How to Migrate Plex from Windows to Linux: What Most Guides Miss

09 February 2025
tutorial,
server,
media,
plex

Home Server Overhaul

I am in the process of migrating from a hybrid Windows / HyperV Ubuntu home server setup, to a Debian-based Kubernetes cluster.
The only app remaining on Windows was Plex, due to perceived difficult migrating all the metadata to Linux.
All of the guides I found online had partial information, but not everything I needed to get a fully migrated Plex server up and running on my Linux machine!

Note that I was migrating from a plain Windows install to a containerised Linux install, but for this guide, this info should not matter.

The Official Guide

This has most of everything you need: https://support.plex.tv/articles/201370363-move-an-install-to-another-system/
However, do note that it’s a guide explicitly for migrating to a new machine using the same operating system.
There are two extra steps I will detail below, that should be carried out in the ‘Copy Server Data From the Source System’ section:
- Updating paths from Windows to Linux in the Plex SQLite database.
- Copying preferences from Windows Registry to Linux XML file.
After following the extra steps listed here, you should have an exact replica of the Plex installation you were migrating from!

Update SQLite File Paths

First backup your SQLite database for Plex, located here:

C:\Users\YOURUSER\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Plug-in Support\Databases\com.plexapp.plugins.library.db"

Enter the Plex SQLite shell

"C:\Program Files\Plex\Plex Media Server\Plex SQLite.exe" "C:\Users\YOURUSER\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Plug-in Support\Databases\com.plexapp.plugins.library.db"

Note that Plex uses a custom implementation of SQLite… standard browsers might corrupt your file, or just not work.

Replace Windows backslash with Linux forward slash

UPDATE media_parts SET file=REPLACE(file, '\', '/');
UPDATE section_locations SET root_path=REPLACE(root_path, '\', '/');
UPDATE media_streams SET url=REPLACE(url, '\', '/') WHERE url LIKE 'file://%';

Replace library root paths

// First get all of your library root locations
SELECT root_path FROM section_locations;

// For each location, replace with the correct path
UPDATE section_locations SET root_path=REPLACE(root_path, 'D:/Path/To/Library1', '/data/library1');
UPDATE section_locations SET root_path=REPLACE(root_path, 'D:/Path/To/Library2', '/data/library2');

Replace media part paths

// Inspect the format of the file paths
SELECT file FROM media_parts WHERE file != "" LIMIT 20;

// For each library above, ensure you correctly set the path here
UPDATE media_parts SET file=REPLACE(file, 'D:/Path/To/Library1', '/data/library1');
UPDATE media_parts SET file=REPLACE(file, 'D:/Path/To/Library2', '/data/library2');

Replace media stream paths

// Note here we possibly have double and triple slash prefixes that must be replaced
UPDATE media_streams SET url=REPLACE(url, 'file://D:/Path/To/Library1', 'file:///data/library1');
UPDATE media_streams SET url=REPLACE(url, 'file:///D:/Path/To/Library1', 'file:///data/library1');
UPDATE media_streams SET url=REPLACE(url, 'file://D:/Path/To/Library2', 'file:///data/library2');
UPDATE media_streams SET url=REPLACE(url, 'file:///D:/Path/To/Library2', 'file:///data/library2');

Replace metadata_item paths

UPDATE metadata_items SET guid=REPLACE(guid, 'file:///D:/Path/To/Library1', 'file:///data/library1');
UPDATE metadata_items SET guid=REPLACE(guid, 'file:///D:/Path/To/Library2', 'file:///data/library2');

Final checks

// Check for any corruption
PRAGMA integrity_check;
// If errors, try a reindex
REINDEX;

// Vacuum db
VACUUM;

// Exit
.quit

Migrating Preferences

Windows Registry

Windows keeps it Plex preferences in the registry.
To access the values, open tool regedit
Navigate to path: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Plex, Inc.\Plex Media Server
Inspect the values to migrate. Some important ones are:
- PlexOnlineXXX values (for the PlexPass account)
- XXXMachineIdentifer values
- customConnections if used, say for a reverse proxy config
- allowedNetworks if used
Additional details can be found here: https://support.plex.tv/articles/201105343-advanced-hidden-server-settings/

Linux Preferences

Linux places all of these values into a Preferences.xml file.
First, start up and shut down your new Plex instance.
The Preferences.xml file will be created in the ‘Plex Media Server’ root directory.
Modify the preferences with the values from the Windows registry:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Preferences
  allowedNetworks="127.0.0.1,192.168.90.11"
  autoEmptyTrash="0"
  secureConnections="1"
  sendCrashReports="1"
  customConnections="https:/your.custom.domain:443"
  AcceptedEULA="1" 
  AnonymousMachineIdentifier="xxx-xxx"
  CertificateUUID="xxx-xxx"
  CertificateVersion="3"
  CloudSyncNeedsUpdate="0"
  DatabaseCacheSize="4000"
  DisableTLSv1_0="1"
  DlnaEnabled="0"
  DvrIncrementalEpgLoader="0"
  EnableIPv6="0"
  FSEventLibraryPartialScanEnabled="0"
  FSEventLibraryUpdatesEnabled="0"
  FriendlyName="Name-Of-Your-Plex-Server"
  GlobalMusicVideoPathMigrated="1"
  LanNetworksBandwidth="192.168.90.11/24"
  LanguageInCloud="1"
  LastAutomaticMappedPort="0"
  LogVerbose="0"
  MachineIdentifier="xxx-xxx"
  ManualPortMappingMode="1"
  ManualPortMappingPort="32400"
  MergedRecentlyAdded="0"
  MetricsEpoch="1"
  MinutesAllowedPaused="30"
  OldestPreviousVersion="legacy"
  PlexOnlineHome="0"
  PlexOnlineMail="your@email.com"
  PlexOnlineToken="token_from_previous_install"
  PlexOnlineUsername="your_plex_username"
  PreferredNetworkInterface="eth0"
  ProcessedMachineIdentifier="xxx-xxx"
  PubSubServer="xxx"
  PubSubServerPing="xx"
  PubSubServerRegion="lhr"
  PublishServerOnPlexOnlineKey="1"
  PushNotificationsEnabled="1"
  RelayEnabled="0"
  ScannerLowPriority="1"
  ScheduledLibraryUpdateInterval="86400"
  ScheduledLibraryUpdatesEnabled="0"
  TranscodeCountLimit="3"
  TranscoderCanOnlyRemuxVideo="0"
  TranscoderH264BackgroundPreset="medium"
  TranscoderQuality="0"
  TranscoderTempDirectory="/tmp/transcode"
  TranscoderThrottleBuffer="1800"
  WanPerUserStreamCount="2"
  WanTotalMaxUploadRate="20000"
  WebHooksEnabled="0"
/>