CompareDownload
Complete plugin migration guide

The ultimate guide to moving audio plugins to a new computer.

Moving a studio setup is not a file-copying job. It is an inventory, installation, licensing, content, and verification project. This guide gives you a reliable order of operations for rebuilding without discovering missing plugins months later.

Download FX Recall FreeOpen reinstall checklist
Free plugin scanning on Windows and macOS.

Move the whole setup—not just the plugin file.

A dependable migration accounts for software, formats, versions, licenses, presets, supporting files, sample content, and the sessions that depend on them.

Inventory first

Create a reliable list before changing anything. Plugin names, vendors, versions, formats, and licensing methods all matter.

Reinstall cleanly

Use official installers and product managers on the new computer instead of copying plugin binaries whenever possible.

Verify with real projects

A plugin scan is not proof that the migration worked. Open representative sessions and confirm settings, presets, libraries, and automation.

Before you touch the old computer

Do not begin by copying the plugin folders. Begin by preserving information. The old computer is your best source of truth for which plugins, versions, formats, licenses, presets, libraries, and custom paths your projects actually depend on.

  • Keep the old system operational and connected until the new setup has passed real-session testing.
  • Create a complete system backup or disk image when practical.
  • Consolidate and back up current DAW projects.
  • Bounce or freeze irreplaceable tracks that depend on unsupported plugins.
  • Export important presets and save custom sample or impulse-response folders.
  • Record license managers, account emails, serial numbers, and physical dongles.
The most expensive migration mistake is wiping too early.A plugin may look installed on the new computer while an old session still depends on a legacy version, missing sample folder, unavailable activation, or custom preset stored only on the original machine.

Step 1: Build a complete plugin inventory

A manual list is better than nothing, but large plugin collections are difficult to reconstruct accurately. Scan the old computer with FX Recall and save the inventory to your account. Then supplement the scan with information that plugin filenames alone cannot provide.

1

Record plugin and vendor names

Include every effect, instrument, bundle, and utility that appears in active projects.

2

Record formats

Note VST3, VST2, Audio Units, and AAX. A project may require a specific format even when another format of the same product is installed.

3

Record major versions

Kontakt 6 and Kontakt 8, or a legacy Waves version and a current one, may be different plugin identities inside a session.

4

Record authorization methods

Examples include iLok, Waves Central, Native Access, vendor accounts, serial numbers, challenge-response files, USB keys, and license files.

5

Record content paths

Document Kontakt libraries, sample drives, impulse responses, presets, expansion packs, and custom folders.

Step 2: Check the new computer’s compatibility

Before downloading anything, compare every critical plugin with the new operating system, processor architecture, and DAW version.

Apple Silicon

Confirm whether the plugin and DAW run natively on Apple Silicon or require Rosetta. A plugin that appears in a translated DAW may be unavailable when the DAW launches natively.

Windows architecture

Most current Windows DAWs require 64-bit plugins. Legacy 32-bit VSTs may require a bridge or an older environment and should not be assumed to work.

Plugin formats

Logic Pro uses Audio Units, Pro Tools uses AAX, and many cross-platform DAWs prefer VST3. Install the format expected by the session, not merely the format that is easiest to find.

Operating-system support

Check each vendor’s current compatibility page, especially for copy protection, drivers, hardware integrations, and plugins that have not been updated recently.

Step 3: Install in a sensible order

A structured order reduces rescans, activation errors, and missing-library confusion.

  1. Install the DAW and required hardware drivers.
  2. Install license managers and vendor hubs. Examples include iLok License Manager, Waves Central, Native Access, Arturia Software Center, and vendor-specific managers.
  3. Install foundational instruments and effects used across many projects.
  4. Install exact legacy major versions required by important sessions.
  5. Reconnect large sample libraries.
  6. Restore user presets, templates, impulse responses, and custom content.
  7. Run the DAW’s full plugin scan.
  8. Compare the new scan with the old FX Recall inventory.

Use official installers rather than copying plugin binaries. See the audio plugin install locations guide when troubleshooting a format or scan path.

Step 4: Move licenses before retiring the old computer

iLok

Deactivate computer-bound licenses from the old host back to your iLok account, then activate them to an allowed location on the new computer. If the old host is inaccessible, request a host computer activation reset. Follow the complete iLok transfer guide.

Waves

Install products with Waves Central and activate the licenses to the new computer or an eligible USB device. Licenses tied to the old computer should be moved or deactivated before it is erased. Use the Waves reinstall guide.

Native Instruments

Install Native Access on the new computer, sign in, install applications and plugin components, then locate reusable Kontakt or Komplete libraries. Use the Native Instruments migration guide.

Other vendor accounts

Log into each vendor portal, release activations from the old system when required, and record which account email owns the license. Do not assume that a product manager’s sign-in automatically deactivates the previous computer.

Step 5: Restore presets, libraries, and supporting files

Plugin installers usually restore factory content, but they may not restore user-created data. Search the old computer for:

  • User presets and favorite lists
  • Kontakt, Falcon, Omnisphere, Superior Drummer, or other large libraries
  • Impulse responses and cabinet captures
  • Custom wavetables and sample packs
  • Channel-strip chains and rack presets
  • MIDI maps and controller templates
  • License files and offline authorization files
  • Vendor-specific databases under Application Support, ProgramData, AppData, or Documents

Preserve the original folder structure when a sampler or project stores absolute paths. When drive letters or volume names change, use the product’s official locate or relocate function.

Step 6: Verify with real sessions

Do not declare the migration complete because the DAW launches. Test projects that represent the full range of your work.

1

Open a recent project

Confirm that current plugins and libraries load without authorization prompts.

2

Open an older project

This exposes missing legacy versions, VST2 dependencies, and discontinued plugins.

3

Check instruments and samplers

Play through the arrangement and listen for missing samples, substitutions, or changed presets.

4

Check automation and recall

Verify that plugin parameters, automation lanes, sidechains, and routing recall correctly.

5

Compare plugin inventories

Scan the new system with FX Recall and compare it against the old machine until critical gaps are resolved.

Step 7: Retire the old computer safely

Only after the new computer has passed testing should you release remaining activations and erase the old system.

  • Deactivate licenses that are still bound to the old computer.
  • Sign out of vendor applications when required.
  • Confirm that backups contain projects, presets, samples, and exports.
  • Keep a copy of the old FX Recall scan.
  • Write down any intentionally omitted or incompatible plugins.
  • Securely erase the old machine only after the migration is verified.

A practical migration checklist

PhaseComplete when
InventoryYou have plugin names, formats, versions, vendors, licenses, and content paths.
CompatibilityCritical plugins support the new OS, processor, and DAW.
InstallationOfficial installers or product managers have installed the required formats and versions.
LicensingNo essential activation is stranded on the old computer.
ContentPresets, samples, libraries, and custom assets are connected.
VerificationRecent and legacy sessions load and sound correct.
RetirementThe old system can be erased without losing unique data or activations.

Related migration guides

Transfer iLok licensesDeactivate the old host, activate the new one, or request a reset. Reinstall Waves pluginsInstall versions and move licenses with Waves Central. Move Native InstrumentsReinstall apps and reconnect Kontakt or Komplete libraries. Find plugin foldersStandard VST3, VST2, Audio Units, and AAX locations.

Frequently asked questions

Can I copy all my VST files to the new computer?

That is not a reliable full migration. Plugins can require installers, shared frameworks, license services, presets, libraries, and additional support files.

Should I install the newest version of every plugin?

Install supported current versions where practical, but preserve exact older major versions required by important projects. Newer versions do not always replace old plugin identifiers.

How long should I keep the old computer?

Keep it accessible until representative recent and legacy sessions have loaded successfully and all important activations, presets, and libraries are accounted for.

Does FX Recall automatically transfer plugins?

No. FX Recall inventories the old and new systems and helps organize reinstall work. Vendor installers and licensing systems remain responsible for installing and authorizing each product.

Do not rebuild your plugin library from memory.

Scan your old computer with FX Recall, save a cloud-synced inventory, and track what still needs to be installed on the new machine.

Download FX Recall FreeMore migration help