Sep 25, 2025
by WSC Team
The Complete Guide to Plex File Naming Conventions
Movies, TV Shows, Music & Extras — everything you need to correctly
identify, organise, and display your media collection in Plex.
Proper file naming is crucial for Plex to correctly match, organise,
and display rich metadata for your entire library.
01 — Movies
Basic Movie Naming |
Required |
The simplest and most important convention — always include the release
year in parentheses so Plex can match the correct title.
Format
MovieName (Release Year).extExamples
The Matrix (1999).mkv
Pulp Fiction (1994).mp4
Blade Runner (1982).mkv
Multiple Versions of the Same Movie |
Optional |
Store different quality or format versions in the same folder using
an arbitrary text suffix after a hyphen.
Format
MovieName (Release Year) - ArbitraryText.extExamples
/Movies/
/The Matrix (1999)/
The Matrix (1999) - 1080p.mkv
The Matrix (1999) - 4K HDR.mkv
The Matrix (1999) - Mobile.mp4
✂️ Movie Editions |
Director’s Cut / Extended |
Use the {edition-Name} tag for different
cuts or releases of the same film.
Format
MovieName (Release Year) {edition-EditionName}.extExamples
/Movies/
/Blade Runner (1982)/
Blade Runner (1982).mp4 # Theatrical
Blade Runner (1982) {edition-Director's Cut}.mkv
Blade Runner (1982) {edition-Final Cut}.mkv
/Lord of the Rings- The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)/
Lord of the Rings- The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).mkv
Lord of the Rings- The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) {edition-Extended}.mkv
Combining Editions & Versions |
Advanced |
Combine edition tags and version suffixes to store multiple quality
versions of each edition.
Examples
/Movies/
/Blade Runner (1982)/
Blade Runner (1982).mp4 # Theatrical
Blade Runner (1982) {edition-Director's Cut} - 1080p.mkv
Blade Runner (1982) {edition-Director's Cut} - 4K.mkv
Blade Runner (1982) {edition-Final Cut} - 1080p.mkv
Blade Runner (1982) {edition-Final Cut} - 4K HDR.mkv
️ Movie Extras |
Subdirectories |
Create named subdirectories inside the movie folder for each type
of extra content.
Structure
/Movies/
/The Dark Knight (2008)/
The Dark Knight (2008).mkv
/Behind The Scenes/
Making of The Dark Knight.mkv
/Deleted Scenes/
Deleted Scene 1.mkv
/Featurettes/
Heath Ledger as Joker.mkv
/Trailers/
Theatrical Trailer.mkvValid Extra Directory Names
| ● | Behind The Scenes |
| ● | Deleted Scenes |
| ● | Featurettes |
| ● | Interviews |
| ● | Scenes |
| ● | Shorts |
| ● | Trailers |
| ● | Other |
⚠️ Common Movie Naming Mistakes |
Avoid These |
| ✗ | The.Matrix.1999.1080p.BluRay.x264-GROUP.mkv |
| ✓ | The Matrix (1999).mkv |
|
|
|
| ✗ | Blade Runner Directors Cut.mkv |
| ✓ | Blade Runner (1982) {edition-Director's Cut}.mkv |
02 — TV Shows
Basic TV Show Structure |
Required |
TV shows require a three-level folder structure with season folders
and a specific episode naming pattern.
Format
TV Show Name (Year)/Season XX/TV Show Name - SXXEXX - Episode Name.extExamples
/TV Shows/
/Game of Thrones (2011)/
/Season 01/
Game of Thrones - S01E01 - Winter is Coming.mkv
Game of Thrones - S01E02 - The Kingsroad.mkv
/Season 02/
Game of Thrones - S02E01 - The North Remembers.mkv
TV Show & Season Extras |
Subdirectories |
Place extras in named subdirectories within the show folder
(show-level) or season folder (season-level).
Structure
/TV Shows/
/Game of Thrones (2011)/
/Trailers/
Season 1 Trailer.mkv
/Interviews/
Cast Interview.mkv
/Season 01/
Game of Thrones - S01E01 - Winter is Coming.mkv
/Behind The Scenes/
Making of Season 1.mkv
/Deleted Scenes/
Season 1 Deleted Scenes.mkv
Episode-Level Extras |
Inline Suffixes |
Add extras inline with episodes using specific hyphen suffixes
appended directly to the episode filename.
Format
TV Show - SXXEXX - Episode Name-ExtraType.extValid Extra Type Suffixes
| ● | -behindthescenes |
| ● | -deleted |
| ● | -featurette |
| ● | -interview |
| ● | -scene |
| ● | -short |
| ● | -trailer |
| ● | -other |
Examples
/Season 01/
Game of Thrones - S01E01 - Winter is Coming.mkv
Game of Thrones - S01E01 - Winter is Coming-deleted.mkv
Game of Thrones - S01E01 - Winter is Coming-featurette.mkv
Game of Thrones - S01E01 - Winter is Coming-deleted1.mkv
Game of Thrones - S01E01 - Winter is Coming-deleted2.mkv
⭐ Special Episodes |
Season 00 |
Specials, holiday episodes, and one-offs go in a
Season 00 folder.
Examples
/TV Shows/
/Doctor Who (2005)/
/Season 00/
Doctor Who - S00E01 - The Christmas Invasion.mkv
Doctor Who - S00E02 - The Runaway Bride.mkv
⚠️ Common TV Naming Mistakes |
Avoid These |
| ✗ | Game.of.Thrones.S01E01.720p.HDTV.x264-CTU.mkv |
| ✓ | Game of Thrones - S01E01 - Winter is Coming.mkv |
|
|
|
| ✗ | Breaking Bad Season 1 Episode 1.mkv |
| ✓ | Breaking Bad - S01E01 - Pilot.mkv |
03 — Music
Basic Music Structure |
Required |
Format
Artist Name/Album Name (Year)/Track Number - Song Title.extExamples
/Music/
/The Beatles/
/Abbey Road (1969)/
01 - Come Together.flac
02 - Something.flac
03 - Maxwell's Silver Hammer.flac
/Pink Floyd/
/The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)/
01 - Speak to Me.flac
02 - Breathe (In the Air).flac
Multi-Disc Albums |
Disc Folders |
Format
Artist Name/Album Name (Year)/Disc X/Track Number - Song Title.extExamples
/Music/
/The Beatles/
/The Beatles (White Album) (1968)/
/Disc 1/
01 - Back in the U.S.S.R..flac
02 - Dear Prudence.flac
/Disc 2/
01 - Birthday.flac
02 - Yer Blues.flac
Various Artists Albums |
Compilations |
Format
Various Artists/Album Name (Year)/Track Number - Artist - Song Title.extExamples
/Music/
/Various Artists/
/Pulp Fiction Soundtrack (1994)/
01 - Dick Dale - Misirlou.flac
02 - Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie.flac
Music Videos |
Separate Library |
Treat music videos like movies or create a dedicated Music Videos library.
Examples
/Music Videos/
/Michael Jackson/
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983).mkv
Michael Jackson - Beat It (1983).mkv
Quick Reference
Naming Formats at a Glance |
Reference |
| Content Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Movie | Movie (Year).ext |
Inception (2010).mkv |
| Movie Versions | Movie (Year) - Version.ext |
Inception (2010) - 4K.mkv |
| Movie Editions | Movie (Year) {edition-Name}.ext |
Alien (1979) {edition-Director's Cut}.mkv |
| TV Episode | Show - SXXEXX - Title.ext |
Breaking Bad - S01E01 - Pilot.mkv |
| Episode Extra | Show - SXXEXX - Title-type.ext |
Breaking Bad - S01E01 - Pilot-deleted.mkv |
| Music Track | ## - Title.ext |
01 - Bohemian Rhapsody.flac |
Supported File Extensions |
Formats |
Video:.mkv.mp4.avi.mov.m4v
|
|
Audio:.flac.mp3.m4a.aac.ogg
|
|
Subtitles:.srt.ass.ssa.vtt
|
04 — Advanced Scenarios
Anime Series |
Special Case |
Anime can be tricky due to different numbering systems. Use standard
TV show naming for best results.
/TV Shows/
/Attack on Titan (2013)/
/Season 01/
Attack on Titan - S01E01 - To You, in 2000 Years.mkv
Attack on Titan - S01E02 - That Day.mkv
Concert Films & Stand-up Specials |
Movie Format |
Treat as movies.
/Movies/
/Dave Chappelle- Sticks & Stones (2019)/
Dave Chappelle- Sticks & Stones (2019).mkv
Mini-Series |
Two Options |
Can be organised as either TV shows (recommended) or a movie collection.
As TV Show (Recommended)
/TV Shows/
/Band of Brothers (2001)/
/Season 01/
Band of Brothers - S01E01 - Currahee.mkv
Band of Brothers - S01E02 - Day of Days.mkvAs Movie Collection (Alternative)
/Movies/
/Band of Brothers Collection/
Band of Brothers- Part 1- Currahee (2001).mkv
Band of Brothers- Part 2- Day of Days (2001).mkv
Platform-Specific Considerations |
OS Notes |
Windows
| ● | Enable “Show file extensions” in File Explorer |
| ● | Backslashes (\) work in addition to forward slashes |
| ● | Avoid reserved names: CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1–9, LPT1–9 |
macOS / Linux
| ● | Be mindful of case sensitivity |
| ● | Avoid starting filenames with dots (.) |
| ● | Use UTF-8 encoding for special characters |
Network Storage (NAS)
| ● | Ensure proper permissions are set |
| ● | Some NAS systems have filename length limits |
| ● | Consider SMB/CIFS vs NFS performance |
05 — Troubleshooting
❓ Plex Not Recognising Files |
Fix |
| ● | Check file naming follows exact conventions |
| ● | Ensure files are in correct directory structure |
| ● | Verify file extensions are supported |
| ● | Run “Scan Library Files” in Plex |
| ● | Try “Refresh Metadata” on specific items |
️ Extras Not Showing Up |
Fix |
| ● | Verify client supports extras (mobile apps have best support) |
| ● | Check extra naming includes required hyphens |
| ● | Ensure no spaces in extra type names |
| ● | Refresh metadata after adding extras |
Multiple Versions Not Collapsing |
Fix |
| ● | Ensure all versions are in the same folder |
| ● | Check naming follows exact format |
| ● | Verify release year matches exactly |
| ● | Try refreshing metadata |
06 — Automation Tools
Recommended Tools for File Management |
Tools |
| ● | Sonarr — Automatic TV show downloading and renaming |
| ● | Radarr — Automatic movie downloading and renaming |
| ● | Lidarr — Automatic music downloading and organisation |
| ● | FileBot — Manual batch renaming tool |
| ● | Bulk Rename Utility — Windows batch renaming |
| ● | Name Mangler — macOS batch renaming |
Regex Patterns for Batch Renaming |
Regex |
Remove quality tags
Find: \.(720p|1080p|2160p|4K).*
Replace: (leave empty)Remove group tags
Find: -[A-Z0-9]+$
Replace: (leave empty)
07 — Maintenance & Best Practices
️ Regular Maintenance Schedule |
Schedule |
| ● | Weekly: Check for new content recognition issues |
| ● | Monthly: Review and clean up duplicate entries |
| ● | Quarterly: Audit file naming consistency |
| ● | Annually: Review and update directory structure |
⚡ Performance Tips |
Optimise |
| ● | Use SSD storage for Plex database |
| ● | Organise files on fast storage when possible |
| ● | Avoid deeply nested folder structures |
| ● | Keep filename lengths reasonable (<255 characters) |
Conclusion
✅ Key Takeaways |
Summary |
Proper file naming is the foundation of a well-organised Plex media
server. Following these conventions will save you countless hours of
troubleshooting and ensure your library looks professional.
| ● | Consistency is crucial — pick a naming scheme and stick to it |
| ● | Separate media types into different libraries |
| ● | Use exact naming formats shown for best results |
| ● | Always refresh metadata after making changes |
| ● | Test with a few files before bulk renaming your entire collection |
|
✓ Free Guide Plex |
Visit WSC → |
Additional Resources |
Official Docs |
Need Help With Your Media Setup?
WSC | We Simplify Complexity builds custom software solutions. |
Contact Us → |
Last updated: Sep 25, 2025 — This guide reflects current Plex naming conventions and may be updated as Plex evolves.
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