Installing Ableton Live
Follow these steps to install Ableton Live.
- Step 1 - Download the Ableton Live installer for your operating system
- Step 2 - Install Live
- Step 3 - Authorize Live
- Step 4 - Install additional content
- Step 5 - Learn more
Note: Before installing Live, check the minimum system requirements listed below. Before saving existing Live projects in a newer version, see the limitations on backward compatibility.
- Live Minimum System Requirements
- macOS Compatibility with Live
- Windows Compatibility with Live
- Live 1-9 Minimum System Requirements
- Live 9 is not supported on macOS 10.15 Catalina or higher
Step 1 - Download the Live installer
Log in to your User Account, select the Live version and operating system from the drop down menu and click Download.
macOS
Universal build:
- Apple Intel (macOS 10.14 Mojave through macOS 12 Sonoma)
- Apple Silicon (M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max)
Intel build:
- Apple Intel (macOS 10.13 High Sierra only)
Note: You can force Live to run as an Intel application via Rosetta 2 on an Apple Silicon-based Mac, as explained here. However, this isn't necessary if your plug-ins are updated for Apple Silicon. When in doubt, please check the latest Apple Silicon and macOS compatibility information provided by each plug-in developer.
Windows
Windows build:
- All Windows computers
Step 2 - Install Live
macOS
Double-click on the downloaded .dmg and the installer will open automatically.
Drag the Live icon onto the Applications folder shortcut.
Once it is finished, close the window and eject the .dmg.
You can then open the Applications folder in Finder and double click on the Live application. You can also add it to your Dock for quick access.
Windows
Note: Do not save or copy any content, files, samples or projects into Live's installation folder. These may be lost when you uninstall or (auto-)update Live.
Live 11:
Right-click on the downloaded Zip file to unpack it.
Choose "Extract All..." from the drop down menu and launch the "Ableton Live 11 [version] Installer.exe" file by double clicking it once the file has been unpacked:
The setup wizard will guide you through the steps necessary to install Live on your Windows machine. Make sure that Live is installed to the default location: C:\ProgramData\Ableton\
Note: The two Data.cab files extracted with the Installer.exe do not need to be decompressed further.
Live 10:
Right-click on the downloaded Zip file to unpack it.
Choose "Extract All..." from the drop down menu and launch the Setup.msi file by double clicking it once the file has been unpacked. The setup wizard will guide you through the steps necessary to install Live 10 on your Windows machine. Make sure that Live is installed to the default location: C:\ProgramData\Ableton\
Once the installation has completed, click on the Windows Start menu where you'll find the Live 10 shortcut.
Step 3 - Authorize Live
When starting Live for the first time, follow the instructions on the authorization dialog in order to authorize Live online.
If you'd prefer to authorize offline, step-by-step instructions are available.
Step 4 - Install additional content
Several Live Packs are available for download from the Packs section of your account.
Once Live is installed, you can install these Live Packs, which will add additional sounds, presets and other content in a dedicated directory on your hard drive.
You can also buy additional Live Packs in Ableton's online Pack store.
Max for Live is built into Live 10 and 11 Suite. Once Suite is installed you will be able to access Max for Live within Live's Browser.
Step 5 - Learn more
To learn more about using Live, select a topic from our Learn Live tutorials or access the Live Manual from Live → Help Menu → Read the Live Manual. Live also comes with a series of built-in interactive lessons, which are available from Live → Help Menu → Built In Lessons.