Resetting Live's Database
Resetting Ableton Live's Database may help resolve the following issues:
Missing content and devices
- Content such as Audio Effects, Instruments or Sounds missing from the Browser
- Collections categories or Favorites missing content
- In some cases, third-party plug-ins missing from the Browser
Note: Please follow all recommended troubleshooting steps related to the specific issue before proceeding to reset the Database. For missing plug-ins, first follow the steps here: VST/AU plug-in doesn't appear in Live's Browser.
Error messages regarding the Database
- "Can't access file database: Database Error: Disk I/O error"
- "Database disk image is malformed"
- “Database Error: no such rowid”
- “Database Error: Live has detected an internal error which will cause the browser to not work properly. Please restart Live in order to repair it.”
- "Database Error. SQL logic error or missing database"
To reset the Live Database:
- Close Live.
- Navigate to the Live Database folder, located on your computer at the path listed below. To reveal this folder, follow the steps on to access hidden folders on your operating system.
- Delete the content in the folder, leaving the folder itself in place.
- Restart Live.
After restarting, Live will re-index all content in the Browser. During this process, the contents of Live's Browser will gradually appear, including content saved to Collections.
Live 12, 11 and 10
Windows: \Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Ableton\Live Database\
macOS: /Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/Ableton/Live Database/
Live 9
Windows: \Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live 9.x.x\Database\
macOS: /Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/Ableton/Live 9.x.x/Database/
Plug-ins database in Live 12.1 and higher
As of Live 12.1, plug-ins scanning data is written into a plug-in database file named Live-plugins-1.db, which is separate from Live's main database. This file can be found inside the Live Database folder on your computer, listed above for each operating system.
If you are missing plug-ins from Live's Browser after completing all other troubleshooting steps, you can delete only the file Live-plugins-1.db to prompt Live to rebuild the plug-ins database.