Plex to Jellyfin migration: questions and answers
Everything you need to know before you switch.
Getting started
What do I need?
A Windows 10 or 11 PC, your Plex account, and a Jellyfin server that reads the same media files as Plex. The app talks to both servers over the network, so it does not have to run on the server itself.
Do I need administrator rights to install it?
No. The installer sets the app up for your Windows user only.
Does the app update itself?
Yes. When a new version is out, a banner offers to install it. You can choose Later. Every update is signed and checked before it is installed.
Do I have to set up Jellyfin libraries first?
No. If Jellyfin does not have them yet, the app can create and scan the Jellyfin libraries from your Plex ones.
What is migrated
What moves from Plex to Jellyfin?
Watched states, resume positions, your Plex playlists and your Watchlist (recreated as Jellyfin playlists, in the same order). It can do this for every Plex Home member and for the friends you share your server with, each into their own Jellyfin user.
What is not migrated?
The media files themselves (Jellyfin reads the same folders), the date an item was last played, which Jellyfin does not let apps set, and the Watchlist of a Plex friend, which Plex does not let the app read. The preview tells you when something is left out.
How does it know a movie in Plex is the same one in Jellyfin?
It only writes history to items it can prove are the same, by their metadata IDs or by the file both servers read. A match on title and year alone is shown as probable and never written. When Plex and Jellyfin identify the same file as two different movies, the preview lets you fix the Jellyfin identity.
Do my Plex friends need to give me a PIN or password?
No. Their watch history and playlists on your server are read with the access Plex already gives them to it. Protected Plex Home members need their PIN.
Safety
Does the app change anything in Plex?
No. It only reads your Plex server.
Can I undo a migration?
Yes. After a run, the result page can put watched states and resume positions back as they were before, and delete the playlists the app created. Anything you changed in Jellyfin since the migration is left alone. The undo information is kept until you close the app.
Can I run it more than once?
Yes. Each run starts with a new preview.
Licence and support
What is free and what needs a licence?
Connecting, scanning, matching, the full preview and creating Jellyfin libraries are free. Transferring watch history and playlists needs a licence.
How do I get a licence?
SwitchToJelly is in private beta and licences are currently issued to beta testers. Purchase will open here at launch.
I reinstalled Windows or changed PC. How do I get my licence back?
Paste the same licence key again. It is checked offline, on your PC.
Something went wrong. How do I report it?
Open Diagnostics in the app and choose Export diagnostics. It saves one text file with the app version, your system and the recent log, and nothing that identifies you, your servers or your media. Attach it when you report the problem.