When a network share suddenly becomes invisible to your Plex server on the NVIDIA Shield, it can be frustrating—especially when everything seemed to be working fine previously. Whether your media files are on a NAS, external drive, or shared folder on another computer, there are several possible reasons why the share may have disappeared. In this guide, we’ll explore common causes, troubleshooting steps, and solutions.
Understanding the Problem
Plex on the NVIDIA Shield relies on access to media directories through either mounted storage (like external USB drives) or network shares (SMB/CIFS/NFS). If one of those shares vanishes, Plex won’t be able to see the content, and your libraries may appear empty or broken.
This issue usually stems from one of the following causes:
Changes in network settings or credentials
Power cycle or reboot of the Shield or source device
Permissions issues on the shared folder
Inconsistent mounting or path issues
Plex not having permission to access the share
Step 1: Identify the Missing Share Type
Determine whether the missing share is:
A network share (e.g., SMB from a NAS or Windows PC)
An external drive connected via USB or OTG
A mapped network location using a file explorer or third-party app
If it’s a network share, proceed with network diagnostics. If it’s an external drive, skip to “Storage Access Fixes.”
Step 2: Check Network Availability
If your share is hosted on a NAS or PC:
Make sure the source device is powered on and connected to the same network as the Shield.
From a PC or phone on the same network, try to access the share:
If it fails, the issue lies with the host device or its network settings.
If it works, the problem is specific to the Shield.
Step 3: Test Access from the NVIDIA Shield
Use a file explorer app like X-plore File Manager or Solid Explorer:
Install the app from the Play Store.
Navigate to the LAN/SMB section and try to connect to your network share manually.
If prompted, re-enter the username and password used for the shared folder.
If you can access the files this way, Plex is likely missing the permissions or the mount point changed.
Step 4: Remount the Share
Sometimes after a reboot or update, the NVIDIA Shield loses its connection to the network share. You’ll need to remount it:
Go to Settings > Storage.
Under “Network storage,” locate the missing share.
If it’s not listed, click “Add network storage” and manually input the IP address or hostname.
Enter login credentials when prompted.
Once mounted, Plex should be able to see it again.
Tip: Mount the share using its IP address instead of hostname for more consistent performance.
Step 5: Re-Add the Library in Plex (if needed)
If the share path has changed (e.g., from smb://server/share to smb://192.168.1.10/share), Plex may no longer recognize the location.
You might need to:
Go to the Plex app
Navigate to Settings > Library
Select the affected library and edit the folder path
Or remove and recreate the library pointing to the newly mounted share
Step 6: Fix Permissions
Plex needs access to "all files" on the NVIDIA Shield:
Go to Shield Settings > Apps > Plex > Permissions.
Enable Storage access.
Also enable “Allow access to network storage” if available in Shield system settings.
Step 7: Consider Third-Party Mounting Tools
Sometimes built-in SMB support on Shield is unreliable. Apps like X-plore or Kodi can maintain persistent SMB mounts more reliably. Then, you can point Plex to that folder if needed (using symbolic links via developer tools or a file manager).
Final Thoughts
When a network share goes invisible on Plex for NVIDIA Shield, the cause is often something simple: a lost mount, IP change, permissions error, or reboot that unmounted the share. With methodical troubleshooting—checking the network, remounting the share, and confirming Plex access—you can usually get things back to normal quickly.
If issues persist, consider assigning your NAS or PC a static IP address, and use IP-based SMB mounting to reduce the chances of recurrence. Consistency is key in network-based setups.