How to Delete Plex Server in Easy Steps?

Are you trying to look for a guide that you can use as a guide on how to delete Plex server?

Moreover, do you want to be enlightened as to why people are deleting their Plex servers?

In this guide, you will not only learn why people are looking to delete servers but also, the steps on how to perform it.

If you’re trying to figure out how to delete a Plex server, you simply have to locate its root folder, then delete it. We’ll teach you how you can do so across all different platforms!

Before we jump to that, let us first try to understand the reason why people want to remove or delete a Plex media server.

Why Delete a Plex Media Server?

There are a couple of reasons why some people want to delete an existing Plex media server.

Some of the most customary reasons for it include:

• You’re trying to move the Plex media server from one device to another
• You can’t access the Plex media server or the contents inside one
• There is a duplicate or an extra server
• You have corrupted files that could endanger the entire server

These are just the common and the usual reasons for deleting a Plex media server from your device.

Now that we’re aware of this, it’s now time to learn how you can progress to deleting it.

So, how do you delete a Plex server and start over from scratch?

How to Delete Plex Server? Complete Steps

Since the Plex media server is available on different platforms, there’s not a single way to do it.

For this guide, we’ll guide you in terms of deleting it on the Windows platforms, the macOS system, as well as the Linux OS!

Note: Deleting your Plex server will cause you to lose all information from your library.

For further usage, you would have to rescan, re-fetch your metadata, and reload everything that was once part of your server.

Deleting Plex Server on Windows

Some people think that deleting the Plex server is just like uninstalling it.

What they didn’t know is that they need to run a complete removal of the server, including all the app data included.

So, here’s the process of how you can delete your Plex server from your Windows device.

1. Ensure that the Plex Media Server is not running.
2. Go to the Control Panel and select Uninstall a Program.
3. Locate the Plex Media Server program, right-click it and select Uninstall.
4. Wait for the system to remove the client from your device completely.
5. After that, hit on WIN + R or access the Run command.
6. Search for REGEDIT, this will open the Registry Editor.
7. On Find What, type Plex [PATHNAME] or the location of where it is.
8. Remove everything on that path to delete it from the Plex server completely.

Alternatively, you can access %LocalAppData%/Plex Media Server from the directory and delete all files there.

There are instances where you have to uninstall the program as well, so try both methods out.

That’s how you can delete the Plex server on your Windows device. Simply perform a reboot or a restart and the changes are going to be made!

Now, let’s head onto deleting it on your macOS laptop or computer!

Deleting Plex Server on macOS

The same rule applies when you’re trying to delete a Plex server from a macOS device. But, since they’re two (2) different systems, the process will differ.

Here’s how to delete the Plex server on your macOS.

1. If the program is running, right-click the Plex icon on the Dock and click Quit.
2. Then, drag and drop the Plex Server icon from Applications to Trash.
3. Right-click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
4. Then, access Finder and select Go > Go to Folder.
5. From there, type in ~/Library/.
6. Look for all items that are connected to Plex Media Server.
7. Open Terminal on your macOS device.
8. Run the command: defaults delete com.plexapp.plexmediaserver

TIP: You can search ~/Library/Caches/PlexMediaServer and ~/Library/Logs/Plex Media Server, then delete these folders.

That’s it! The next step you have to do now is to restart your macOS device and the changes will take effect immediately!

Deleting Plex Server on Linux

And last, but most definitely not least is deleting it through a Linux computer.

The process will differ and will vary depending on the version you’re using.

Don’t worry, we’ll teach both methods!

For CentOS and Fedora

1. Make sure that the Plex Media Server is not running, force close it if you have to.
2. On the Run function, type in rpm –e plexmediaserver.
3. Then, remove the directory that’s labeled /var/lib/plexmediaserver/.
4. Lastly, run the command userdel plex.

For Ubuntu and Debian

1. Close and quit the Plex Media client.
2. On the Run function, type in and run dpkg –r plexmediaserver.
3. Then, erase and delete the directory /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/

Once done, restart or reboot your Linux device to lock the changes in and to conclude the process. 

So, this is the process of how to delete the Plex server from your account! It’s simple and easy to understand, right? You don’t really need to be an expert to do it!

But, are these the only ways of deleting a Plex server?

Alternative Ways to Delete a Plex Server

Other than these classic ways of uninstalling and permanently deleting a server or a client, you can also make use of other tools like uninstallers.

Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems have their own versions of these uninstallers, and you can utilize them to delete a Plex server from your account.

These uninstaller programs would do their jobs and uninstall the program.

But, to make sure that all data and information will be wiped, you have to delete even the cached app data that’s been stored on the device.

If you’re trying to delete a Plex server and start from scratch, you have to locate its root folder from your device, and then delete all of its contents from there! If necessary, you can also utilize an uninstaller tool respective to your operating system, too!

Read Next: Why is Plex Not Connecting to Content Server?

Bottom Line:

Contrary to what a lot of you might have believed in, the process of how to delete Plex server is not that complicated.

You just have to have basic knowledge of your operating system, and then you will be able to do it!

You don’t need the help of an expert or a professional; you can do it on your own, regardless of your technical proficiency!