Name: Plex
Author: Plex Team

Want your films, series and music in one tidy library you can play anywhere? Plex for Windows connects to a Plex library, while Plex Media Server scans and shares the personal media stored in your folders.

Libraries and media matching

Plex Media Server builds libraries from folders selected for movies, TV shows, or music. It matches recognized titles with information such as artwork, summaries, and episode details, so the collection can be browsed by its media categories instead of file names alone.

A title that Plex identifies incorrectly can be edited in the library. Keeping the media in clearly separated movie, show, and music folders gives the server a more straightforward collection to scan.

Playback and watch progress

Plex for Windows provides the viewing interface for libraries shared by Plex Media Server. Open a movie or episode from its library entry, then return later with playback progress and watched status retained.

Browse personal movies, TV episodes, and music from the Plex interface.
Continue playback from saved progress on supported Plex clients.
Use the library’s title and episode details to find a specific item.

Streaming to other devices

The server makes its libraries available to Plex clients on other devices, including supported televisions, phones, tablets, and web browsers. The Windows computer hosting Plex Media Server must be available for those clients to reach its personal collection. Plex for Windows can also connect to a library hosted on another machine, so the playback app and media storage do not have to be on the same PC.

Pros