Windows, macOS

1. From the system tray (Windows) or menubar (macOS), open the context menu for the Plex Media Server entry and select the Open Plex… option
2. In cases where the server is not already signed in to/claimed by a Plex account, this will initiate the process to claim the server

Once you’ve completed the process, your Plex Media Server should appear when using the hosted Plex Web App, too.

Note: If you do not wish to claim your Plex Media Server, you have to set the enableLocalSecurity advanced, hidden server setting to false, then follow the method of opening Plex Web directly in a browser as describe earlier in this document.

Linux, FreeBSD, NAS, Others

Some third party apps also cannot connect if you have added a security PIN to your account. If you need to remove your Account PIN you can do that on your Account Info page.

Related Page: My Home
Related Page: I forgot my Plex Account PIN; how can I reset it? How can I change my PIN?

Third-party clients also generally cannot connect via secure connections. See the Secure Connections information below for more details.

Secure Connections

By default, the Plex Media Server will prefer to use secure connections for apps that support them. Not all apps support connecting securely, though. You should make sure you aren’t unintentionally blocking unsupported apps.

1. Check if your app supports secure connections
2. If the app is not supported, make sure that you have the Secure connections server setting set to Preferred (not Required)

Tip!: Most Plex apps that support secure connections will be set by default to not connect to servers that are not available securely. So, you should make sure that you do not set the server’s Secure connections setting to Disabled, in that case, or else the app will not be allowed to connect.

Related Page: How to Use Secure Server Connections
Related Page: Network

DNS Rebinding

Some routers or modems won’t allow DNS Rebinding by default, which can affect or even prevent an app from being able to connect with a Plex Media Server on the local network. For most users, this won’t be an issue, but some users of more advanced routers (or those provided by some ISPs) may run into issues.

Similarly, some DNS providers (such as your ISP) may prevent DNS Rebinding.

See the How to Use Secure Server Connections in our How to Use Secure Server Connections article.

Related Page: How to Use Secure Server Connections

Antivirus or Security Software Interference

In a small number of cases, we’ve seen users with antivirus or security software that interfered with things in such a way as to cause an app to be unable to connect with Plex Media Server.

Some possible causes (though this is not an exhaustive list):

• Security software on computer
• Antivirus software on computer
• Proxy (on computer or network)
• VPN

Software known to have caused issues previously:

• ESET
• Kaspersky

Please see the “Possible Solutions” information in the following article for additional details.

Related Page: Plex Media Server can't sign in to Plex account or be claimed

VPN on the Plex Media Server Computer

The platforms on which some Plex apps run don’t allow us to actively scan the network to try and find available Plex Media Servers. Other platforms don’t allow direct communication to any private IP (e.g. any IP on your local network). Among others, the PlayStation, Smart TVs, and Xbox apps are affected by these restrictions.

That means we have to get connection information in another way, which is provided when both the Plex Media Server and the app sign into your Plex account. This is accomplished because your Plex Media Server will send its private and public IP address to plex.tv, which can then be retrieved and used by the Plex app to find servers.

When using a VPN (Virtual Private Network), the IP information can be incorrect because of the VPN and thus the Plex app doesn’t have the correct/necessary information to be able to find your Plex Media Server and connect.

What You Can Do

Essentially, you want to make sure that your VPN isn’t interfering when your Plex Media Server sends the connection information to plex.tv.

1. Disable the VPN
2. Launch Plex Media Server
3. Ensure that the Server successfully signs in under Settings > Server > General
4. Enable the VPN

When You Should Do It

You should take the above steps whenever new connection information would be sent to plex.tv, which includes:

• Launching or restarting the Server
• Signing in to the Server
• Whenever your computer experiences a network change (e.g. a laptop switching from wired to wireless connection)