How to Install Plex on a Synology NAS with DSM 7

Posted on by Rob Andrews

A Guide to Installing Plex Media Server on your Synology NAS with the DSM 7


If you have been looking at buying a NAS drive for Plex to use as your own private Netflix, then there is a very good chance that you have heard the name ‘Synology’. They are the brand that produces some of the most user-friendly, yet powerfully efficient (yes, that is a thing!) servers in the market in 2022 and are often a highly recommended choice for setting up a slick, polished media streaming solution that uses YOUR movies/boxsets. Last year, Synology updated its system software and services platform, Diskstation Manager, from version 6.2 to 7.0 and improved a number of the system’s abilities and processes. However, the process for installing Plex media server on your Synology NAS changed, with DSM changing access privileges and defaults for 3rd party programs in order to ensure their solutions were as secure as possible. If you are running a Synology NAS drive with DSM 6.2 and are wondering how to install Plex Media Server, it is still remarkably straight forward and a full video walkthrough guide on this can be found HERE. However, those of you who have the most recent DSM7 upgrade (with DSM 7.01 and 7.1 already rolling out over 2022 gradually) will have found that the process for installing Plex has changed noticeably. So, today I wanted to walk you through, step by step, how to install Plex on a DSM 7 Synology NAS from beginning to end and ensure you get it right, first time. Alternatively, there is a video at the bottom of the page that will walk you through even quicker. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this guide.

Plex Installation Guide on the DSM 7.0


Installing Plex on a NAS with DSM 7.0 is actually VERY similar to that of installing it on a DSM 6.2 Synology NAS, however, there are a few small changes in the process which allow Plex Media Server to access the correct directories. Previously these steps might be needed by most people but were not directed by the application especially clearly, so having these steps integrated into the formal setup is actually quite a smart idea by Synology. Let’s begin:


Step 1 – Head To The App Center



Step 2 – Go to the Beta Section


Step 3 – Find Plex Media Server and select Join Beta


Step 4 – Install Beta Application (speed depends on Internet Connection)



Step 5 – Select the location of where the Log Files will be installed – Can be left blank and it will save to the default directory



Step 6 – (This is the NEW bit) Give the Plex Media Server Application Permission to access the media directories. Head to the Control Panel



Step 7 – Then ‘Shared Folders’



Step 8 – Select the Folder where your Media is located in. In my case it is DS220PLUSSHARE – But it will be different on your own NAS device and based on your own storage setup



Step 9 – Select EDIT (at the top)



Step 10 – Then select the Permissions Tab



Step 11 – If Plex has created a local User (likely in DSM 6.2 . DSM 6 7.0 migration setups), make sure that the PLEX user account still has Read and/or Read/Write Access in the tick box list



Step 12 – Then (IMPORTANT) Select the drop-down menu at the top and switch to ‘System Internal’



Step 13 – Scroll down to the ‘Plex’ entry and give it Read and Write Access, then save the changes



Step 14 – Head back into the App Center window and click OK on the Plex Media App install setup window



Step 15 – The Plex Media APP should be installed and you can go ahead and click OPEN in the App Center window OR open it from the main Synology App dashboard



Step 16 – As this is a reinstallation of Plex Media Server on a NAS system as far as the Plex NAS app is concerned, the system may require PLEX to ‘claim’ the NAS once again, just head into the individual Server Settings and an option to CLAIM the server will appear in orange



Step 17 – Whether this is your first Plex Installation OR a DSM migration, you will likely need to establish the pathways for each multimedia file type.



Step 18 – Just head upto the ADD LIBRARY option and a popup will appear that allows you to select each Media Type



Step 19 – Then browse the directories (that you gave the Plex Media Application permission to access) and add the media that is appropriate



Step 20 – Now the Plex Media Server Application will scrape all the metadata from the site librarys (rotten tomatoes, IMDB, etc) and fill out all the slick PLEX GUI for your connected clients to enjoy.



And there you have it. Plex is now installed on your DSM 7 equipped NAS System. Here is a video that will guide you through the process if you prefer visuals over text!



Want to learn more about DSM 7.1 and what Synology plan for 2022? Watch my article below that covers the highlights:



 


If you are looking for the driver fix for the Synology NAS and Plex installation with J4025 and J4125 processors, you can find the video walkthrough and step by step guide below:

 

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    66 thoughts on “How to Install Plex on a Synology NAS with DSM 7”

    2. I plan on getting a NAS in the near future to migrate from the WD My Cloud Home device I currently utilize . I feel by following this video, I will be successful in getting my current Plex account successfully working on the new NAS. Thank you!!!
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    8. Im having a problem With permissions showing up for plex. There is no new user for plex so I cannot add permissions to it and it causes my plex server to not be able to read the files. Do you know how I can resolve this?
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    9. I´ve just set up my new Synology DS 920+ NAS and wanted to install also Plex on my NAS. For some reason, there will not be created a Plex user, so I can´t give the necessary acces for Plex to see my media. Does somebody know why?
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    10. I got the “No soup for you!” when I open plex ????

      I feel that the path for the Plex app might be wrong.
      I wrote: “/volume2/plex_amp”

      I followed all the permissions + system internal user permissions

      volume1 is for time machine
      volume2 is for my apps
      volume3 is for all data like music & videos
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    11. How best to setup up tv show folders? Is it okay to use, for example, SHOW TITLE, as the containing folder, then inside that folder, put SEASON1, then inside that folder, list the video files as EPISODE 1, Episode 2, Episode X, with or without titles since PLEX will ferret out that info from the net?
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    14. Plex does not like to look too deeply through layers of folders, so create your file system in advance and make sure all your files are named in a way that Plex can read. It’s pretty clever but when it gets it wong, ot gets it completely wrong
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    23. Is there any reason to not place media files in a sub-directory under the Plex directory? Then there would not be a need to go back and grant access to the media directory since security rights would have already been granted at the Plex directory level, I would like to know the answer to this before I set up my new DS920+ arriving tomorrow. Thank you!
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    24. Ya this video is confusing. You created a new shared folder called “Plex” in the beginning of the video. But then said a new folder will automatically be created also called “Plex” later in the video. Very confused on all of this. Nothing is working for me at all
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    27. A little late to watch. I simply cannot watch you as fast as you make em. On my dsm7, the package center doesn’t have Beta packages. Where is the source? Under synology will plex be able to play DTS content? Thank You with warm regards.
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    28. Does Synology or any HDD mfg releasing any notes on high capacity storage compatibility list yet. A friend had encountered issue with WD 18tb ultra 550 drive which is not working with error health info not available though it shows the available space to be initialized. Based on forum Intel based DS series seems be working with 18tb from both brands of Seagate and WD but none claim on non intel realtek chipset. Even support neither saying incompatible but keep insisting to check the drive by connecting to pc for health info.
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    33. Nas how long until you have your temp tested PNY XLR8? Iam looking forward to that video see the results, don’t get me wrong iam well happy with the Sabrent but that PNY looks good and I can’t help myself if it looks good and works really good I gotta have it, anyway looking forward to that video ????????
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    34. Hey, new sub here as I’m in the market for my first NAS and pretty much decided on the Qnap 453 (thanks to your videos) but when I put it into my cart Amazon “suggested” I look at the 473. This product is about $300 more but with that money you get the Ryzen and the max memory is substantially more, so I’m wondering why in all of your comparison videos you don’t compare these two? You typically only compare models that are the same price. But you’re missing out on a key part of your audience who (like me) don’t mind spending a little more as long as you explain the benefit of it; so many people choose a budget that tops out at $1k so maybe you could explain the advantages of spending just a little more money to step up to the much more expandable 473?
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    43. Somehow it just skips the first screen and i am not able to set up the media server.. tried it multiple times over the past few weeks.. just cant get in to it and with my pc its no problem. It is enabled in the firewall
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    44. I have Plex running on a WD My Cloud Mirror and just a DS920+ with DSM 7 in the packages Plex is listed under the Beta Packages.. I downloaded the newer version on the PLEX site however it was acting really weird (as in having a double image on top of one another the menu’s and media images) uninstalled PLEX and now going to the Beta version in the Package center. Set up is different than you have on the Video think a lot has been updated in the last two years. hopefully, the beta version works once it downloads to the control panel.
      Anyone have any suggestions on transferring my files(midea) from the WD mycloud mirror to the Synology DS920+ Thank you for the tour
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    46. Tried to follow your setup video but seem to have gone off course somehow. slight change inthe software since you published your vid but my problem is when i try to create my library. Created ‘Volume1’ ok, Created shared folder ‘Plex’ ok, Created subfolders for Movies, Music, TV Shows etc. When i try to creat my library, I select ‘Movies’, ‘Add Folders’, ‘Browse for media folders’. Volume 1 is visible, Select it and ‘plex’ is visible, Select ‘plex’ and it takes me back to volume 1. the subfolders i created do not appear.
      Any idea what i am doing wrong?
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    47. Just purchased DS220+ and now researching on what HDDs to get. Looking between Seagate Ironwolf Pro 4TB or Toshiba N300 or X300. I know N300 is specifically for NAS but many reviews say it’s very noisy. X300 isn’t NAS specific drive BUT at our work they use them in DS220J, that’s used for weekly backups. I’m really confused as to which ones to get. Cost is also a factor I guess. Any help please
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    53. Thank you so much, it is a very helpful video, i am following your instructions, but unfortunately at 28:00 I got stuck. In Synology assistant there is no “MAP DRIVE” option to chose. I have a MacBook Air, how can i get over this point? Thank you in advance 🙂
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    56. Thank you so much for this video. I don’t have a Synology nas but really wish I did. I have a Netgear nr 212. It’s not as intuitive as a Synology. My Netgear leaves a great deal of unanswered questions on Plex setup. I’ve been battling with this for 5 years and Plex is still not working smoothly, so I watch your videos and try to use any information you offer that I might apply to my situation. I so wish you would put together a “how to” for Netgear users. All the “how to” videos for Plex installs are mainly for Synology or some other nas brand, but never have I seen one for Netgear. Thanks again for your help and insight.
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    62. Amazing tutorial, very helpful, gonna be saving up for that setup and then maybe 4x4TB HDD’s it will be a huge upgrade from the setup i have now, im running plex on my Raspberry Pi 4 with a 5TB external drive xD its so bad so once i have saved up i will 100% get a NAS, looks really nice to have for home media and mass file storage
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