Plex media server windows run as service

You can validate that it is running by viewing the Windows services and scrolling through the list until you find the PlexService service. If you need to access the Plex data directory , such as to backup your Plex server, you would first need to log in as the user that is running Plex and then copy the data directory, or schedule a job to make automatic backups.

One thing to keep in mind is that when running Plex as a service, you won't be able to use the GPU for transcoding movie files. The reason is that Windows runs services in session 0, which can't access the GPU. A solution to this problem is to have your Plex server avoid transcoding entirely and direct play all movies instead. Newly refreshed UI with over 46 different theme combinations. Access Plex Appdata folder and web interface from tray application. Option to mount UNC shares as mapped drives.

Automatically detect PMS updates and disable auto-restart feature until updates complete. Automatically detect failed drive mounts and wait a configured amount of time before re-trying. Option to not start Plex on drive map failures, preventing accidental library deletion with auto-clean. Option to log auxiliary application output to the PlexService log.

Supports silent installation. Installation Simply download the latest release , run the installer, and enter the user information when prompted. Did you find it helpful? Yes No. How can we help you today? Enter your search term here New support ticket.

As I was typing a reply to someone else it occurred to me that you will want to use the full UNC path when using Plex as a service. Mapped drives only get mapped when you log into the PC. Therefore, if the service starts and your account is not logged in, the mapped drives will not be present and Plex will not be able to access your files. Also be sure that plex is running as your user account.

You can verify by looking in Task Manager. Why use a generic solution, when you can use a specific one? I followed everything step by step and I am able to get Plex to run as a service, however all my media then become unavailable. Make sure the service is set to run as your Windows user account.

I also typically recommend using the full UNC path instead of mapped drives. As I was typing my previous comment I realized that when running as a service you actually will want to use the full UNC path for your library paths. Since the purpose of running Plex as a service is to be able to have it run without logging in first, mapped drives will not exist when Plex starts without logging into Windows.

Also, be sure you have set your service to run as your user account, otherwise the application will run in a different user context and may not have permissions to access the NAS. Excellent article, and seems to be working like a charm. I found that the easiest and built-in way is to use task scheduler. That does the trick for me. Very straightforward and worked without a problem first time.

I have been wanting this for years. My Windows 10 has recently been logging off after a couple hours or sometimes even 30 minutes. So annoying. I copied your post. No, I appreciate the share!