How to Name TV Shows and Movies in Plex

On Plex, you can watch movies and TV shows, stream 130 channels of live television, and listen to music. What’s more, you can name and organize all your TV shows and movies for easier access. You can do so on various devices – Windows, Apple, Android, PlayStation, Chromecast, and more.

In this article, we’ll show you how to name your TV shows and movies on Plex across various devices. We’ll also discuss the best naming conventions to use so that Plex can find your video files with no issues.

How to Name TV Shows & Movies in Plex on a Windows PC

Plex offers a wide selection of TV shows and movies that you can stream for free. Another useful feature a Plex account comes with is the ability to organize all your TV shows and movies by naming each video file. In fact, Plex strongly recommends you organize your media library to enhance your streaming experience.

The reason why it’s useful to know how to name your media on Plex is that sometimes you won’t be able to find your TV shows and movies. It could also happen that titles are formatted differently by default, so they won’t appear in your media library. Fortunately, there is a simple solution.

For starters, there should be separate folders for TV shows, movies, and music. In the process of uploading a TV show or a movie to your Plex Media Server, the best thing to do is to use a specific naming convention. This will help Plex categorize the media file properly.

To do this on a Windows PC, we’ll be renaming the video files before we upload them on Plex. Follow the steps below to name TV shows and movies in Plex on your Windows:

1. Create a folder on your Windows PC and name it “Movies” or “TV shows.”
   
2. Make a subfolder for a specific movie/TV show (e.g., “Game of Thrones”).
   
3. For TV shows, make a subfolder for each season (e.g., “Game of Thrones Season 01”).
   
4. Name episodes in this manner: “Game of Thrones s01e01”.
   
5. Open the Plex app on your Windows PC.
   
6. Next to “Device name,” click on the “+” button.
   
7. Click on the “Movies” icon or the “TV shows” icon.
   
8. Select the “Next” button.
   
9. Choose the “Browse for Media Folder” button.
   
10. Add the movie/TV show and go to “Add Library.”
    

When it comes to the name convention you should use, Plex suggests a specific format for TV shows and movies. The best way to name a movie is by using this format: “Title of the movie (year of release)”. So, for example, this is how you can name one movie “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)”.

For TV shows, it’s a bit more complicated, since you usually have multiple seasons and a lot of episodes. One of the best ways to name a specific episode is like this: “Name of TV show (year of release) s*e*”. So for the first season and episode of “Sherlock,” it would look like: “Sherlock (2010) s01e01”. This system is especially useful for different TV shows that have the same title.

How to Name TV Shows & Movies in Plex on a Mac

To do this on a Mac, we’ll be using the web app. We’ll show you how to rename video files that have already been uploaded. Follow the steps below to name TV shows and movies in Plex on your Mac:

1. Open the web app on your Mac.
2. Log into your account.
   
3. Go to the “Your Media” tab on the left sidebar.
   
4. Search for the TV show or movie that you want to name.
5. Hover over the thumbnail and click on the pencil icon in the bottom-left corner.
   
6. This will open the “Edit” window.
7. Go to the “General” tab and type in what you want it to be called under “Title.”
   
8. Click on the “Save Changes” button.
   

That’s all there is to it. Use the same name conventions we explained for the Windows PC method. When naming TV shows, it’s important to use the “0” before the season and episode. For example, instead of using this name – “New Girl (2011) s1e3” – you should use “New Girl (2011) s01e03”.

How to Name TV Shows & Movies in Plex on a Firestick

To change the name of a TV show or movie in Plex on a Firestick, the best way to do this is on the web app on your computer. This is what you need to do:

1. Go to the Plex web app.
   
2. Log into your account.
3. Proceed to “Your Media” on the left side of the screen.
   
4. Find the TV show/movie that you want to rename.
   
5. Click on the pen icon in the bottom-left corner of the poster.
   
6. Go to the “General” tab.
   
7. Under “Title,” type in the name of the movie/TV show.
   
8. Select “Save Changes.”
   

Now that you’ve changed the name of the movie/TV show, you can stream the video file on your Firestick. Follow the steps below to do so:

1. Open Firestick and go to the home screen.
   
2. Navigate to the “Search” section on the left sidebar.
   
3. Use your navigational pad to type in “Plex.”
   
4. Press “OK” on your navigational pad to open Plex.
   Note: You can also find Plex in the Apps section on your Firestick.
5. Sign in to your account.
6. Go to the “Your Media” folder on the menu.
7. Continue to the “Movies” or “TV Shows” folder.
   
8. Select the movie you want to watch.
9. Press “Play.”
   

How to Name TV Shows & Movies in Plex on a Roku

To even use Plex on a Roku, first you need to make an account and download it on your computer. You can download and name the video files on your computer before you connect your Plex account to your Roku since you can’t do this directly on your Roku. This is how it’s done:

1. Open the Plex web app on your computer.
   
2. Go to “Your Library” and proceed to the “Movies” or “TV shows” folders.
   
3. Find the video file that you want to rename.
4. Click on the pen icon on the poster.
   
5. In the “General” tab, go to “Title” and type in the required name convention.
   
6. Select the “Save Changes” button.
   

Now it’s time to watch the video file on your Roku. Since you’ve renamed the video file, it will be easier to find. This is what you need to do:

1. Turn on your Roku.
2. Go to “Streaming Channels” on the left menu.
   
3. Continue to “Search Channels.”
4. Locate “Plex” using arrow on your remote.
   
5. Select “Add channel.”
   
6. Sign into your Plex account.
7. Go to your computer and enter the code you will receive on your Roku.
   
8. Launch Plex on your Roku.
9. Go to the “Movies” or “TV shows” folder.
10. Find the video file that you want to stream.
11. Press “Play.”

That’s all there is to it. Now you can stream any TV show or movie you want.

Organize Your Media Library in Plex

Even though you can’t name TV shows and movies directly on your Firestick or your Roku, you can either name the video files before you upload them to your Plex Media Server, or do it directly on the web app. Not only is this process useful, but also necessary for Plex to locate your files and play them for you in a mere moment.

Have you ever changed the name of a TV show or movie in Plex? Did you use the same method explained in this guide, or did you try something new? Let us know in the comments.