Server connects but displays no media files

[twofacetoo 2]

Back again with another problem, it seems.

A month or two ago I ran into an issue when I started up my Emby server (hosted on a laptop) and tried to watch something on my TV, in that while I was logged in and connected to the server, there was no media displaying, only my 'playlists' folder and the created lists within, but even checking them, absolutely no media visible anywhere. While troubleshooting online previously I noticed my TV, at some point, seemed to fully connect and displayed the media, and it even worked, so I assumed it might just an internet issue itself, maybe the files were just loading up on the TV itself, who knows?

But I've run into this problem again and again, and sometimes it doesn't resolve at all, such as today. I had the day off work and decided to try and fix it, but to no avail, hence why I've once again had to come here asking for help with this specific problem.

I start up the Emby server on my laptop, it runs fine, be it via browser or the desktop app. In both cases it shows the full media library (as confirmed via screenshots). I can access the internet itself fine using the laptop, there's absolutely no issue with that there. Then, if I try to access the same Emby server using my TV or another device (phone, desktop PC, the result is the same regardless), I get nothing more than a blank page with 'playlists' and nothing else.

I've tried looking for help online, I tried the old faithful method of completely removing the media libraries and re-syncing, but that hasn't changed anything. I futzed around with internet connections, tried making the media folders 'shared' to be accessed directly by my PC, still hasn't done anything to help. I've even tried the most basic of steps, shutting the laptop down completely and starting it up again, even double-checking it was connected to the internet and troubleshooting for any problems, but I've found absolutely nothing changed in either case. The laptop is connected to the internet, the media libraries are readily accessible through the laptop, but when it comes to actually linking any other device to the same server, the media libraries cannot be found.

To confirm, regarding the attached images, it IS the correct server, I have triple-checked this and even 'removed' the server and re-added it to ensure it's DEFINITELY correct, and I am logged in to the correct account on all devices (as confirmed with the visible avatar in the top right corner of both screenshots). I also ran a quick test by putting a few generic video-files I had lying around into a folder on my desktop PC, adding it as a library, and checking it. It showed as watchable on the desktop PC and my TV, but not on the laptop.

I have no idea what the problem is, nor how it even began. One day I switched on my TV and accessed Emby, only to find nothing available to watch. The best I can think to even try and describe it is, it's like the laptop is just in it's own separate sector, where the server is there, but the media files (despite being confirmed accessible and visible on the laptop itself) aren't accessible to the rest of the world. If I try to access the server on any other device, it simply cannot find the media files. And, as I've said before, it DID work before, this problem sometimes resolved itself, it even worked fine as of less than a week ago. I'm typing this to post on 05/09/2025, I was able to watch some TV episodes on 02/09/2026, rolling over into the morning of 03/09/2026. Since then, it's back to not detecting any playable media files, despite verifying that both my TV Shows drive and my Movies drive are plugged in, fully scanned, and completely accessible via the laptop they're attached to, and where the Emby server is being hosted from.

[Luke 43022]

Hi, I would go into user permissions and check what libraries the user is granted access to.

[twofacetoo 2]

2 minutes ago, Luke said:

Hi, I would go into user permissions and check what libraries the user is granted access to.

Hi. This is my own account as the admin of the media server, I just checked and it has full permissions to view and access everything on the server. I confirmed on both the laptop and my desktop PC (no option to check that on the TV app). The only things that aren't ticked are the 'hide user' options, because I have no real need for them.

[Luke 43022]

What exactly did you check?

[twofacetoo 2]

Just now, Luke said:

What exactly did you check?

Attached screenshots showing Access and Profile settings for the user account in question. Only thing I didn't include is the section with my email address, for obvious reasons.