How to Install Plugins in Pro Tools: AAX, Folders, iLok and Fixes

To install plugins in Pro Tools (or add plugins to Pro Tools that you already own), quit Pro Tools, run the plugin's installer with the AAX option selected, then reopen Pro Tools. It scans its AAX plug-in folder on launch, and the new plugin appears in the insert menu of any track.

The one thing that trips people up: Pro Tools only loads AAX plugins. VST3 and AU versions will never show up, no matter which folder you put them in. Everything below follows from that.

Why Pro Tools only loads AAX

AAX (Avid Audio eXtension) is Avid's own plugin format, and Pro Tools has used it exclusively since Pro Tools 11. It comes in two flavors. AAX Native runs on your computer's CPU, which is what nearly every home and project studio uses. AAX DSP runs on Avid's HDX hardware cards. Many plugins also support AudioSuite, Pro Tools' offline mode that renders an effect onto a clip.

If you're coming from Ableton Live or FL Studio and the AAX format is new to you, our guide to VST vs AU vs AAX explains how the formats differ and where each one installs.

How to install plugins in Pro Tools, step by step

1. Quit Pro Tools. Installing while it's open can stop the new plugin from loading until the next restart, or confuse the installer.
2. Run the plugin installer and make sure AAX is selected. You can untick VST3 and AU if you don't use another DAW.
3. Authorize the plugin if it needs it, using iLok License Manager or whatever activation method the developer uses.
4. Open Pro Tools. It scans for new plugins during launch.
5. Insert the plugin: click an empty insert slot on a track, choose multichannel plug-in (or multi-mono plug-in for independent left and right processing), then find the plugin by category or manufacturer.
6. For offline processing, select a clip and look for the plugin in the AudioSuite menu, if it supports AudioSuite.

Pro Tools plugin folder locations

Each AAX plugin is a single item ending in .aaxplugin. Installers put it here automatically. You can install an AAX plugin by hand by copying it into this folder, but use the official installer when one exists, because it may also install presets, support files or license components.

Next to that folder you'll often find one called Plug-Ins (Unused). Pro Tools ignores anything in it. Moving a plugin there is the quick way to disable it without uninstalling, which is handy when you're tracking down a plugin that crashes on launch.

iLok, PACE and AAX signing

Three different things get mixed together here, so it helps to separate them.

• Pro Tools' own license is managed through an iLok account and the iLok License Manager app. That's Avid's choice for Pro Tools itself.
• AAX code signing is required for every AAX plugin. Developers sign their plugins with tools from PACE, the company behind iLok, and release versions of Pro Tools won't load an unsigned AAX plugin. You never deal with this as a user; it just means a plugin has to be built properly for Pro Tools.
• Plugin copy protection is up to each developer. Some use iLok (on a USB key, on your computer, or through iLok Cloud, which needs an internet connection). Others use a license key, a serial number or an account login.

So an iLok is not automatically required for every plugin you use in Pro Tools. Our plugins, for example, use a license key sent by email: paste it in once and the plugin works offline from then on.

How to rescan plugins in Pro Tools

Pro Tools checks the plug-in folder every time it launches, so in most cases restarting it is the whole fix. If a plugin still won't appear, or appears with the wrong name or category after an update, you can force a full rescan by deleting Pro Tools' plugin cache. Quit Pro Tools first, then delete the file called InstalledAAXPlugIns from:

• Mac: ~/Library/Preferences/Avid/Pro Tools/ (the user Library is hidden; in Finder, hold Option and open the Go menu)
• Windows: C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\Avid\Pro Tools\

Pro Tools rebuilds the file on the next launch, which takes longer than usual while it rescans everything.

Plugin not showing up in Pro Tools? Check these

• It isn't AAX. By far the most common cause. Rerun the installer and tick AAX.
• It's in the wrong place, or in Plug-Ins (Unused). Check the folder table above.
• It doesn't support the track's channel format. Pro Tools only lists plugins that support the track's channel format. A stereo-only plugin may not appear on a mono track, except as a mono-to-stereo insert.
• The menu is organized differently than you expect. Plugins are grouped by category, manufacturer or both. You can change this under Setup > Preferences > Display, in the option for organizing plug-in menus.
• The license is missing. An unauthorized plugin can fail to load or show as inactive. Open iLok License Manager or the developer's activation tool and check.
• It isn't native on Apple silicon. Recent versions of Pro Tools run natively on Apple silicon Macs, and plugins need native AAX builds to load there. Update the plugin, or check the developer's compatibility notes.
• The session came from another studio. Plugins that aren't installed on your system show as inactive inserts. Install the same plugin, or replace it with one you have.

Finding AAX plugins that work in Pro Tools

When you shop for plugins, check the format list for AAX before anything else. Most commercial developers support it. Free and open-source plugins are less consistent, because making AAX plugins for Pro Tools means registering with Avid and signing through PACE, a step some smaller developers skip. If a free plugin only lists VST3 and AU, there's no way to add it to Pro Tools directly. That's also why searching for plugins AAX-first saves time: it filters out everything Pro Tools can't load.

Test your setup with a free plugin

Before buying anything, a free AAX plugin is a good way to make sure your system loads third-party plugins at all. Pump is our free tempo-synced sidechain plugin and Spread is our free stereo widener; both ship in AAX as well as VST3 and AU. If you want to try Pump against the stock Dyn3 Compressor/Limiter method, our guide on how to sidechain walks through the key input setup in Pro Tools. More Pro Tools notes are on our Pro Tools page.