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Install Plex Media Server on Debian/Ubuntu

Add Plex's official APT repository, install Plex Media Server, and claim a headless server to your account from the command line.

Distrosubuntu, debian
Shellbash
Updated
Script
bash
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Install Plex Media Server from the official APT repo on Debian/Ubuntu.
set -euo pipefail

# 1. Add Plex's signing key and repository
curl -fsSL https://downloads.plex.tv/plex-keys/PlexSign.key \
  | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/plex.gpg

echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/plex.gpg] https://downloads.plex.tv/repo/deb public main" \
  | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plexmediaserver.list

# 2. Install
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y plexmediaserver

# 3. Confirm it is running (listens on :32400)
sudo systemctl enable --now plexmediaserver
sudo systemctl status plexmediaserver --no-pager

echo
echo "Setup UI:  http://<this-server-ip>:32400/web"
echo "If headless, claim it with a token from https://plex.tv/claim :"
echo '  curl -X POST "http://127.0.0.1:32400/myplex/claim?token=claim-YOUR_TOKEN"'

What this does

Installs Plex Media Server from Plex’s official APT repository so it stays updated with apt upgrade — the right approach on a Debian or Ubuntu box, or inside a container. After this, Plex listens on port 32400 and you finish setup in the browser. Full walkthrough (libraries, bind-mounts, remote access) is in the Install Plex on a NAS or Proxmox LXC guide.

Prerequisites

  • Debian 11/12 or Ubuntu 20.04+ (bare metal, VM, or LXC)
  • curl and sudo
  • Read access to wherever your media lives (bind-mount it in for containers)

Claim a headless server

If you can’t open the web UI from the same network (a server on an isolated VLAN), claim it with a token instead. Get one from plex.tv/claim — it’s valid for four minutes — then:

bash

curl -X POST "http://127.0.0.1:32400/myplex/claim?token=claim-YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"

A claimed server appears automatically in every Plex app you sign into.

Notes

  • Updates: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade plexmediaserver. The official repo is the whole point — no manual package hunting.
  • On a NAS instead of Debian? Use the vendor’s app store package, or manual-install the .spk/.apk/.qpkg from plex.tv/media-server-downloads — the APT repo is Debian/Ubuntu only.
  • Permissions: Plex runs as the plex user. If a library shows empty, the media files are likely unreadable by that user — check ownership with ls -ln.
  • Hardware transcoding is a Plex Pass feature; see the Direct Play & transcoding guide before relying on it.
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