Create your account with email, or sign in with Google / Facebook / Apple - whatever's easiest.
Tell me your Plex username or email so I can send you the invite.
heads up about social logins
Using Google/Apple to sign in is quick, but can make it awkward to share your account with family later. Email + password is more flexible. You can always change it later though.
step 2
Accept the Server Invite
Once I send you an invite, pick any one of these three ways to accept it:
Option A: Click the invite link
I might send you a direct link. It'll look like plex.tv/servers/shared_servers/accept?invite_token=... - click it and you're done.
Option B: Accept the email
Plex will email you from noreply@plex.tv. Open it, click "I accept the invitation".
Option C: Accept inside Plex
Go to app.plex.tv, click your account icon (top right), go to Home & Library Access, and hit the checkmark.
you're in!
Watch stuff at app.plex.tv in any browser, or grab the Plex app for your phone, tablet, smart TV, or streaming box.
step 3
Set Video Quality to Maximum
Plex defaults to 720p streaming. Yes, even if the file is 4K. It's dumb but fixable.
you gotta do this every time
Each new app or browser you use has its own quality settings. So every time you log in somewhere new, do this again.
Go to app.plex.tv and click the wrench icon (Settings) in the top right.
In the left sidebar under Plex Web, click Quality.
If there's an "Automatically adjust quality" checkbox, uncheck it.
Set Video Quality under Internet Streaming to Maximum.
Hit Save Changes.
buffering a lot?
Your internet might not handle max quality. Try lowering it one notch at a time until it plays smooth.
step 4
Pin Libraries to Your Sidebar
When you join someone's server, their stuff doesn't just appear in your sidebar. You gotta pin it.
Click More at the bottom of the left sidebar.
Hover over a library (Movies, TV Shows, etc.) and you'll see three dots on the right.
Click the dots, pick Pin.
Do this for everything you want quick access to.
While you're at it, unpin stuff you don't care about (Live TV, Podcasts, etc.).
Reorder them too
Want Movies at the top? TV Shows second?
Click the three dots next to any pinned library and pick Reorder.
Drag and drop them into the order you want.
step 5
Disable Online Media Sources
Plex throws in free stuff like live TV, podcasts, and web shows. If you just want content from my server without the clutter, turn it off.
Click the wrench icon (Settings) in the top right.
Click Online Media Sources in the sidebar.
For each source you want gone, click Edit.
Set it to Disabled and hit Save Changes.
ahhh, clean
No more random podcasts in your search results.
step 6
Unsubscribe from Plex Emails
Plex auto-subscribes you to their newsletter. Here's how to make it stop.
Click Settings (wrench icon, top right).
Click Account in the sidebar.
Scroll to Newsletter and click Edit.
Uncheck the box.
Click Save Changes. Done.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
bonus nerd stuff
Understanding Bitrate
This is optional reading but helps you understand why the quality setting matters so much.
Bitrate = how much data you download per second while streaming. Measured in Mbps. More data = better looking picture.
bitrate is not resolution
Resolution (1080p, 4K) = how many pixels. Bitrate = how much data fills those pixels. A 4K video with garbage bitrate can look worse than a solid 1080p encode.
The tradeoff
Higher bitrate = prettier video, but needs more bandwidth. Lower bitrate = more compression, less buffering.
What bad bitrate looks like
When video gets compressed too hard, you get compression artifacts. They're especially visible in dark scenes and fast action:
Color banding - smooth gradients turn into ugly steps
Blocky patches - the image breaks into visible squares
Noise / grain - extra fuzz that wasn't in the original
Blurry motion - fast movement turns to mush
This is why setting quality to maximum matters. It tells Plex to send you the real file instead of a compressed version of it.