Leaving Plex: how to move your library and watch history

What keeps most people on a media server they've outgrown isn't the software. It's the years of watch history and the carefully organized library they don't want to rebuild. Moving from Plex to tofa is built around keeping both.

Step one: install the server

tofa is one self-contained download for Linux, Windows, or macOS. The database and transcoder are bundled, so there's nothing else to install and nothing to wire together before it runs.

Step two: point it at your existing library

You don't move your files. Point tofa at the folders you already have and it indexes them where they sit. Your naming, folder structure, and drives all stay put. Media on a network share works the same way.

Step three: bring your history across

The import wizard reads your watch state from Plex, carries it over, and keeps it in sync while you move. So you can run both servers at once during the switch: import later activity from Plex as you evaluate Tofa. Optional Plex watched-state write-back is a separate setting; do not assume every resume position synchronizes both ways.

• Your library indexes in place. No moving or renaming files.
• Watch history and progress come across, and keep syncing during the move.
• Run both servers side by side until you're ready to retire the old one.

Read the import guide (public beta docs)

What you get on the other side

Once you're over, you get official apps for Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, Android TV, and the web, all built around your own server. Remote streaming is included. Owner tools tell you when your server goes down and show who's struggling to play something and why. And data-sharing features stay opt-in, so nothing gets turned on without you asking.

Tofa is free to use, with an optional Supporter tier for extra features. If you've been meaning to switch but dreaded losing your history, this is the part we built first.