Cubase – Plugin Not Showing Up (PC)

Problem: You installed Safari Plugins but they don’t appear in Cubase.

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Step 1: Open VST Plug-in Manager

Open Cubase → Studio → VST Plug-in Manager.
The window will display all currently detected plugins.

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Step 2: Verify Plugin Paths

Click the gear (settings) icon in the VST Plug-in Manager.

Check that the paths where Safari Plugins installed are included:

VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\

If the plugin folder isn’t listed, click Add Path and select it.

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Step 3: Rescan Plugins

In the VST Plug-in Manager, click Rescan All to force Cubase to scan all directories.

Go to the Blocklist tab:

• If your Safari plugin is blacklisted, select it → click Reactivate.

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Step 4: Clear Cache and Blacklist (Windows, VST3)

If the plugin still doesn’t appear, manually clear the VST3 cache:

1. Close Cubase

2. Open File Explorer and navigate to:

C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Steinberg\Cubase <version>\

3. Delete the following files:

• VST3PluginBlacklist.xml → removes the blacklist

• VST3Plugins.xml → forces a full plugin rescan

Reopen Cubase; it will rebuild the plugin cache and rescan all VST3 plugins.

Note: Replace <version> with your Cubase version (13, 14, 15).

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Step 5: Verify Installation

Navigate to the plugin installation path:

VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\

Confirm that the plugin files exist (.vst3).
If missing, reinstall Safari Plugins using the Windows installer.

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Step 6: Restart Cubase

Close Cubase and reopen it to refresh the plugin list.
Open the VST Instruments or Insert Effects browser to confirm Safari Plugins are available.

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Tips / Troubleshooting

• Make sure your plugin formats match what Cubase is set to scan (VST3).

• Remove old or conflicting plugin versions to avoid duplicates.

• Use the manual cache reset if the plugin was blocked or previously failed validation.

• Always check Cubase version compatibility with Safari Plugins.