Authorizing Live for all users on macOS (without Sassafras)
- Live Versions: Live 9.1 and above
- Operating System: Mac
Step 1: Install Live
- Login with admin credentials to the computer.
- Install the latest version of Live. You can download this from your Ableton.com user account.
Step 2: Authorize Live
- Launch Live. The authorization screen will pop up.
- Follow the instructions to authorize Live online (the easiest method). You can also authorize offline if the computer is not connected to the internet.
- Once successfully authorized, close Live.
Step 3: Copy the Unlock.cfg file
Live's authorization is stored in a file called Unlock.cfg.
- Open Finder and click "Go" from menu bar. Press and hold "alt/option", then click on the Library shortcut which appears. (This is the user level library which is normally hidden).
- From the Library folder go to: Application Support/Ableton/Live x.x.x/Unlock/
- Copy the Unlock.cfg file contained there:
Step 4: Manually create a new Unlock folder in a shared location
You can now create an unlock folder in a shared location so that all users of the computer can access the same unlock file.
- Open Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support
- Create a new folder and name it Ableton. Within this folder create a new folder called Live x.x.x. (replace x.x.x with the correct Live version, e.g. Live 11.1)
- Within this folder create a new folder called Unlock.
- The entire path of the newly created folder structure should be:
Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Ableton/Live x.x.x/Unlock - Now paste the copied Unlock.cfg into this newly created Unlock folder.
Step 5: Delete the default Unlock folder
In order for Live to use the unlock file in the newly created shared location, the default unlock folder needs to be deleted:
- Delete the default Unlock folder
Macintosh HD/Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support/Ableton/Live x.x.x./Unlock/
Step 6: Disable automatic updates using a shared Preferences file
Live auto-updates will break this configuration, so we recommend you disable automatic updates for all users on the computer:
- Open Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/
- Create a new folder called Ableton, then within that, another folder with Live's version number (e.g. Live 11.1).
- The full path of the newly created folder should be:
Macintosh HD:/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live x.x.x/ - Create a plain text file (using TextEdit). In the Format menu click "Make Plain Text".
- Add this line to the text file: -_DisableAutoUpdates.
- Save the text file and name it Options.txt
- Move the text file into the newly created shared folder:
Macintosh HD:/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live x.x.x/
Step 7: Delete the default Preferences folder
In order for Live to use the Preferences file in the newly created shared location, the default Preferences folder needs to be deleted:
- Delete the default Preferences folder
Macintosh HD/Users/[current user]/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live x.x.x
Step 8: Log-in as a standard user and test
Login with a standard user account and test to see that Live launches without asking for authorization.
Step 9: Repeat steps 1-8 on every computer
This process needs to be repeated on all computers in the lab.
Step 10: Install Live Packs (optional)
Live Packs are quite large and should be installed only once on a machine so that they can be shared by all users on that computer. To install your Ableton Live Packs in a shared location:
- Create a folder for Live Packs in a shared location on the computer, for example MacintoshHD/Users/Shared/Ableton/Factory Packs/
- Open Preferences → Library in order to set the Installation Folder for Packs to the folder you just created.
- Then, download and install your Ableton Live Packs.
- Each user can then set the Installation Folder for Packs to the folder you have created, and access the installed Packs.