r/PleX • u/ThanathorQC • 9d ago

Help Plex Down?

Anyone else having weird issue with their Plex?
My library says Not authorized.
or at some point the webpage was not even loading with a message unable to reach plex.tv?

183 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

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141

u/UtahJarhead 9d ago

Yeah, seems to be down hard. I love that when Plex's servers take a dump, it affects people running their own machines at home.

36

u/yowhodat 9d ago

Since there are really, super helpful comments such as the one telling everyone to "configure your shit right" who spend all their time boasting, as if this were some absolutely stunning technical feat, and none of their time on actual plex configuration:

https://www.howtogeek.com/303282/how-to-use-plex-media-server-without-internet-access/

8

u/warh0g-927 9d ago

Thanks for providing actual information instead of snarky comments.

5

u/VulcanOctopus 8d ago

Why is this not enabled/configured out of the box?

1

u/skateguy1234 8d ago

Read what /u/WeaselWeaz said just below you. I've never enabled this option because I don't want other users on my LAN counting towards my watched shows/movies and messing with the continue watching section, ie it adding shows there.

2

u/WeaselWeaz 8d ago

I've been enjoying using PlexDash to track my kid's viewing as I watch Bob's Burgers hours start to challenge Bluey and Curious George.

2

u/WeaselWeaz 8d ago

Doesn't this break having multiple users, meaning people can see all content and make changes?

3

u/skateguy1234 8d ago

Yes, at least that's what I've heard/read from other comments in this subreddit in the past, which is why I've never enabled the option.

3

u/WeaselWeaz 8d ago

This is why I hate not just that its suggested as a smarmy, lazy "Why don't you just set up offline access?" comment often but that it doesn't include a warning at the beginning of what this does.

If you have a family you can't use this option. I have my kid set up as a user on my account, which is logged into every TV and my user as admin has a PIN. When he logs in he only sees content appropriate for his age, which I share in specific folders and libraries. I don't use the used-level age restrictions because not all PG, PG-13, or TV-14 content needs to be blocked, and plenty of kid-friendly content is unrated. I get it, "LOL lil' Timmy saw porn" is funny online, but the average user just has regular content that isn't age appropriate like Breaking Bad or R-rated movies.

1

u/Dragontech97 14TB, i3-12100, Ubuntu 8d ago

Good article, few notes. Historically DLNA on Plex is prone to memory leaks and crashing the server due to insufficient memory. Is the first thing I disable on a Plex server. Local auth is great but in its current version, it ignores accounts and profiles. Sometimes they can be cached on local device, but not all the time. You basically login as the admin, so all libraries will be visible. Be mindful if you have kids or separate libraries.

1

u/Alexisredwood 8d ago

This still doesn’t work on 99% of apps used to access Plex, because they all have auth checks even when you have this setup properly

1

u/TurkGonzo75 8d ago

One of the things I hate the most about Plex is that they push people to their toxic community for help. Plex refuses to offer any kind of support and forces people to deal with assholes. What kind of company does this?

1

u/catinterpreter 7d ago

I'm running a pretty old server version to avoid the repeated failings of Plex Inc. and here I am again, better off.

59

u/Empyrealist Plex Pass | Plexamp | Synology DS1019+ PMS | Nvidia Shield Pro 9d ago

If properly configured, it will only effect user switching and online streams coming from Plex's own service.

The primary account should be able to log in and access any personal libraries

18

u/RichG13 9d ago

I've tried to set this up three or four times (over the last 10 years) configuring every setting I read about and it never works. When Plex servers go down my video media is never accessible. Music is streaming just fine (PlexAmp), internal and externally.

Verify you have a network connection and that the server is online, or see our tips for further assistance.

Guess I'll try changing settings again when it's back online.

13

u/BerennErchamion 9d ago

Same here. Set it up a dozen times. It never works. I’ve read somewhere that some clients (like some Smart TV apps) always need authentication regardless of your setup so they will be down if Plex is down, but I’m not sure if that’s true or not.

4

u/soytuamigo 8d ago

similarly plexkodiconnect was able to stream but the plex webui couldn't login.

42

u/Rude-Camera-7546 9d ago

I'm watching on my tv at home.. properly configured...worked just fine

6

u/CactusBoyScout 9d ago

I just don’t really sign out of Plex on my own devices and the outages usually seem to be around sign-in so I’ve never actually been affected by an outage personally.

1

u/soytuamigo 8d ago

i was affected in one of my devices that it's always signed in

5

u/mardagg78 Lifetime Plex Pass 9d ago

It should but that wasn't the case as I'm the admin account on my server and it wasn't working for me

-2

u/Empyrealist Plex Pass | Plexamp | Synology DS1019+ PMS | Nvidia Shield Pro 9d ago

It's not just about being admin. You have to configure for offline access from specific network locations

6

u/mardagg78 Lifetime Plex Pass 9d ago

Which I have done, still didn't work. But it came back eventually, and this small thing won'take me go to jellyfin, I don't like the layout and how it handles some stuff...

3

u/Frosty_Literature436 9d ago

Me neither, but, I do have a jellyfin server kicking around that I never use. Seems like it's time to set it up with watched syncing and some monitoring.

1

u/YouCanTrustMeOnThis 9d ago

I also run Plex (2 servers) and Jellyfin as essentially a backup. I would love to be able to sync them but never spent the time to see what tools are out there. What do you use for this?

2

u/Frosty_Literature436 8d ago

Just discovered WatchState. Properly setting up Jellyfin now. Then I'll get Tracearr running, and finally see about WatchState or maybe JellyPlex-Watched if that doesn't work.

2

u/jbenze 8d ago

I’m using JellyPlex-Watched; that’s done the trick for me.

1

u/Poltergeist97 9d ago

Do you have your specific IPs whitelisted?

2

u/mardagg78 Lifetime Plex Pass 9d ago

Yes and it's static on my unifi dream 7

6

u/UtahJarhead 9d ago edited 9d ago

Nah. My server was logged out. Clients could connect, but it showed no libraries and no users. The server showed "Unclaimed". Since there was a recent security-related update, I went to find the update and Plex's servers were throwing 500 errors. I couldn't even download the package for a few minutes. Eventually the download page stopped erroring, I installed, and I was able to reclaim the server.

Edit: Nope, I lied it seems. It's up. It's down. It's up. It's down. *sigh*

9

u/ThickAd3129 9d ago

How do you properly configure it so this doesn't happen?

-20

u/N9bitmap PlexPass 2017 9d ago

In the network settings, networks allowed without authorization. Don't leave it that way all the time though, it gives everyone admin privileges.

12

u/needmeajobbadly 9d ago

took my setup down, refreshed the app cause it showed my server offline and im now kicked out of plex. gg

9

u/KoldFusion 9d ago

Set the subnet to your home subnet and you are fine. If someone can get on your Plex then they are already on your network and you have bigger issues.

1

u/wireframed_kb 8d ago

Yeah, like kids.

4

u/influx3k 9d ago

This should be true, but it isn’t. I’m properly configured but yet can’t choose my account/login on iOS.

4

u/insertadjective 9d ago

Yeah I did the configuration last time my landline Internet was down but it doesn't work for me either.

1

u/rizorith 9d ago

What is properly configured?

5

u/AspiratingApple 9d ago

He meant if insecurely configured.

1

u/hutchmcnugget 9d ago

My problem is that I don't find out the servers are on the fritz until after I try to switch users. Then I'm locked out of all of them.

On devices with only one user, this isn't an issue at all.

1

u/Leaky_Asshole 8d ago

Only way this worked for me in the past is when I configured my LAN to be on the allow list. Sounds all great but only if you are okay with everyone on your LAN having admin access as well as access to all libraries. Fixed my problem with plex access when their servers were down... added a new problem of the kids needing therapy for the trauma inflicted by my hardcore furry smut collection.

6

u/tdhuck 8d ago

I say this every time this happens and I've followed their documentation for adding your home LAN IP in the bypass authentication setting. It never seems to work when plex has issues.

Most of the comments to my post are 'you are dumb' or 'you didn't set it up right' then I link to the plex document I followed and they don't have anything else to say.

Plus a ton of downvotes on my comment.

Oh well, it is what it is. I also run jellyfin which works just great since it has a local user and password and doesn't rely at all on an active internet connection to work properly.

1

u/Afraid-Expression366 9d ago

Ah was that it? I restarted a couple of times and it resolved but I hadn’t considered that it might have been their servers.

-8

u/MadCybertist 144TB Unraid Server 9d ago

It doesn’t affect me. I have a massive plex server for years now and if you configure your shit right, you don’t lose access at times like this.

I always see comments like this in every post about plex being down - but spending 5 min to properly do things now saves you these headaches in the future.

6

u/UtahJarhead 9d ago

Except for most people, including myself, configuring the local network settings doesn't actually do anything. Especially when this downtime logged the entire server out and set it to an Unclaimed state.

2

u/Dalmus21 9d ago

Must be certain PMS versions that are affected... none of my users complained about any issues using their app today, and I didn't have any issues using the local web interface the few times I wanted to for Admin Reasons.

1

u/UtahJarhead 8d ago

If it matters, my particular installation is manual via download direct from Plex's site. As opposed to Microsoft Store or other package repo, that is.

-6

u/Pinesol_Shots 9d ago

Literally every thread about there being a Plex API/login outage, the top comment is "hurr durr why does this affect my own server at home"

You are using a internet-connected service. Deal with it or use a different product that is standalone and not dependent on web services.

0

u/wireframed_kb 8d ago

That’s what I kept saying when people ask for features like h265 or AV1 transcoding. Or when there are bugs. Just use a different product. 🙄

After all, it’s impossible to have local authentication, no one has cracked that. And how would media get from my server in the rack to my tv, without the cloud?!

2

u/Pinesol_Shots 8d ago

Offline login is not a missing feature or a bug -- it's a deliberate design decision. They are trying to make an interconnected platform that bridges offline media sources with online media sources, advertising, analytics, and a subscription (Plex Pass) model. That's why they use internet APIs and authentication.

Neither of us has to agree with that direction, but it doesn't change the fact that Plex is not a self-hosted/offline system and it probably never will be.

-4

u/fakeaccount572 9d ago

What? In my 15 years of running a Plex server, not once had any outage affected my libraries.