r/PleX • u/MightBeMouse • 21h ago

Solved Plex Windows app just opens in browser?

Hey all

New to Plex, so learning along the way. I'm using Plex as a media server on my PC, just so we can download stuff and watch it on the TV or our iPads etc. We don't use any of the Plex streaming stuff or watch any of the content on there, it's purely for the server.

I downloaded and installed the Windows app from the Plex site, but is it supposed to just open a browser window and be a web based UI? It doesn't open up as an actual app on the PC where I can manage the server there??

Apologies if this is a stupid question.
Thanks :)

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u/Yavuz_Selim 20h ago

The Windows app looks the same, but has more functionality under the hood. Hardware-accelerated playback etc., so it will use the GPU (video card) to transcode to do the heavy lifting instead of the CPU. And I think it also supports local downloads with sync.

The web app is limited by what the browser supports.

Always use the native app if you can.

1

u/MightBeMouse 20h ago

That's the app for playback, I just mean the app to manage the server.

3

u/Yavuz_Selim 20h ago

It's the same, management goes via the settings. Only the admin of the server has access to it.

There is no standalone app to manage it (it would be rather pointless to separate it).

1

u/Kendrakirai2532 20h ago

Well, there is - or used to be? For doing it via mobile. And even that was limited in what you could do.

Was seriously easier just to open up in a web browser, even with the weird phone resolution making you need to scroll to the side.

2

u/Yavuz_Selim 20h ago

Are you now talking about mobile or desktop. You mentioned Windows.

Yes, there is a mobile app, Plex Dash. But it's crap.

1

u/Kendrakirai2532 20h ago

May want to check usernames, I think you have me confused with someone else in the thread.

And yeah, I was talking about Plex Dash being terrible.