How to add plugins to Ableton Live on Mac and Windows, and fix ones that do not show

To add a plugin to Ableton Live, install it to the default folders, open Settings > Plug-Ins (Ctrl and comma on Windows, Cmd and comma on a Mac) and switch on the plug-in sources: VST3 System Folders, Audio Units on a Mac, and a VST2 custom folder on Windows. Press Rescan. The plugin appears under Plug-Ins in Live’s browser.

Updated 10 November 2026 by Sonisto, which makes the plugin manager this guide mentions. Every setting and folder below is from Ableton’s Live 12 manual and its help articles for Windows and Mac, read on 10 November 2026, when Live 12.4.16 was the latest release.

Where Live looks for plugins

Live has no plugin folder of its own: it reads the system folders and any custom folder you give it. On a Mac some installers use your user Library instead (~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/, hidden by default), so look there if a plugin is not in the folders above. Live 10 and later load only 64-bit plugins, and Live does not load AAX, the Pro Tools format. For every format and DAW, see where every plugin format installs.

The Plug-In Sources settings Ableton recommends

These are the typical settings from Ableton’s own troubleshooting article. Turn a custom folder on only for plugins an installer put somewhere else.

Five steps

1. Install the plugin to the system drive

Use the maker’s latest installer, or its product portal app, and keep the default folders. Ableton asks for the system drive (C: or Macintosh HD), not an external drive or cloud storage, and advises a fresh install over copying plugin files from an old computer.

2. Open Settings > Plug-Ins

Settings are in the Options menu on Windows and the Live menu on a Mac; Ctrl and comma or Cmd and comma also opens them. Choose the Plug-Ins tab and find the Plug-In Sources section. Older versions call it Preferences.

3. Turn on the sources you use

Switch on VST3 System Folders, and on a Mac Audio Units v2 and VST2 System Folders. On Windows, press Browse beside the VST2 custom folder, pick the folder your VST2 plugins installed to and switch Use VST Plug-In Custom Folder on.

4. Press Rescan

Live picks up a plugin installed while it is running only after you press Rescan, or after a restart. Holding Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while you press Rescan deletes Live’s plug-in database and scans everything again, which takes longer.

5. Find the plugin in the browser

Open the Plug-Ins label in Live’s browser and drag the plugin onto a track. In Live 12 the Format filter and each plugin’s icon show whether it is the AU, VST2 or VST3 version.

Choosing a VST2 custom folder

Most trouble in Ableton’s forums starts here: a custom folder set to a busy folder, or to the same place as the VST3 folder. Ableton’s rules:

• Keep VST2 files (.dll or .vst) and VST3 files (.vst3) in separate folders, and never set the VST2 and VST3 custom folders to the same path.
• Do not pick a system folder, such as Common Files\VST3, as a custom folder.
• Keep only plugins in it: no presets, sample libraries, standalone apps or unrelated .dll files, and never the program folder of Live or another app.
• Use one VST2 folder for every VST2 plugin. Subfolders by maker are fine.
• On Windows, Program Files (x86)\Common Files\VST3 holds 32-bit plugins, which Live 10 and later do not load.

When a plugin does not show up in Live

Ableton’s own checklist, in the order it gives:

• Quit Live fully and restart the computer. Two copies of Live open at once, even briefly, can upset the indexing. On a first launch, give the browser a few minutes to add new plugins.
• Check it is 64-bit and supported. 32-bit plugins never appear. On an Apple silicon Mac, Live 11.1 and later only recognise VST2 and VST3 plugins built for Apple silicon; some AU plugins need Live opened in Rosetta 2, and some makers ship only a VST3 that runs natively.
• Waves: Live does not support Waves plugins in AU format, so use Waves VST3. With a custom VST folder, move the WaveShell file into it.
• Check the folder is switched on in Plug-In Sources and that the plugin is in it. Turn that folder off and on again and wait for the scan to finish.
• Deep rescan: hold Alt or Option and click Rescan.
• On Windows, make sure antivirus software is not blocking the plugin folder, that Visual C++ 2010 SP1 is installed, and run Live as administrator for plugins that need it.
• A plugin that crashed the scan is made unavailable after Live relaunches. To start Live without scanning, hold Alt or Option until the splash screen closes.

Where did the installer put it?

Live’s settings only help once you know the folder, and an installer can pick its own. Sonisto’s free scan lists the VST2, VST3, AU and AAX plugins on your computer, and a plugin’s Files table shows the Location of each format, with a button that opens it in Finder or Explorer. That tells you whether a VST3 copy sits in the system folder and which folder to give Live as the VST2 custom folder. On a Mac, add /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST in Sonisto’s Scanner with + Add path so VST2 plugins are listed too. The scan only reads what is installed. See every plugin and where it is installed: scan with Sonisto, free.

The Free plan covers one computer, one scan a month and update notices for 10 plugins. Basic and Pro show updates for every plugin and add the export and the comparison between computers. See the plans side by side.

Questions

Where is the Ableton plugin folder?

Live has no plugin folder of its own. It reads the system folders, such as C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 on Windows and /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 or Components on a Mac, plus one VST2 and one VST3 custom folder you can set in Settings > Plug-Ins. On Windows, VST2 plugins need that custom folder.

Why are my VST plugins not showing in Ableton?

Usually the plug-in source is switched off, the plugin is in a folder Live does not read, or Live has not rescanned since the install. Check Settings > Plug-Ins > Plug-In Sources, then press Rescan, holding Alt or Option for a full rescan. Also check the plugin is 64-bit and, on an Apple silicon Mac, built for it.

How do I rescan plugins in Ableton?

Open Settings > Plug-Ins and press Rescan. Live needs this for a plugin installed while it was open; otherwise it finds it at the next start. Hold Alt on Windows or Option on a Mac while you press Rescan to delete Live’s plug-in database and scan every plugin again.

Should I use VST2, VST3 or AU in Ableton Live?

Ableton says there is no correct format; install the latest version of each. AU runs only on a Mac and has no direct MIDI output, so share projects with Windows using VST. Use one format of a plugin throughout a Set, and for Waves on a Mac use VST3, since Live does not support Waves AU.

Can Ableton Live use AAX plugins?

No. Live loads VST2 and VST3 plugins on Windows and on a Mac, and Audio Units on a Mac. AAX is the Pro Tools format, so an AAX-only download never shows up in Live. Most makers’ installers offer VST3 as well; choose it when you install.

More: how every DAW finds your plugins, how to add plugins to FL Studio, VST, VST3, AU and AAX explained and installing a batch of new plugins after a sale. All guides.