Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Set Up Plex Media Server on a Mac
StartbydownloadingthelatestversionforOSX
fromthePlexWebsite
.
Thefreedownloadis
about 70 MB. Expand the ZIP archive (if it doesn't unzip automatically), move the resulting
Plex Media Server app to your Applications folder, and launch it.
Tip:
To make Plex Media Server run automatically whenever you restart your Mac,
add it to the Login Items view for your account in the Users & Groups System Prefer-
ences pane.
Plex Media Server begins running in the menu bar and opens a configuration page in your
Webbrowser(ifitdoesn't,chooseMediaManagerfromthePlexicon inthemenubar).Plex
may change the exact procedure, but generally, you'll be creating an account (if you haven't
already) and signing in.
Next, you're presented with a page where you handle a few administrative details, including
namingyourPlexserverandsigningupfor,orinto,themyPlexcloudservice,whichletsyou
access your Plex library remotely and share media with friends.
About myPlex & PlexPass
myPlex is a free cloud-based service that lets you share media with friends and book-
mark online videos to watch on Plex. PlexPass is a premium service—costing $3.99 per
month, $29.99 per year, or $74.99 for life—that enables cloud sync, offline playback,
multiuser support, and early access to new features.
After working through the basic setup questions, you reach the page where you set up your
media library.
Add Sections
Click the Add Section button (outlined in red in
Figure 109
), and select a media type from
the box: Movies, TV Shows, Music, Photos, or Home Movies. Then, click Add Folder, select
the folder where you store that type of media, and click Add. It may take a few minutes for
Plex to scan the folder for media.
