WatchMyMedia

Set up your server

Create your account, add your movie and TV folders, and add a TMDB key so every title gets its poster and details.

You'll need

  • WatchMyMedia installed and running. Its menu says Server running · port 27587. Install the Mac app
  • Your Movies and TV folders, on this Mac, an external drive or a network share, with movies and TV shows kept apart. How to name them
  • A free account at themoviedb.org. No account yet? Step 4 shows how to make one.

  1. Open WatchMyMedia

    Click the WatchMyMedia icon in the menu bar and choose Open WatchMyMedia. Your web browser opens your server at http://localhost:27587 (localhost means this Mac).

    Until you've created your account, the menu also says Finish setup in the browser.

  2. Create your account

    The page says Create the first account. It will be the admin. The admin is the account that can change settings and add other people.

    Type a Name and a Password of at least 8 characters, type the password again under Confirm password, and choose Create account. Keep the password somewhere safe, such as your password manager.

    The setup wizard opens next. It has five steps: 1. Libraries, 2. Metadata, 3. Subtitles, 4. Transcoding and 5. Done.

  3. Add your Movies and TV folders

    In the wizard: 1. Libraries

    The wizard has a box for Movies and one for TV Shows.

    1. In the Movies box, choose Browse… beside Folder on the server. The list starts with /, /Volumes, where external drives and network shares appear, and your home folder. Open your movies folder and choose Use this folder.
    2. WatchMyMedia checks the folder. It says Readable and how many video files it found.
    3. Choose Add library.
    4. Do the same in the TV Shows box with your TV folder, then choose Next: metadata.

    Only have movies, or only TV? Leave the other box empty. One library is enough to go on.

    On an external drive? macOS may ask whether WatchMyMedia can use files on it. Choose Allow.

    On a network share? Connect to it in Finder first, with Go › Connect to Server…, then choose its folder here. macOS may ask about network volumes too.

    If access was refused, turn it back on in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Files & Folders: WatchMyMedia has switches there for Removable Volumes and Network Volumes.

  4. Add your free TMDB key

    In the wizard: 2. Metadata

    Titles, posters and episode details come from The Movie Database (TMDB). Without a key, WatchMyMedia still finds your files but can't tell what they are, and the panel says No key yet; matching is off. Under How to get a TMDB key:

    1. Create a free account at themoviedb.org/signup and confirm your email.
    2. Open Settings › API on themoviedb.org and request a key: pick Developer, accept the terms and describe it as a personal media server.
    3. Copy the API Key (or the longer API Read Access Token), paste it into the box, then choose Test and Save.

    Saving checks the key with TMDB, starts matching your titles and moves you on to Subtitles. Not ready yet? Skip for now moves on, and you can add the key later under Settings › General.

    The Metadata step before a key is added. The steps stay open until the key is saved.

  5. Sign in to OpenSubtitles, if you like

    In the wizard: 3. Subtitles

    Players can find subtitles on OpenSubtitles.com. Downloads count against an OpenSubtitles account: 20 a day on a free account, or up to 1000 with VIP. Without an account the server gets 5 a day. You don't need an API key.

    1. Sign up for free at opensubtitles.com and confirm your email.
    2. Type that Username and Password and choose Sign in. The server checks them with OpenSubtitles before it saves them.

    Once the sign-in works, the wizard moves on, and Settings › Subtitles shows Signed in as and your username. To do this later, choose Skip for now; it's under Settings › Subtitles.

  6. See what your Mac converts with

    In the wizard: 4. Transcoding

    When a TV, phone or browser can't play a file as it is, WatchMyMedia converts (transcodes) it while it plays. This step shows what your Mac can convert with. There's nothing you need to change.

    Leave Hardware acceleration on Auto (best available), which picks the best encoder this Mac has. Under it, What this server can do lists the Encoder in use, the Available encoders, HDR tone mapping and Subtitle burn-in. Then choose Next.

  7. Let the first scan run

    In the wizard: 5. Done

    The last step says your libraries are being scanned and that matching starts as files are found. It also shows backups: WatchMyMedia backs up your libraries, accounts and watch history every night and keeps the last 7. Nightly backups to keep changes that, here or later under Settings › Backups.

    Choose Go to Home. Posters appear as titles are matched, and a big library takes a while. The ⟳ button at the top of the page, Library status, shows how the scan is going.

You're done when posters fill your home screen.

If it doesn't work

Something else? See When something's wrong.

Checked with WatchMyMedia 0.4.4 on October 31, 2026.