VST/AU plug-in doesn't appear in Live

  • Live Versions: All
  • Operating System: All

First read our dedicated articles which explain how to install plug-ins correctly:

In case a plug-in is not showing up in Live after you've installed it, take the following steps:

1. Make sure you've installed the plug-in to the correct location

Live supports VST2 and VST3 on Windows and VST2, VST3 and AU on Mac. Make sure that you've installed the correct version of the plug-in to the correct plug-in folder.

  • Open Live's Preferences → Plug-ins.
  • Check the plug-in folder locations.
  • Depending on which version you have installed, make sure you've installed it correctly to that folder.
  • If using VST2 or VST3, enable the correct folder (System or Custom).
  • If using Audio Units (AU), enable the system folder. (Mac Only)

Windows

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Mac

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2. Turn the plug-in folder off and on again

If you've verified that you've installed it to the correct folder, and that folder is active in Live's Preferences → Plug-ins, then disable the plug-in folder and re-enable it.

Wait for the plug-in scanning to complete, then check the browser list again. Alternatively, perform a full rescan of all installed plug-ins by holding ALT/Option and pressing "Rescan Plug-Ins".

3. Make sure you've installed the correct bit-depth (32-bit or 64-bit)

  • Live 10 and 11 are 64-bit only, therefore 32-bit plug-ins will not appear in the browser.
  • Likewise, if using the 32-bit version of Live 9, 64-bit plug-ins won't appear in the browser. Some modern plug-ins are only available in 64-bit (such as Kontakt as of version 5.1).

4. Make sure the plug-in is supported on your Operating System

  • Check the OS compatibility statement on the manufacturer's website

5. Make sure the plug-in is supported by Live

  • Live supports VST2, VST3 and AU only.
  • Certain plug-ins may not be supported in Live. Check the compatibility statement on the manufacturer's website.

6. Update Live

  • VST3 is only included in Live 10.1 or later.

7. Update the plug-in

Check the manufacturer's website and make sure you have installed the latest version of the plug-in and that it's compatible with your Operating System. On Windows, also make sure to have installed Visual C++ 2010 SP1 which is required to run 64-bit applications that have been developed with Visual C++ 2010 SP1.

8. Make sure you have installed your Waves plugins correctly

A special file called a WaveShell is installed to the default plug-in folder. However if you're using a custom VST folder then you need to locate the WaveShell file and move it to that folder. See our dedicated article: Using Waves plug-ins with a custom VST folder.

9. Don't move the standalone or VST versions after installing (Windows only)

  • VST plug-ins might stop working when the stand-alone application of the plug-in gets moved, renamed or uninstalled.
  • It's recommended to always install the VST file directly to the correct destination folder, rather than manually moving the DLL file afterwards.

10. Use Admin rights (Windows only)

Certain plug-ins require Live to run with admin rights. For example plug-ins which offer the possibility to drag MIDI clips from the plug-in into Live, like Toontrack's EZDrummer.

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