How to Install Plugins in Ableton Live 12 on Mac and Windows

To install plugins in Ableton Live, run the plugin's installer and choose VST3 (and AU on a Mac), then open Live's Settings, go to the Plug-Ins tab, switch on the plug-in sources you want, and click Rescan. The new plugin appears in Live's browser under Plug-Ins, ready to drag onto a track.

The steps below are for Live 12 on Mac and Windows. Earlier versions work the same way, but the window is called Preferences instead of Settings in some of them. The keyboard shortcut is the same either way: Cmd+comma on Mac, Ctrl+comma on Windows.

Before you start: pick the right format

Ableton Live loads VST3, VST2 and, on Mac, Audio Units (AU). It doesn't load AAX, which is Pro Tools only. If the installer gives you a choice, tick VST3 on Windows, and VST3 or AU (or both) on Mac. Not sure what those formats are? Our guide to VST vs AU vs AAX explains them and lists every install folder.

How to install plugins in Ableton on Mac

1. Quit Live, then run the plugin installer. Tick VST3 and/or Audio Units.
2. Check the files landed in the standard folders: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 for VST3 and /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components for AU.
3. Open Live and choose Live > Settings (Cmd+comma).
4. Click the Plug-Ins tab.
5. Under Plug-In Sources, switch on Audio Units and the VST3 Plug-In System Folders toggle. Switch on the VST2 options only if you still use VST2 plugins.
6. Click Rescan. Live scans the folders and lists anything new.
7. Open the browser, click Plug-Ins in the sidebar, and find the plugin under its format and developer name. Drag it onto a track or double-click it to load it on the selected track.

How to install plugins in Ableton on Windows

1. Close Live, then run the plugin installer and choose the VST3 version.
2. Check the plugin is in C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3. That's the standard VST3 folder, and almost every installer uses it.
3. Open Live and choose Options > Settings (Ctrl+comma).
4. Click the Plug-Ins tab.
5. Switch on the VST3 Plug-In System Folders toggle.
6. If you also have older VST2 plugins (single .dll files), switch on the VST2 Plug-In Custom Folder toggle, click Browse and select the folder where those .dll files live.
7. Click Rescan, then find the plugin under Plug-Ins in the browser.

How to add a custom plugin folder

VST3 and AU plugins have fixed system folders, and Live finds them automatically once the system-folder toggles are on. The custom folder is mainly for VST2 plugins, which never had a standard location on Windows and often ended up in folders like C:\Program Files\VSTPlugins.

1. In Settings > Plug-Ins, switch on the custom folder toggle.
2. Click Browse next to the custom folder path and choose the folder that contains your plugins.
3. Click Rescan.

Live scans one custom folder, including the folders inside it. If your VST2 plugins are scattered around the drive, move them all into one parent folder first and point Live at that. It makes future reinstalls much easier, too.

How to rescan plugins in Ableton

Live normally scans for new plugins when it starts. If a plugin you just installed isn't there, open Settings > Plug-Ins and click Rescan. A normal rescan only checks for changes. To force Live to scan every plugin again from scratch, which can fix plugins that show up with the wrong name or refuse to load after an update, hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while you click Rescan. A full rescan can take a while with a big plugin collection.

How to put a VST in Ableton once it's installed

Installing is only half of it; here's how to add plugins to Ableton tracks and actually use them.

• Effects go on audio or MIDI tracks, after any instrument. Drag the plugin from the browser into the track's device area, or onto a return track for shared reverbs and delays.
• Instruments go on a MIDI track. Drag one into an empty area of the session and Live creates a MIDI track for it.
• Opening the interface: each plugin device in Live has a button in its title bar that opens or closes the plugin's own window.
• Automating parameters: click Configure on the plugin device, then move a control in the plugin's window. That parameter now appears on the device, ready for automation or MIDI mapping.

VST3 or AU in Ableton on a Mac?

Either works, and they sound the same. The main practical issue is duplicates: if you install both and turn on both sources, every plugin appears twice in the browser. Pick one. Many Ableton users on Mac prefer VST3 so their projects open the same way on a Windows machine. If you work in Logic too, you'll need the AU versions installed anyway; just turn off the Audio Units toggle in Live to keep the browser tidy.

Plugin not showing up in Ableton? Check these

• The source toggle is off. Installing a VST3 does nothing if VST3 system folders are switched off in Settings > Plug-Ins.
• It's in the wrong folder. Compare its location with the standard folders above. An installer may have offered a custom path.
• Live hasn't rescanned. Click Rescan, or hold Alt/Option and click it for a full rescan.
• It's 32-bit. Current versions of Live are 64-bit only and won't load 32-bit plugins. Look for an updated version from the developer.
• It isn't native on Apple silicon. Recent versions of Live run natively on Apple silicon Macs, and plugins without a native build won't load there. Update the plugin, or run Live under Rosetta (Get Info on the Live app in Finder) as a stopgap.
• macOS blocked it. If macOS warns that a plugin can't be opened, check System Settings > Privacy & Security for an option to allow it, then rescan.
• You're looking for an AAX. Live will never show AAX plugins. Reinstall and tick VST3 or AU.

Keep your plugins organized

Once the list grows, the browser gets crowded. Live's Collections let you color-tag plugins and presets you use all the time so they sit together in the browser sidebar. Another habit worth building: when you've dialed in a plugin the way you like it, save it as a preset, or drop it into an Audio Effect Rack with your favorite settings, so the next session starts from your sound instead of the default.

A free plugin is the easiest way to check your setup works. Pump is our free tempo-synced sidechain plugin and Spread is our free stereo widener; both come as VST3 and AU. If you're installing Pump to get that pumping sound, our guide on how to sidechain shows the stock Ableton Compressor method too. More Live tips are on our Ableton page.