Guide · November 2026
Each DAW lists only the plugins it scanned and can load, so no DAW shows everything you own. To see every plugin, look in each format’s plugin folder, or scan them all with a plugin manager. Sonisto’s scan lists every VST2, VST3, AU and AAX plugin, and on Basic and Pro it exports the list as a CSV file.
Updated 10 November 2026 by Sonisto, which makes the plugin manager this guide mentions. Each menu below is taken from the DAW maker’s own page, read on 10 November 2026.
| DAW | Where the list is | What it shows | Maker’s page |
|---|---|---|---|
| FL Studio | Options > File settings > Manage plugins | The plugins FL Studio found and verified in its scan: VST, VST3, AU on a Mac, and CLAP since FL Studio 2024.1 | Image-Line manual, external plugins |
| Ableton Live 12 | The browser’s Plug-Ins label; sources under Settings > Plug-Ins (Ctrl or Cmd and comma) | VST2, VST3 and, on a Mac, Audio Units, from the sources you switched on. Live has no AAX | Live 12 manual, Using Plug-Ins |
| Logic Pro | Logic Pro > Settings > Plug-in Manager (Preferences on older macOS) | Audio Units only, by maker, with a Compatibility column for each plugin | Apple Support, 28 April 2025 |
| Cubase Pro 15 | Studio > VST Plug-in Manager | VST Effects, VST Instruments and VST Modulators that Cubase loads, plus a Blocklist of plugins installed but not loaded | Steinberg help, Cubase Pro 15.0 |
None of these four pages describes exporting the list to a file. And each list stops at what that DAW loads: a Logic-only Mac’s Plug-in Manager will not show the VST3 and AAX copies the same installers put on the disk.
If you would rather not install anything, the plugin folders are the full answer. Each format has its own folder (where every plugin format installs has the full table), and one line copies their contents into a text file on your desktop.
Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and paste this line. It lists the Audio Units, VST3, VST2 and AAX folders, then the Audio Units folder in your own user Library, which some installers use:
ls /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST "/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins" ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components > ~/Desktop/plugin-list.txt
Open Command Prompt and run one line per folder. The second line adds the 64-bit AAX folder; add your VST2 folder the same way, for example C:\Program Files\VSTPlugins:
dir /b "C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3" > "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\plugin-list.txt" dir /b "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins" >> "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\plugin-list.txt"
The file holds file names, not brands or versions, and a maker’s subfolder shows as one line. It is enough for an inventory; it does not tell you which plugins are out of date.
Sonisto’s scan lists every VST2, VST3, AU and AAX plugin it finds on your Mac or PC, by brand, with each plugin’s installed version and the formats it is installed in. It reads the folders and changes nothing a DAW loads. The scan is on every plan, Free included.
In Library, search, or filter by format, by computer, or by the plugins that have an update.
Press Export, choose the columns in Select columns to include, then press Export CSV. The file is named sonisto-scanned-plugins with the date, and it follows the search and filters you have on.
| Column you can pick | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Name, Brand | The plugin and its maker |
| Installed version, Latest Version | The version on your computer and the newest one Sonisto knows of |
| Update available | Yes or No, where both versions are known |
| VST2, VST3, AU, AAX | Yes or No for each format |
Name, brand, both versions and Update available are ticked the first time; your choice is kept for the next export. The file does not hold folder paths, serial numbers or passwords.
With two computers scanned, Compare shows the plugins on one that are not on the other, and Export saves that list: a shopping list for the new machine. Export and Compare are on Basic (2 computers) and Pro (10 computers). See the plans side by side.
An inventory for insurance or a studio sale. A checklist before you move your plugins to a new computer, or before a new Apple silicon Mac. And a look at what you already own before a sale: check what you own before you buy.
Open the plugin folders: on a Mac, /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3, VST and Components, and Avid’s Plug-Ins folder for AAX; on Windows, C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 and your VST2 folder. A DAW shows only what it scanned, so the folders, or a plugin manager’s scan, give the full list.
The FL Studio, Ableton Live 12, Logic Pro and Cubase Pro 15 pages we read show where each DAW lists its plugins, but none of them describes exporting that list to a file. The by-hand route is a text file of the plugin folders, made with one Terminal or Command Prompt line.
A DAW lists only the formats it loads and the folders it scans. Logic Pro loads Audio Units, Pro Tools loads AAX, and Live has no AAX. A plugin in a folder the DAW does not scan, or one that failed its scan, is left out. Cubase shows installed plugins it does not load in its Blocklist.
A CSV file with the columns you pick: name, brand, installed version, latest version, update available, and a Yes or No for VST2, VST3, AU and AAX. It follows the search and filters you have on, so you can export one format or one computer. Export is on the Basic and Pro plans.
Next to the list, keep the licenses: where to keep your serial numbers and licenses. Each DAW’s own plugin manager: the plugin manager in every DAW. More guides: all guides. VST plugin manager: see what Sonisto does.
Scan your computer, see what you own and keep your setup under control with Sonisto.
Download the Sonisto Desktop App now and get ready to scan and organize.
Sonisto runs on Mac and Windows. Send yourself the link and download it on your computer.
