Organize your media first. Put movies in a “Movies” folder and name them with the title and release year (e.g., Avatar (2009).mp4). TV shows need a folder per show with season folders and episodes named like Show Name S01E01.mp4.
Download the Plex installer for macOS. Go to the Plex Downloads page (on Plex.tv) and grab the macOS .zip. While you’re there, download player apps for your other devices (iOS, Android, smart TVs, etc.). You can also use third party clients such as Infuse (I consider the best one) or Plexy, many others exist as well.
Install the server. Unzip the file, drag Plex Media Server into your Applications folder and double‑click it. On a Mac the server runs headless—look for the Plex icon in your menu bar or dock to access it.
Run the setup wizard via the web app. The first time the server runs it opens a browser window. Sign in or create a free Plex account and follow the wizard to name your server and add libraries. All server management is done in this web interface.
Create your libraries. Choose library types (Movies, TV Shows, Music, Photos, etc.) and point Plex at the folders you organized earlier. Plex scans your files and fetches artwork and metadata.
Access Plex on other devices. On your home network, open a browser on another device and go to http://"HostIPAddress":32400/web. For remote access outside your network, enable remote access in Plex settings or route connections through a VPN such as Tailscale or a secure tunnel like Cloudflare.
Install client apps and enjoy. Install Plex apps on your phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming box. Sign in and Plex will discover your server. Invite other users and control which libraries they can access. Your Mac is now a personal streaming server.