Beta Version of Plex Media Server With Native Apple Silicon Support Now Available

Popular media platform Plex today announced the launch of a beta version of the Plex Media Server that has native Apple silicon support.

Apple Silicon Teal Feature
The new version of the Plex Media Server uses the "Universal" build for Macs, which means it is compatible with Apple silicon and Intel Macs. At the current time, the release version of the Plex Media Server runs using Rosetta 2.

Since the introduction of the Apple M1 chip for macOS, users have asked for Plex Media Server to natively support "Apple Silicon". The existing Mac server versions run just fine under Rosetta2, but native is always better, right? Well, here it is!!!

We present, the Plex Media Server "Universal" build for macOS. This new package includes Plex Media Server for both Intel and Apple Silicon architectures, so you don't have to worry about what you are installing.

The preview version of the Plex Media Server must be installed manually and will not auto update to newer releases, which is something to keep in mind. It can be downloaded from the Plex website.

On Apple silicon Macs, Plex users can expect improved transcoding speeds, though there may not be a significant difference. The code will be more stable and efficient on the CPU, according to Plex developers.

(Thanks, Will!)

Tag: Plex

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

MacBook Pro Buyers Now Facing Up to a Two-Month Wait Ahead of New Models

Sunday January 18, 2026 6:50 pm PST by
MacBook Pro availability is tightening on Apple's online store, with select configurations facing up to a two-month delivery timeframe in the United States. A few 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations with an M4 Pro chip are not facing any shipping delay, but estimated delivery dates for many configurations with an M4 Max chip range from February 6 to February 24 or even later. At...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...

Top Rated Comments

CarAnalogy Avatar
48 months ago

Was going to pick up an Intel NUC to run as a Plex Server. Would an M1 Mac Mini be overkill?
It would be just the right amount of kill.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kalafalas Avatar
48 months ago

Unfortunately h265 does not give higher quality just lower file size.
Yes but if you are in a bandwidth limited environment (like crappy hotel Wi-Fi) you get twice the quality for same bitrate
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Alfred.Woodden Avatar
48 months ago

Was going to pick up an Intel NUC to run as a Plex Server. Would an M1 Mac Mini be overkill?

It would be just the right amount of kill.
Exactly what I have a M1 mac mini for :) movie server but with Infuse on ATV, instead of Plex. The mac mini also functions as a network time machine backup for all our other macs and itself gets backed up to Backblaze.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kalafalas Avatar
48 months ago
Great news! My 2014 Mc Mini is getting sad and I've been eyeing an M1. Native is great, but does it use HW acceleration via videotoolbox for encode? I would particularly love to be able to transcode to h.265 instead of h.264 as well, it would give so much better quality.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Westside guy Avatar
48 months ago

Was going to pick up an Intel NUC to run as a Plex Server. Would an M1 Mac Mini be overkill?
Seems like significant overkill to me. I've always just used older, leftover Macs as my media servers. Right now that means a 2014 Mac Mini running Jellyfin, which I prefer to Plex - simply because of the absurdity of Plex requiring a remote account login to view my local files.

Prior to the 2014 Mac Mini, I was using a 2006 MacBook Pro.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Deihmos Avatar
48 months ago
Who runs Plex on an expensive Mac?? I have been running Plex on the same PC I built for very cheap since 2013. It is still running like a champ.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)