The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Plex can read posters, backgrounds, clear logos, and other artwork stored beside your media. The reliable workflow is: use the right folder and filename, enable local assets for the library’s agent, then refresh metadata. Current Plex Movie and Plex TV Series libraries use Use local assets; older libraries use the Local Media Assets agent source.
Before you begin
- Work on the computer or NAS running Plex Media Server, not just a playback client.
- Make sure the Plex service account can read the media and image files.
- Use
.jpg,.jpeg,.png, or.tbnfor movie and TV artwork. - Keep movies, TV shows, and music in separate library roots. Plex’s organization guidance is at its movie naming documentation.
- Prefer one folder per movie and keep artwork beside the relevant video.
/Media
/Movies
/Batman Begins (2005)
Batman Begins (2005).mkv
poster.jpg
fanart.jpg
clearlogo.pngCheck for hidden extensions: a file visibly named poster.jpg may actually be poster.jpg.jpg.
Custom artwork for movies
Enable local assets in the current Plex Movie agent
- Open Plex Web and open the movie library.
- Choose Manage Library or Edit, then open Advanced.
- Enable Use local assets and save.
- Refresh metadata for the affected movie after adding the files.
The wording and location can vary slightly between Plex Web releases. This is the modern workflow described by Plex at Local Media Assets: Movies.
Poster files
Inside a movie folder, Plex supports these poster basenames:
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutePC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11#1 Best Overall
- Entry-level NAS Personal Storage：UGREEN NAS DH2300 is your first and best NAS made easy. It is designed for beginners who want a simple, private way to store videos, photos and personal files, which is intuitive for users moving from cloud storage or external drives and move away from scattered date across devices. This entry-level NAS 2-bay perfect for personal entertainment, photo storage, and easy data backup (doesn't support Docker or virtual machines).
- Set Your Devices Free, Expand Your Digital World: This unified storage hub supports massive capacity up to 64TB.*Storage drives not included. Stop Deleting, Start Storing. You can store 22 million 3MB images, or 2 million 30MB songs, or 43K 1.5GB movies or 67 million 1MB documents! UGREEN NAS is a better way to free up storage across all your devices such as phones, computers, tablets and also does automatic backups across devices regardless of the operating system—Window, iOS, Android or macOS.
- The Smarter Long-term Way to Store: Unlike cloud storage with recurring monthly fees, a UGREEN NAS enclosure requires only a one-time purchase for long-term use. For example, you only need to pay $459.98 for a NAS, while for cloud storage, you need to pay $719.88 per year, $2,159.64 for 3 years, $3,599.40 for 5 years. You will save $6,738.82 over 10 years with UGREEN NAS! *NAS cost based on DH2300 + 12TB HDD; cloud cost based on 12TB plan (e.g. $59.99/month).
- Blazing Speed, Minimal Power: Equipped with a high-performance processor, 1GbE port, and 4GB RAM on Board, this NAS handles multiple tasks with ease. File transfers reach up to 125MB/s—a 1GB file takes only 8 seconds. Don't let slow clouds hold you back; they often need over 100 seconds for the same task. The difference is clear.
- Let AI Better Organize Your Memories: UGREEN NAS uses AI to tag faces, locations, texts, and objects—so you can effortlessly find any photo by searching for who or what's in it in seconds. It also automatically finds and deletes similar or duplicate photo, backs up live photos and allows you to share them with your friends or family with just one tap. Everything stays effortlessly organized, powered by intelligent tagging and recognition.
| Artwork | Examples |
|---|---|
| Poster | poster.jpg, cover.jpg, default.jpg, folder.jpg, movie.jpg |
| Alternate poster | poster-2.png, cover-3.jpg |
Movies/
└── Avatar (2009)/
├── Avatar (2009).mkv
└── poster.jpgIf the movie is not in its own folder, Plex also documents an adjacent filename such as Avatar (2009)-poster.jpg. Posters are normally portrait-shaped, roughly 1:1.5, but Plex does not impose a resolution rule in this documentation.
Backgrounds, clear logos, and square artwork
| Purpose | Supported examples | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Background or fanart | art.jpg, backdrop.jpg, background.jpg, fanart.jpg |
Wide artwork is usually most suitable. |
| Alternate background | fanart-2.jpg |
Use numbered suffixes for additional choices. |
| Clear logo | clearlogo.png, logo.png |
PNG is preferable when transparency matters. |
| Square artwork | square.jpg, squareArt.jpg, backgroundSquare.jpg |
Primarily relevant to movie detail screens in Plex’s iOS and Android apps. |
For example:
Movies/
└── Avatar (2009)/
├── Avatar (2009).mkv
├── fanart.jpg
├── clearlogo.png
└── backgroundSquare.jpgClients do not necessarily display every artwork type in the same location. The complete movie naming rules are maintained in Plex’s movie local-assets guide.
Choose among multiple local images
Add numbered files such as poster.jpg, poster-2.jpg, and poster-3.jpg, or fanart.jpg and fanart-2.jpg. After refreshing metadata, Plex Web can present the local alternatives in its artwork selector.
Custom artwork for TV shows
Use a show folder, then separate season folders:
TV Shows/
└── Heroes (2006)/
├── show.jpg
├── Season 01/
│ ├── poster.jpg
│ └── Heroes (2006) - s01e01 - Genesis.mp4
└── Season 02/show.jpg, poster.jpg, and folder.jpg are common show-level choices documented by Plex. Season artwork belongs inside the corresponding season directory and must use the TV agent’s supported season names; consult the current TV local-assets naming table before standardizing a large collection. That page also lists the TV-specific background and series/season conventions, which are not interchangeable with every movie basename.
Rank #2
- NextGen TV certified - watch live TV on multiple devices simultaneously throughout your home with our Multi room Multi user network tuner solution
- Full whole-home DVR by connecting a USB hard drive - no subscription required (paid TV guide available for advanced auto-record features)
- ATSC 1.0 content is compatible with Android, FireTV, AppleTV, Roku, Sony, XBox, iPhone, iPad, Win10/11, Mac
- ATSC 3.0 DRM-free content is compatible with Android, FireTV, AppleTV, Roku Ultra 4800X and newer, iPhone, iPad, Win 10/11, Mac. Not compatible with DRM protected channels
- 4 tuners (2 ATSC 3.0, all 4 ATSC 1.0)
Enable local assets for the current TV agent
- Edit the TV library in Plex Web.
- Open its advanced settings.
- Turn on Use local assets and save.
- Refresh metadata for the show or library.
Current versus legacy Plex libraries
Do not use the old Agents instructions unless the library actually uses a legacy agent. For a legacy library:
- Open Settings in Plex Web.
- Select the Plex Media Server in the sidebar, then choose Agents.
- Select the relevant library type and agent.
- Enable Local Media Assets and move it to the top of the source list.
- Save and refresh the item’s metadata.
Source priority matters: a correctly named local file can still be ignored when the legacy source is disabled or below another provider. Plex explains agent behavior at Agents and documents upgrading older movie libraries at the Plex Movie agent upgrade guide.
Personal movies and home videos
Use a dedicated Personal Media or Home Videos library rather than mixing family recordings with commercial movies. Personal libraries do not rely on the same online title matching, so custom local posters are often the most predictable option. Personal Media Movies can use arbitrary display filenames, and supported embedded metadata can be used when local assets are enabled and ordered correctly.
Music artwork and music videos
Music uses different artist and album rules from movie and TV libraries. Store local artist or album artwork with the corresponding music directories and use the Plex Music agent/scanner combination described in Plex’s documentation. See Plex’s local music-assets guidance.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteRank #3
- Server-Class Home Server Built for 24/7 Workloads - Designed as a purpose-built home server rather than general-purpose SBCs, Mini PCs, entry NAS systems, or routing-only devices. As a compact, pocket-sized single board server platform, ZimaBoard 2 832 combines x86 architecture, quad-core performance up to 3.6GHz, 8GB DDR5 memory, and 32GB eMMC storage for reliable always-on home servers, homelabs, and self-hosted workloads.
- PCIe 3.0 x4 Expansion for Real Server Builds - Built as a server-class platform with native PCIe expansion, ZimaBoard 2 features a full PCIe 3.0 x4 slot for high-speed, low-latency upgrades beyond USB-based limitations. Supports 10GbE NICs, NVMe adapters, GPUs, and AI accelerators to build scalable home servers, homelabs, and advanced self-hosted systems—offering greater expansion flexibility than typical SBCs, Mini PCs, and entry-level NAS devices.
- Native Dual SATA & Dual 2.5GbE Networking - Built with server-class storage and networking I/O, ZimaBoard 2 integrates dual SATA ports for direct HDD/SSD connectivity and dual 2.5GbE Ethernet for high-throughput, low-latency networking. This architecture enables reliable DIY NAS, fast storage, routing, and multi-service home server deployments—while avoiding USB-based performance constraints common in ARM SBCs, Raspberry Pi–based setups, Mini PCs, and entry-level NAS devices.
- ZimaOS Preinstalled + Wide OS Compatibility - Comes preinstalled with ZimaOS for a clean, ad-free private cloud experience—centralized file dashboard, automatic backups, P2P downloads, private photo/video sharing, 500+ plug-ins, and secure on-device AI that keeps your data at home. Also supports TrueNAS, Proxmox, Debian, Ubuntu Server, pfSense, OpenWrt, and Linux containers, making it perfect for Plex media servers, Pi-hole, firewalls, backups, Docker labs, home-cloud services, and multi-service deployments.
- All-in-One NAS, Router, Docker & Homelab Server - Replace multiple devices with one low-power, fanless system. ZimaBoard 2 can serve as a NAS, router, Docker host, firewall, media server, or homelab node—delivering a flexible, open alternative to ARM SBCs, Mini PCs, and entry-level NAS systems.
For music videos, place videos beside the music or in a global music-video folder. Refresh the relevant artist after adding them. To associate a video with a track, match the video filename to the track name, as described in Adding Local Artist and Music Videos.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Advanced option: NFO metadata
If you need to control titles, plots, dates, ratings, and other fields as well as artwork, Plex supports NFO metadata with Plex Media Server 1.43.1 or newer. Ordinary image files are simpler for artwork-only changes. Plex says local images are preferred when supplied, but NFO setups can involve custom agents and provider ordering. Read Using NFO Metadata Files with Plex before adopting this workflow.
Scan files, refresh metadata, and verify
- Confirm the image is in the correct media folder with an accepted basename and extension.
- Ensure local assets are enabled for the library’s current agent, or that legacy Local Media Assets is first.
- Run Scan Library Files if Plex has not detected the new file.
- Open the movie or show and choose Refresh Metadata.
- Reopen the item in Plex Web and use the artwork selector if multiple choices exist.
- Check other clients separately; force-close and reopen a client if it is displaying cached artwork.
A scan detects files; a metadata refresh reprocesses the item’s metadata and artwork. The controls can be named slightly differently in different Plex Web releases.
Troubleshooting checklist
Plex ignores the image
- Check the exact basename, extension, and folder location.
- Confirm the movie or show matched the intended title.
- Check for hidden duplicate extensions such as
.jpg.jpg. - Verify that the Plex service account can read the file.
- Confirm whether the library uses Use local assets or the legacy agent path.
- Scan, then refresh metadata again.
It appears in Plex Web but not on a television or phone
Clients differ in which backgrounds, clear logos, and square images they display, and some cache artwork. Test in Plex Web first, then restart the client. A missing display on one client does not prove that Plex failed to import the file.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Rank #4
- Stream thousands of FREE movies and TV shows from filmmakers around the world with big hits from Crackle, Warner Brothers, MGM, Lionsgate and more! Enjoy everything from Oscar award-winning movies to anime, documentaries, family-friendly shows, and much, much more.
- Watch 600+ channels of free live programming—instantly. From food to news to sports to kids to international content, there's something for the whole family.
- Magically organize all your personal media—photos, music, movies, shows, even DVR-ed TV—and stream it to any device in a beautiful, simple interface; Plex adds rich descriptions, artwork, and other related information.
- 30-second skip, variable speed playback, rich discovery, and full Plex-style support for cross-device playback status (including On Deck, so you can pick back up where you left off on any device).
The image reverts after a refresh
Local assets may be disabled, the legacy source may not be first, the basename may be unsupported, or the item may have been rematched. A manual artwork choice in Plex is separate from a durable filesystem override; keep the correctly named local file if the choice must survive future metadata refreshes.
Multiple posters are missing
Use a numeric suffix on a supported basename, keep every file in the correct folder, refresh metadata after copying them, and check the choices in Plex Web.
Movie artwork quick reference
| Artwork | Example filename |
|---|---|
| Movie poster | poster.jpg |
| Alternate poster | poster-2.jpg |
| Movie background | fanart.jpg |
| Alternate background | fanart-2.jpg |
| Clear logo | clearlogo.png |
| Alternate clear logo | clearlogo-1.png |
| Square artwork | backgroundSquare.jpg |
| TV show poster | show.jpg |
This table is movie-focused except for the final show example; use Plex’s TV-specific naming table for season and TV background files.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
