Guide · November 2026

How to add plugins to Logic Pro, and what to do when one does not show up

Logic Pro uses Audio Units plug-ins. Run the plug-in’s installer so the AU version goes to /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components, then open Logic Pro and look in an Audio FX or Instrument slot under Audio Units. If it is missing, choose Logic Pro > Settings > Plug-in Manager, select it and click Reset & Rescan Selection, or Full Audio Unit Reset.

Updated 10 November 2026 by Sonisto, which makes the plugin manager this guide mentions. Every menu and folder below is from Apple’s own pages, read on 10 November 2026: the Logic Pro User Guide for Mac, version 13.0 (Use the Plug-in Manager, Work with Audio Units), and Apple Support’s If you can’t find a recently installed plug-in (10 April 2025) and Where are third-party Audio Units plug-ins installed (22 August 2023).

Where Logic Pro looks for plug-ins

Type	Where it installs	Does Logic Pro load it?
Audio Units plug-in (AUv2, .component)	/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components, or ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components in your user Library	Yes
Audio Unit Extension (AUv3)	Inside its app, in the Applications folder	Yes, listed with the other Audio Units
VST, VST3 or AAX copy of the same plug-in	Their own folders	No: Apple names Audio Units as the plug-in format Logic Pro uses

To open either Components folder, choose Go > Go to Folder in the Finder and paste the path.

How to add plugins to Logic Pro

1. Install the Audio Units version

Quit Logic Pro and run the plug-in’s installer. If it lets you choose formats, keep AU (Audio Units). The plug-in must be 64-bit; Apple says 32-bit plug-ins are not compatible. If it is copy protected, authorize it the way its maker describes.

2. Open Logic Pro and find the plug-in

Click an empty Audio FX slot on a channel strip, or the Instrument slot for an instrument, and open the Audio Units submenu. Plug-ins are listed there by manufacturer.

3. Check it in the Plug-in Manager

Choose Logic Pro > Settings > Plug-in Manager (Preferences instead of Settings on older versions). Find the plug-in under its manufacturer. A checkmark in the Compatibility column means it passed Logic’s scan.

4. Sort it, if you like

In the same window you can drag plug-ins into your own categories and give them a custom or short name. Logic’s menus then show them where you put them.

When a plugin does not show up in Logic Pro

Work through Apple’s steps in order and stop when the plug-in appears. Logic’s own rescan is Reset & Rescan Selection, in the Plug-in Manager.

1. Restart the Mac

Restart, open Logic Pro again and look in the Audio FX or Instrument slot, including the manufacturer’s submenu.

2. Find it in the Plug-in Manager

Open Logic Pro > Settings > Plug-in Manager and look for the plug-in, filtering by manufacturer. If the Compatibility column says it is not authorized, follow the maker’s authorization steps. If it is not listed at all, reinstall it and restart. If it is set to Ignore, Logic does not show or scan it: select Show All and clear the Ignore checkbox.

3. Reset and rescan the plug-in

If the Compatibility column shows that it failed validation (“not compatible” in Logic Pro 13), select it and click Reset & Rescan Selection. If it fails again, check the maker’s site for an update for your version of macOS.

4. Reset all Audio Units

Still missing? Click Full Audio Unit Reset in the Plug-in Manager, then quit and reopen Logic Pro, which scans every Audio Units plug-in again. This also resets MainStage.

5. Clear the Audio Units cache

Apple’s last step: in the Finder, hold Option and choose Go > Library, open Caches, then AudioUnitCache, and move the files inside to the Desktop. Restart the Mac and open Logic Pro. The full scan can take a long time, and no app can use Audio Units while it runs.

Where did the installer put it?

If the Plug-in Manager has no line for your plug-in, the first question is whether an Audio Units copy was installed at all. Sonisto’s free scan lists the plugins on your Mac by format, VST3, AU and AAX among them (add /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST with + Add path in the Scanner to list VST2 too). Filter the Library by AU to see what Logic Pro can load. A plugin’s Files table shows the Location of each format, with a button that opens it in Finder, so a plugin with a VST3 row and no AU row tells you to run its installer again and choose AU. The scan only reads what is installed.

The Free plan covers one computer and one scan a month, and update notices for 10 plugins. Basic covers 2 computers and Pro covers 10, both with update notices for every plugin. See the plans side by side.

Questions

Where is the plugin manager in Logic Pro?

Choose Logic Pro > Settings > Plug-in Manager; on older versions of macOS the menu says Preferences instead of Settings. The window lists Logic’s own plug-ins by category and every installed Audio Units plug-in by manufacturer, with a Compatibility column that shows whether each one passed Logic’s scan.

How can I force Logic Pro to rescan plugins?

Open Logic Pro > Settings > Plug-in Manager, select the plug-in and click Reset & Rescan Selection. To rescan every Audio Units plug-in, click Full Audio Unit Reset, then quit and reopen Logic Pro. Apple’s last resort is moving the files in ~/Library/Caches/AudioUnitCache to the Desktop and restarting the Mac.

Where is the Logic plugin folder located?

Audio Units plug-ins install to /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components, or to the same path in your user Library (~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components). Audio Unit Extensions (AUv3) are inside their apps in the Applications folder. To open a folder, choose Go > Go to Folder in the Finder and paste the path.

Can I use VST plugins in Logic?

Not directly. Apple names Audio Units plug-ins and Audio Unit Extensions as the plug-ins Logic Pro uses, so a VST or VST3 copy does not appear. Many makers put an AU version in the same installer: run it again, choose AU, and check the plug-in in Logic’s Plug-in Manager.

I can’t find a plugin in Logic Pro. What can I do?

Restart the Mac and look again in the manufacturer’s submenu. Then check the Plug-in Manager: authorize it if it says not authorized, reinstall it if it is missing, and click Reset & Rescan Selection if it failed validation. If that fails, use Full Audio Unit Reset and ask the maker about macOS compatibility.

More: how every DAW finds your plugins, where every plugin format installs, VST, VST3, AU and AAX explained and Pro Tools plugins not showing up. Just bought a batch in a sale? Install and organize new plugins. VST plugin manager · All guides.