Where Is the Emby Server Data Directory?
Emby Server programdata folder on Windows and /var/lib/emby on Linux with config, metadata and cache.
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Emby Server splits its install from its data. Binaries live in Program Files or the package tree while everything that matters, library databases, metadata, config and cache, sits in a separate programdata directory.
Back up programdata and you can rebuild the server anywhere. Media files themselves stay wherever you put them and are only referenced.
Where Emby Server stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Emby-Server\programdata
Holds config, data, metadata, cache and transcode-temp. Stop the server before copying the data folder so the SQLite databases are consistent.
/var/lib/emby
Same programdata role on package installs, with config under /etc/emby on some distros. Stop the emby-server service before backups.
Frequently asked questions
How do I move Emby Server to a new machine?
Install the same version, stop it, replace programdata with your backup, and start it again. Keep media paths identical or fix them in the library settings afterward.
Where does Emby put transcoding temp files?
In transcode-temp inside programdata. Point it at fast local storage in the server transcoding settings if the default disk is slow.
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