4. Set the library language. 5. **Browse for Media Folder** and point Plex at your existing files, e.g. D:\\Movies. 6. **Add Library**. Plex scans, matches, fetches posters. ### 4. Name files so Plex can match them Plex matches on filename. Use these patterns: - Movies: Movies/Title (Year)/Title (Year).mkv - TV: TV/Show Name/Season 01/Show Name S01E01.mkv Rename bad filenames before adding, not after. Fixing unmatched items one by one is tedious. ### 5. Add a cloud library (Seedr over WebDAV) This is where Seedr fits. Plex reads folders. Seedr gives you a folder backed by cloud storage. 1. On the same machine running Plex, mount Seedr as a drive. See the mount guide. The short version: install [RaiDrive]() on Windows, add a WebDAV drive to https://dav.seedr.cc, sign in with your Seedr email and password, assign drive letter Z:. 2. In Plex web UI → **+** next to **Libraries** → pick **Movies** (or TV). 3. **Add Folders** → browse to Z:\\Movies (or wherever your Seedr mount sits). 4. **Add Library**. Plex scans Seedr just like a local drive. For the full, detailed WebDAV + Plex walkthrough, the canonical guide is Connect Seedr and Plex with WebDAV. If you are on Pro / Basic (no WebDAV), follow Plex via FTP instead. Try Seedr free ## Try Seedr free ### 6. Install a Plex client and watch - **Phone / tablet**: install the Plex app from the App Store or Play Store, sign in with your Plex account. - **Smart TV, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, consoles**: search "Plex" in the device's app store. - **Browser on another PC**: app.plex.tv, sign in. Your server and library appear automatically. ## Troubleshooting - **"No libraries available"** on a client — make sure the client is signed into the same Plex account as the server. Remote access is off by default if you unticked it during setup. - **Movie marked "Unmatched"** — filename does not follow the Title (Year) pattern. Rename, then right-click → **Fix Match**. - **Plex cannot see my Seedr drive** — on Windows, Plex runs as a service and does not see network drives mapped in a user session. Run Plex as your user, or mount with RaiDrive in system-service mode. - **Video buffers on TV but plays fine on laptop** — the TV's Plex client asks Plex to transcode. Drop client quality to **Original** for direct play, or give the Plex server a GPU that supports hardware transcoding (Plex Pass required for HW transcode). - **New Seedr uploads don't show in Plex** — Plex scans on a schedule, not instantly. Turn on **Settings → Library → Scan my library automatically**, or hit **Scan Library Files** manually. ## What works well, and known limits **Works well**: direct-play of H.264 MP4/MKV to phones, laptops, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV. Metadata matching and posters. Multi-user profiles. **Limits**: Plex Pass is paid. Hardware transcoding and offline sync need it. Transcoding runs on your Plex server's CPU/GPU — weak hardware means buffering. If you cancel Seedr, Plex keeps the metadata but can't read the files. ## Wrap Install Plex, point it at a folder of nicely-named files, watch anywhere. Add a Seedr mount as a second library to skip the local-drive problem entirely. ![Plex server]() ![Plex organising]() ![]() ![Plex adding library language]() ![Plex choosing the type of content]() ![Plex setup Adding library tje next stage]() ![Plex setup adding library]() ![Plex Got it]() ![Opened Plex installer for Windows]() Start free with Seedr ## Give Plex a cloud library