Hi.
I'm Max Dalton, and in this video I'm going to explore the question "Why did Plex Stop
Working?"
Plex Media Server is a powerful, free media server application that lets you load your
own music, movies, and photos, and access them anywhere you can access one of the many
Plex apps and an Internet signal in a user-friendly interface.
However, because you're running your own server and not using a paid service that someone
else operates (such as Netflix), you're responsible for troubleshooting access issues, which can
stem from a variety of places.
If your Plex Media Server is down and your friends and family are yelling at you to bring
it back online, here are a few good things to check to start your troubleshooting journey.
Computer Is Off
The easiest thing you can check is to see if the computer you're using as Plex Media
Server is even running.
You're computer can be unexepectedly turned off for a variety of reasons.
For example, maybe someone else used the machine and powered it down.
Maybe a brief power outage knocked it out.
Perhaps someone unexpectedly disconnected the power strip it was connected to.
Alternatively, a Windows update may have been installed on your computer, which may have
forced a restart.
If this was the case, the computer running your Plex Media Server will likely be powered
on but waiting for you to log into it.
Internet Connection Issues
If you're computer is powered on, make sure that it is connected to the Internet.
If you're computer isn't connected to your home network, check your modem or wireless
router to see if you're either of them are sending or receiving a signal from your Internet
provider.
Alternatively, try accessing the Internet through your home network on other devices
connected to that network.
You can verify that you're testing your home network by using your cell phone, turning
off cellular data connectivity, and then trying to access websites through the devices Web
browser.
Plex Update Issues Try accessing Plex through a different device
to see if the problem is with the specific device you're trying to access Plex on, rather
than with your Plex Media Server.
For example, Plex may have pushed out an update to the Roku app that makes the Plex app for
Roku unusable.
Try accessing Plex through one of their apps for other devices, such as Roku, iOS, Android,
Windows, XBox, Chromecast, and many more.
Remote Access
By default, remote access is turned off on Plex Media Server, and it can be a bit of
a hassle to set up.
If you're away from your home network and trying to access Plex, this is most likely
the reason Plex isn't working.
You can check to see if remote access is enabled within the Plex Media Server application by
navigating to Settings, Server, and then Remote Access.
Additionally, you'll likely need to implement a port forwarding or some other solution for
remote access to work.
Connected Hard Drive Problems
If you store all of your Plex content on external hard drives, ensure that those drives are
connected and working properly.
Even the best of external hard drives have a shelf life, and they can stop working on
a moments notice.
The first thing to do is make sure you can access the hard drive on your computer.
If you can't access the contents of the hard drive on that computer or any other computer,
the drive has probably stopped working.
Alternatively, the issue may be with the USB port the hard drive is connected to.
Try connecting the external hard drive to a different USB port to see if that solves
the issue.
Bad File
If everything else looks good and you can launch the Plex interface and see your content,
try playing a different file you know works to see if that content plays.
If that content plays, your problem may not be with Plex at all, but rather with the file
you're trying to play.
If you can, try reloading the content to see if that resolves the issue.
If you're having problems with a personal movie, try re-ripping that movie and re-loading
that file to see if that resolves the issue.