Emby server is deleting downloaded files immediately after transferring them.

[mintman72 2]

I am currently running emby server on a Windows 11 computer. I'm using version 4.9.5.0. 

Each time I try to download music files to a device, the server goes through the motion of converting the files, transferring them, then immediately deleting the files it transferred. Attached are the logs from my server and a few of the transcoding logs as well. 

embyserver(1).txt ffmpeg-transcode-8ec47016-a752-4331-b5c5-70037a0241b6_1.txt ffmpeg-transcode-5c0f2d5f-faad-422e-806a-842e0288ddc1_1.txt ffmpeg-transcode-db2a3564-4f4f-49cf-a034-41b25f876939_1.txt

[Luke 42901]

Hi, what Emb app are you downloading with?

[mintman72 2]

6 minutes ago, Luke said:

Hi, what Emb app are you downloading with?

Emby for Android 3.5.36 (It's the most updated one for my Samsung S23)

[mintman72 2]

This problem is also happening with movies that are being downloaded as well. 

[js28194 69]

In Emby Server, you goto settings -> Conversions -> Settings, you will see where it says TEMPORARY PATH.  Now, I'm assuming this word is doing alot of heavy lifting as when I click on downloads, I do see my system having downloads, but I think they are reflected on the device, NOT the server.  Since when I check my temporary path, it's 100% empty which I think is by design.

I don't "think" when you download to remote client its supposed to store that converted file in "temporary somewhere"  I could be wrong but I'm not sure based on your post WHERE the files are being deleted.  Are they being deleted on the REMOTE device or SERVER.  I think on the SERVER it's by design.  Convert -> transfer -> delete local temporary converted file.

I am using Emby app version 3.5.36 and do not have this issue.  I can see downloads on my SERVER, but I think that is just informational, not the actual files.  I also see my files in the download section of my app.

Edited July 29 by js28194

[mintman72 2]

5 minutes ago, js28194 said:

In Emby Server, you goto settings -> Conversions -> Settings, you will see where it says TEMPORARY PATH.  Now, I'm assuming this word is doing alot of heavy lifting as when I click on downloads, I do see my system having downloads, but I think they are reflected on the device, NOT the server.  Since when I check my temporary path, it's 100% empty which I think is by design.

I don't "think" when you download to remote client its supposed to store that converted file in "temporary somewhere"  I could be wrong but I'm not sure based on your post WHERE the files are being deleted.  Are they being deleted on the REMOTE device or SERVER.  I think on the SERVER it's by design.  Convert -> transfer -> delete local temporary converted file.

I am using Emby app version 3.5.36 and do not have this issue.  I can see downloads on my SERVER, but I think that is just informational, not the actual files.  I also see my files in the download section of my app.

This was this issue. By having the temporary file path as blank, it was deleting the files after converting them. Thus leading to it then deleting from the device. Now that I have put a folder into that path, the files are staying on the device. Thank you for the help!

[mintman72 2]

48 minutes ago, js28194 said:

In Emby Server, you goto settings -> Conversions -> Settings, you will see where it says TEMPORARY PATH.  Now, I'm assuming this word is doing alot of heavy lifting as when I click on downloads, I do see my system having downloads, but I think they are reflected on the device, NOT the server.  Since when I check my temporary path, it's 100% empty which I think is by design.

I don't "think" when you download to remote client its supposed to store that converted file in "temporary somewhere"  I could be wrong but I'm not sure based on your post WHERE the files are being deleted.  Are they being deleted on the REMOTE device or SERVER.  I think on the SERVER it's by design.  Convert -> transfer -> delete local temporary converted file.

I am using Emby app version 3.5.36 and do not have this issue.  I can see downloads on my SERVER, but I think that is just informational, not the actual files.  I also see my files in the download section of my app.

Well, let me take that back. It still isn't leaving the new files on the devices. I have set a path for the temp files in the conversion settings, but nothing has changed. Attached is the latest logs from the server and 3 of the transcoding logs where the files were removed.

embyserver(2).txt ffmpeg-transcode-2cf03a78-4b13-4ba6-b224-c294a73a7415_1.txt ffmpeg-transcode-03e3973e-0904-443c-9797-bda5d9c3797f_1.txt ffmpeg-transcode-7aa41108-1d2d-4b83-ad5c-943b458275e9_1.txt

[js28194 69]

Do you recall ever giving the EMBY app local device storage access?  Have your checked your settings on the local app where it CAN store downloads?  This next suggestion is a hail Mary.  You can delete cache/data on the app hoping your on your local LAN, and EMBY should ask for storage permissions and your aught to be able to define storage folders locally on the android device.  

Samsung still doing there own custom android skin/ui thing?  I hate it.  Sorry, Pixel user here.

[mintman72 2]

My server actually runs on a Windows 11 laptop. It has read/write access to all of the associated drives. I check on the Samsung device and emby is allowed to download onto local storage, so I don't believe that is what could be the issue. I can even see the files appear on the phone when the server says they're transferred, and if I am quick enough, I can start one playing on the phone through emby before it vanishes. 

Edited July 29 by mintman72

[js28194 69]

I defer to men/women/it/they/him/her//\\up/down\left/right people at this stage.  Maybe try a different Android device? 

[mintman72 2]

3 minutes ago, js28194 said:

I defer to men/women/it/they/him/her//\\up/down\left/right people at this stage.  Maybe try a different Android device? 

We actually have 2 phones where this issue is happening. We're trying to check with my wife's iPhone currently, but she is away on vacation and essentially a Boomer when it comes to anything technological.

[ebr 16627]

Hi.  Be sure you haven't pointed your temporary paths to the same place that the actual content is (or above it and in the same scope).  This is starting to sound like you've defined a custom temp/cache path that is also in the scope of your content or downloads.

[mintman72 2]

It's located on the same physical drive, but in it's own separate folder. 

[inkypotomous 0]

  ..

Edited July 30 by inkypotomous

[mintman72 2]

2 hours ago, mintman72 said:

It's located on the same physical drive, but in it's own separate folder. 

Let me take a second to clarify this.

My music files are located at E:\Music

My temporary files are going to E:\Emby\Temp

[mintman72 2]

Ok, wife came back from vacation. Emby does not delete the downloads off of her iPhone after transferring them. I double checked by deleting what she already had, then redownloading everything back to her phone. It is still there after a full 24 hours. It seems as though emby is only deleting off of android devices. Attached is the latest log from my android device, in the hopes that it might help to shed light on what is happening. 

emby_android_1785547164509.txt

[ebr 16627]

Exactly how are you executing the download?  Can you show us the options you selected?

[mintman72 2]

So, as we all know, there are multiple ways to initiate downloads. There's the "down arrow" download option that immediately initiates downloads. We've tried that one, to no success. There is also the option of "download to..." where you can decide what device you want to download to, what bitrate you want it to download as, if you want to automatically download new material that is added, and for videos you get the option to ignore episodes already watched. We've tried that way as well. I have initiated the download to my device, I have initiated the download to my daughter's device. I have adjusted the bitrate down and up, I have toggled the option to automatically download new content. No of these options has worked. The next way you can download is if you initiate it from the server itself onto the external device. We have tried that method as well, with no success. 

Attached is a screenshot from how we try to download from the server itself, using the "download to..." option.

[ebr 16627]

36 minutes ago, mintman72 said:

There's the "down arrow" download option that immediately initiates downloads. We've tried that one, to no success

Exactly what happened when you tried that?

[mintman72 2]

The exact same thing that happens with every other option. The server would convert the media, then transfer it to the device, then after a few short seconds the file would disappear from the device. The emby for android log I provided earlier was from where I just used the download arrow option.

Edited August 1 by mintman72

[Luke 42901]

I think @sa2000has observed this before and we are working on chasing it down. Thanks.

[mintman72 2]

7 minutes ago, Luke said:

I think @sa2000has observed this before and we are working on chasing it down. Thanks.

Are there any additional logs I can provide to assist?

[js28194 69]

Quick and Easy method would be uninstall the Emby App from phone, restart, redownload from Play and launch since you are on the local network this should be quick.  It's gotta be something in your Galaxy phone doing something weird.

My downloads end up in /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.mb.android/files/filename.mkv

I suspect something is going on locally and not on your Emby Server as you have eliminated that vector through wifes iphone test.

[sa2000 814]

On 01/08/2026 at 21:49, mintman72 said:

Are there any additional logs I can provide to assist?

I suspect that it is some timing problem. I have an open issue on it for the development team. When the app tells the server what has been downloaded, if it passes an empty list (for some unknow reason) the server would then cancel all the download jobs and the client would purge them

Is it just one download file that gets removed after it completes or all downloaded files get lost at same time?

I suggest running with debug logging enabled on both the emby server and the app and the next time this happens get the client app logs and the emby server logs and give details of the device, the downloads and when they disappeared

If you can provide the raw log files and IP addresses that would make it easier - you can zip and send me the zip with the details by private message