Plugin installers put files in a lot of places. The plugin itself is one file. But the installer also drops presets in one location, license data in another, preferences somewhere else, maybe a standalone app, maybe some documentation. Every developer does it differently.
When you want to remove a plugin, deleting the plugin file is step one. Steps two through six are finding everything else.
If you'd rather not do this manually: Audio Plugin Uninstaller handles it automatically for $9.
What gets installed
A typical plugin installation touches these locations:
The plugin itself:
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/(AU)/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/(VST2)/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/(VST3)/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/(AAX)
Presets:
/Library/Audio/Presets/[Vendor]/(factory)~/Library/Audio/Presets/[Vendor]/(user)
Configuration, licenses, samples:
/Library/Application Support/[Vendor]/~/Library/Application Support/[Vendor]/
Preferences:
~/Library/Preferences/com.vendor.plugin.plist
Standalone apps:
/Applications/
Documentation:
/Library/Documentation/[Vendor]/
Shared data:
/Users/Shared/[Vendor]/
User documents:
~/Documents/[Vendor]/
Sample libraries:
- User-defined locations (varies by vendor)
Caches:
~/Library/Caches/com.vendor.*
User Library paths start with ~. To access: Finder → Go → Go to Folder → type ~/Library
We know: that's a lot of folders.
The easy button
Audio Plugin Uninstaller removes everything that was installed. It also helps you delete entire plugin formats at once — useful if you don't use AU or AAX and want to reclaim often 45GB+.
Plugins with their own uninstallers
Some companies manage installations through proprietary apps. For these, use their tools:
- Waves — Waves Central
- iZotope — iZotope Product Portal
- Native Instruments — Native Access
- Softube — Softube Central
- Universal Audio — UA Connect
Brand-specific file locations
FabFilter
- Presets:
~/Library/Application Support/FabFilter/[PluginName]/ - Preferences:
~/Library/Preferences/com.fabfilter.*.plist
IK Multimedia
- Settings:
~/Library/Application Support/IK Multimedia/ - Standalone apps:
/Applications/AmpliTube*.app,/Applications/TONEX/ - Documentation:
/Library/Documentation/IK Multimedia/ - Uninstaller: IK Product Manager
Plugin Alliance / Brainworx
- License:
~/Library/Application Support/Plugin Alliance/pa.license - Settings:
~/Library/Application Support/Plugin Alliance Installation Manager/ - Preferences:
~/Library/Preferences/com.pluginalliance.plist
Xfer Records (Serum, LFO Tool, OTT)
- Presets:
/Library/Audio/Presets/Xfer Records/Serum Presets/ - Wavetables:
/Library/Audio/Presets/Xfer Records/Serum Presets/Tables/ - Preferences:
~/Library/Preferences/SerumPrefs.json
Valhalla DSP
- Presets:
/Library/Application Support/Valhalla DSP, LLC/[PluginName]/Presets/ - Presets:
/Library/Audio/Presets/Valhalla DSP, LLC/
u-he (Diva, Zebra, Repro, Hive)
- Presets:
/Library/Audio/Presets/u-he/ - Settings:
/Library/Application Support/u-he/ - User data:
~/Library/Application Support/u-he/
Neural DSP
- Presets:
/Library/Audio/Presets/Neural DSP/ - Settings:
~/Library/Application Support/Neural DSP/ - Standalone:
/Applications/Neural DSP/
Eventide
- Presets:
/Library/Audio/Presets/Eventide/ - Settings:
~/Library/Application Support/Eventide/ - Uninstaller:
/Applications/Eventide/Uninstallers/
Output (Arcade, Portal, Thermal)
- Content:
/Library/Application Support/Output/Arcade/Arcade Content/ - Presets:
/Library/Application Support/Output/[PluginName]/Presets/ - User presets:
~/Library/Application Support/Output/
Celemony Melodyne
- Presets:
~/Library/Audio/Presets/Celemony/ - Preferences:
~/Library/Preferences/com.celemony.melodyne.*.plist - Standalone:
/Applications/Melodyne 5/ - Uninstaller:
/Applications/Melodyne 5/Melodyne Uninstaller.app
Spectrasonics (Omnisphere, Keyscape, Trilian)
- Plugin files are small; libraries are 50-100GB+
- Libraries: User-defined location (check during install)
- Settings:
~/Library/Application Support/Spectrasonics/STEAM/
Soundtoys
- Presets:
/Users/Shared/Soundtoys/ - Uninstaller:
/Applications/Soundtoys/Utilities/
Slate Digital
- Uninstaller:
/Applications/Slate Digital/Uninstall.command
Spitfire Labs
- Libraries: User-defined (check Spitfire app)
- Cache:
~/Library/Caches/com.spitfireaudio.spitfireaudio
Arturia
- Presets:
~/Documents/Arturia/ - Uninstaller: Arturia Software Center
XLN Audio
- Uninstaller: XLN Online Installer
Toontrack
- Uninstaller: Toontrack Product Manager
UVI
- Soundbanks:
/Library/Application Support/UVISoundBanks/ - Uninstaller: UVI Portal