How To Install VST Plugins Into FL Studio

I’m seeing lot of people asking how to install VST plugins into FL Studio so here’s a short guide showing you how to do it.

First of all, you need to have a folder for all your VST plugins somewhere in your hard drive (default is under C:\Program Files\). If you dont have one, create it and name it to ‘VSTplugins’ for example.

Now, usually VST plugins (most of the free ones at least) comes either zipped (or rar packed) package of files (.DLL file(s)) which you have to unzip or unrar to your VSTplugins folder. You need a ZIP / RAR extractor such as 7-Zip or  IZArc for this.

Unpack the whole content of that .zip or .rar file straight to your VSTplugins folder (or to your desktop and move/copy it to there).

If the plugin has its own installer (.exe file), follow the instructions given during the installation. Usually it asks the location of your VSTplugin folder.

Next, open the FL Studio and go to Options -> File Settings (or press F10) and under the ‘VST plugins extra search folder’, define your default VSTplugin folder (if you haven’t done so already). You only need to do this once and not everytime you install a new plugin.

After that, go to the Channels -> Add one -> More… and a box with a list of plugins will appear. At the Bottom of the box you’ll see a’Refresh’ button: click on it and choose ‘Fast scan (recommended)’ from the menu:

After scanning you should see your newly installed plugin in the plugin list (in red color):

That’s it!

Now you can double click it to open it and if you want, tick the little box (Favourite Switch) that is in front of the plugin to make it appear in your favourites list.

NOTE that if you installed an EFFECT plugin (not a synth which is a ‘generator’, but an effect – these are two different types of plugins), you can only open it to a Mixer tracks effect slot.