You can move from Plex to Jellyfin without moving your media files: add the folders that already hold your movies, shows, or music to Jellyfin, then let it scan and build its own library. Plex’s database is not a portable Jellyfin library, so treat media files, metadata, users, and watch history as separate parts of the move.
What moves—and what does not
Your media files can stay in their current locations as long as Jellyfin can access those folders. Jellyfin creates its own library database from the paths you configure; it does not simply take over Plex’s database. Jellyfin’s migration documentation warns that its internal databases cannot be copied or adjusted easily, and its library guide explains how to configure libraries around media paths.
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- Media files: Reuse the existing folders if Jellyfin has permission to read them.
- Library records and matches: Jellyfin scans the folders and creates its own records, using its configured metadata providers.
- Watched status and users: These are separate from the media scan. Jellyfin points to third-party API scripts for migration; this is not a complete Plex database import.
- Local metadata: Supported NFO files can provide metadata to Jellyfin, with limits described below.
Keep Plex and the original files in place while setting up Jellyfin. This gives you a working fallback until you have checked the new server.
Prepare your folders, users, and backup
Before changing anything, note the folder paths for each Plex library, the library categories you use, household users, and any Docker mounts or network shares. Preserve existing metadata files, especially NFO files you intend to use. Back up irreplaceable files separately; a Jellyfin backup is for Jellyfin server data, not Plex’s database or a substitute for backing up your media collection.
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If you already have a Jellyfin server and need to protect its data, Jellyfin’s backup and restore guide covers the database, metadata, subtitles, and trickplay data as selectable backup content. Its manual backup procedure calls for stopping the server before copying its data. Do not assume a live database copy is safe. Choose any external backup destination based on the size of the files you actually need to protect.
Install Jellyfin and add the existing media folders
- Set up the Jellyfin server and create its administrator account. The setup walkthrough covers initial server setup.
- Open the library setup in Jellyfin and create a separate library for each appropriate media category, such as Movies, Shows, or Music.
- Add the existing folder path or paths for each library. Jellyfin supports multiple paths in a library, so you do not have to consolidate files into one directory.
- Save the libraries and allow Jellyfin to scan them.
Jellyfin discourages using the Mixed library type because metadata results can be unreliable. Use dedicated types where possible rather than combining unrelated media in one library.
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If Jellyfin runs in Docker or on a different machine
Check paths from inside the Jellyfin environment, not just from the host operating system. A folder visible on the host may be absent or mounted at a different path inside a container. Confirm that each mount points to the intended media and that the Jellyfin service account can read the directories. Jellyfin’s migration documentation calls out exact in-container path matching for its documented Linux-to-Docker move and the need to account for service-user UID/GID permissions; for a new setup, the practical requirement is that the configured paths resolve and are readable.
Let Jellyfin scan and match your library
Jellyfin builds its library by scanning the folders you added and retrieving metadata through its configured providers. It does not automatically inherit Plex-specific database metadata or its metadata cache. If a title is matched incorrectly, review the file and folder names and check the available metadata-provider identifiers before changing files or relying on a Plex database transfer.
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For television, keep series, seasons, and episodes organized with clear names. Jellyfin’s local NFO metadata guide describes supported local metadata files and their import behavior. Jellyfin gives local metadata priority over remote-provider values, so an existing NFO can override what an online provider would otherwise supply.
NFO user-data import is limited to one configured user. It is not a general route for transferring every Plex user’s watch history. Do not copy Plex’s metadata cache into Jellyfin expecting it to become a working Jellyfin library.
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Choose how to handle watched status
If preserving watch history matters, first let Jellyfin create and scan its libraries. Then consider a separate API-based tool. Jellyfin’s migration page links third-party scripts for migrating watched status and users. The linked migrate-plex-to-jellyfin project labels itself a work in progress; its README describes watched-status migration, requires Plex and Jellyfin tokens, supports a dry run, and provides path translation when the two servers use different base directories.
- Review the project’s current README and scope before running it; do not assume it transfers every Plex setting, collection, playlist, rating, or metadata field.
- Check how Plex users should map to Jellyfin users and whether paths need translating between the two servers.
- Use the dry-run option first and inspect the proposed changes.
- Only proceed with a real run once the mapping and paths look right. Keep tokens private and do not paste them into shared logs or examples.
This is an optional community-tool step, not part of Jellyfin’s library scan and not a full database migration.
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Validate the new server before retiring Plex
After scanning, check a representative sample from each library: confirm titles and artwork, play files on the devices your household uses, and verify watch history if you ran a migration tool. These are practical checks, not a vendor-guaranteed checklist; Jellyfin’s documentation does not publish a general migration success rate or a typical completion time. Leave Plex and the source files untouched until Jellyfin works for your household’s use case.
Decide whether remote access is needed
Moving a library does not require exposing Jellyfin to the internet. Configure access based on whether you need to use the server away from home. Jellyfin’s setup walkthrough recommends disabling automatic port mapping through UPnP unless you specifically need it. Avoid changing network exposure merely to complete a local library migration.
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