Unlike with video content, music tracks will often already have embedded metadata for many users. You may have heard of the “ID3 tag” inside MP3 files–that’s a type of embedded metadata. For instance, if you used iTunes to store your music in the past, then it almost certainly has embedded metadata.
If you want to make use of that embedded metadata with Plex, you can do so. However, there are some important caveats to be aware of.
Should you rely on embedded metadata?
Plex allows you to tell your music library to use the metadata that’s embedded in your music files. However, if you enable that option, that basically means that you’re prioritizing local embedded tags over online information as well as committing to having accurate tags for your entire music library.
Broadly speaking, it means that Plex will expect that you have embedded metadata tags for Track, Album, and Artist (and potentially Album Artist) for each track. These will be used instead of what we would normally provide with regular matching for the content.
Importantly, if this option is enabled, then it basically means that you’re promising that not only is your entire music library tagged with embedded metadata, but also that it’s tagged correctly. You’ll also potentially be missing out on future musical enhancements that rely on new and even richer metadata information coming from online sources.
Tip!: Most users should not enable this option and we do not recommend doing so by default. Only enable the preference if you really know that you need it.
How to use embedded metadata
To set a music library in Plex to use embedded metadata instead of what we would normally provide for content:
- You need to make sure that all of your music tracks have full and accurate embedded metadata.
- Name and organize the music content based off of our recommendations.
- When creating a new music library or editing an existing library, enable the Prefer local metadata option in the advanced tab of the library edit window.
- If you’re editing an existing library, you’ll need to refresh the metadata after saving the library changes.
Related Page: Adding Music Media From Folders
Related Page: Scanning vs Refreshing a Library