Force Pro Tools to Recognize Your Plugins: A Step-by-Step Rescan Guide

Pro Tools, like any professional Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), automatically scans your plugins upon startup to ensure they are available for your music production projects. However, sometimes Pro Tools might miss a newly installed plugin, leaving you scratching your head. Unlike some other DAWs, Pro Tools doesn’t offer a straightforward manual “rescan plugins” button. But don’t worry, forcing Pro Tools to rescan your plugins is still achievable.

This guide will walk you through the process of forcing an Avid Pro Tools plugin rescan, ensuring your new virtual instruments and effects are recognized and ready to use. This method essentially involves prompting Pro Tools to rebuild its plugin list from scratch, a reliable way to solve plugin detection issues. Let’s get your plugins working so you can get back to creating music without interruption.

Step 1: Completely Close Pro Tools

Before making any changes to your system or plugin files, the crucial first step is to ensure Pro Tools is completely closed. Pro Tools scans for plugins only during its startup sequence. If Pro Tools is running, it won’t detect any newly installed plugins or recognize changes until the next time it launches.

To guarantee a clean restart and avoid any conflicts during the rescan process, it’s best practice to not just close the main application window, but also to check that the entire program is shut down. Use your operating system’s task manager (Task Manager on Windows, Activity Monitor on macOS) to confirm that Pro Tools and any related processes are fully terminated. This ensures that no background processes are interfering with the plugin rescan process.

Step 2: Verify Your Plugins Are in the Correct Plugin Folders

Pro Tools is particular about where it looks for plugins. It relies on specific plugin folders to find and load your virtual instruments and effects. Ensuring your plugins are installed in these designated locations is paramount for Pro Tools to recognize them during the scan.

Pro Tools 11 and later versions exclusively utilize plugins residing in specific AAX plugin folders. While many plugin installers automatically place your plugins in the correct directories, it’s always wise to double-check, especially if you’re encountering issues.

Here are the standard plugin folder locations for Pro Tools on both Windows and macOS:

Windows 10 Plugin Folders

• C:Program FilesCommon FilesAvidAudioPlug-Ins
• C:Program FilesCommon FilesDigidesignDAEPlug-Ins
• C:Program Files (x86)Common FilesAvidAudioPlug-Ins
• C:Program Files (x86)Common FilesDigidesignDAEPlug-Ins

Mac OS X Plugin Folders

• Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins
• Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Digidesign/Plug-Ins

If you can’t locate your plugin within Pro Tools, first verify that the plugin files (.aaxplugin format for Pro Tools) are indeed present in one of these designated folders. Sometimes, plugin installers might place files in VST plugin folders, which Pro Tools might not scan directly for AAX plugins.

While Pro Tools primarily uses AAX plugins, it’s worth noting that older VST plugins, especially 32-bit versions, might not be compatible with modern 64-bit Pro Tools versions. If you’re dealing with older plugins, ensure they are 64-bit AAX compatible. General VST plugin folders are often located in:

• C:Program FilesVSTPlugins
• C:Program FilesSteinbergVSTPlugins
• C:Program FilesCommon FilesVST3
• C:Program Files (x86)Common FilesVST3
• C:Program FilesCommon FilesVST2
• C:Program FilesCommon FilesSteinbergVST2
• C:Program Files (x86)SteinbergVstPlugins
• Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST
• Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST3
• Users/*Username*/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST
• Users/*Username*/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST3

However, for Pro Tools compatibility, prioritize the AAX plugin format and ensure they reside in the Avid/Digidesign AAX plugin folders listed earlier.

Step 3: Try a Simple Pro Tools Restart First

After confirming your plugin is in the correct location, the simplest step is to just restart Pro Tools. Close Pro Tools completely again (as described in Step 1) and then relaunch it.

Upon restarting, Pro Tools will automatically initiate its plugin scan process. Check your plugin list within Pro Tools to see if the missing plugin now appears. Often, a simple restart after correct installation is all that’s needed for Pro Tools to recognize new plugins. If it appears, you’re all set! If not, proceed to the next step to force a more thorough rescan.

Step 4: Force a Plugin Rescan by Deleting Plugin Preferences

If a simple restart didn’t do the trick, the next step to force Pro Tools to rescan plugins is to delete its plugin preferences. This action essentially clears Pro Tools’ memory of previously scanned plugins, forcing it to perform a fresh scan upon the next launch.

Important Note: Deleting plugin preferences will reset your plugin settings to their defaults. If you have customized presets or settings within your plugins that you wish to preserve, it’s highly recommended to back them up before proceeding with this step. Most plugins have their own preset management systems for saving and loading presets.

Here’s how to delete plugin preferences on both Windows and macOS:

Windows 10: Deleting Plugin Preferences

1. Open File Explorer: Navigate to your file explorer.

2. Show Hidden Items: Plugin preference folders are often hidden. In File Explorer, go to the “View” tab and check the box labeled “Hidden items” to make hidden folders and files visible.

3. Locate Preference Folders: Navigate to one of the following locations. The exact location might vary slightly depending on your Pro Tools version and system configuration:

   • C:Users*YourUsername*AppDataRoamingAvidPro Tools
   • C:Program Files (x86)Common FilesDigidesignDAEDAE Prefs

   Replace *YourUsername* with your actual Windows username.

4. Delete Preference Files or Folders: Inside these folders, you can either:

   • Delete the entire “Pro Tools” folder (or “DAE Prefs” folder if found in the second path). This is the most thorough approach.
   • Alternatively, delete specific files related to plugin preferences. Look for files such as InstalledAAXPlugIns.xml or similar files that seem to store plugin information.

Mac OS X: Trashing Plugin Settings

1. Open Finder: Open a new Finder window.

2. Go to Preferences Folder: In the Finder menu, click “Go” and then “Go to Folder…”.

3. Enter Path: Type in ~/Library/Preferences/Avid and press “Go”. This will take you to the Avid preferences folder within your user Library (the tilde ~ represents your user home directory).

4. Delete Pro Tools Preferences: Inside the “Avid” folder, you can:

   • Delete the entire “Pro Tools” folder. This will reset all Pro Tools preferences, including plugin preferences.
   • Or, delete these specific files related to plugin settings:
     • com.digidesign.ProTools.plist
     • com.digidesign.ProTools.plist.lockfile
     • DAE Prefs
     • DigiSetup.OSX
     • Pro Tools Prefs

5. Empty Trash: After deleting the folders or files, it’s crucial to empty your Trash Bin (on both Windows and Mac) to ensure these preference files are permanently removed from your system.

Step 5: Relaunch Pro Tools to Rescan Plugins

With the plugin preferences deleted and your trash emptied, you are now ready to relaunch Pro Tools.

Start Pro Tools as you normally would. Because you’ve removed the old plugin preference files, Pro Tools will be forced to perform a complete rescan of all your installed plugins during the startup process. This fresh scan should now detect your newly installed plugin, assuming it is correctly installed in the designated plugin folders and is compatible with your version of Pro Tools.

After Pro Tools has finished loading, check your plugin menus within the DAW. Your missing plugin should now be present in the list, ready for you to use in your projects.

Step 6: Customize Your Plugin Menus for Easier Navigation (Optional)

In some cases, even after a rescan, you might find your plugin, but it’s located in an unexpected category or manufacturer folder within Pro Tools’ plugin menus. Pro Tools allows you to customize how your plugins are organized in the menus, which can be helpful for locating plugins more easily.

To customize your plugin menu display:

1. Open Preferences: Within Pro Tools, go to the “Setup” menu and select “Preferences.”
2. Navigate to Display Tab: In the Preferences window, click on the “Display” tab.
3. Organize Plug-In Menus By: Look for the section titled “Organize Plug-In Menus By.”
4. Choose Organization Method: Experiment with different organization options, such as “Category/Manufacturer.” This often groups plugins first by their category (e.g., EQ, Compressor, Reverb) and then by the plugin manufacturer, making it easier to browse and find specific plugins.

By organizing your plugin menus, you can streamline your workflow and ensure you can quickly locate all your plugins, including the one that might have initially been elusive.

In Summary

Forcing Pro Tools to rescan plugins primarily involves deleting the DAW’s plugin preference files, which triggers a fresh scan upon the next launch. By following these steps—ensuring plugins are correctly installed, deleting preferences, and restarting Pro Tools—you should successfully resolve most plugin recognition issues and get back to your music production. Remember to always check for plugin compatibility, especially with older plugins and newer versions of Pro Tools.