Importing Your Plugins From a Screenshot

If you have dozens or hundreds of plugins, adding them one by one can be tedious. Screenshot import lets you capture your plugin list from any source and we'll automatically identify and add them to your library.

Supported Sources

Screenshot import works with any image that shows plugin names clearly. Common sources include:

DAW plugin menus - The insert plugin browser in Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton, FL Studio, etc.
License managers - Native Access, iLok License Manager, Plugin Alliance, etc.
Plugin folders - Your VST3, AU, or AAX plugin directories
Store purchase history - Screenshots from plugin retailers

How to Import

Capture your plugin list

Take a screenshot showing the plugin names you want to import. On macOS, press Cmd + Shift + 4 to select an area. On Windows, press Win + Shift + S.

Best practices for screenshots

Ensure plugin names are fully visible (not truncated)
Use high resolution - avoid zooming out too much
Capture one list at a time for best accuracy
Avoid overlapping windows or dialogs

Upload to Plugin Library

Click Add Plugins in your library header — the dialog opens on screenshot import. You can drag and drop your image onto the upload area or click it to browse your files. Supported formats: PNG, JPG, WebP, up to 10MB.

Wait for processing

We'll analyze the image to detect plugin names. This usually takes 5-15 seconds depending on how many plugins are in the image. You'll see a progress indicator while processing.

Review what we found

The names we read off the screenshot come back in three groups:

Add to library - matched to a plugin in our catalog, ready to add
Already in library - you have it already, so nothing happens
Will be added as new - names we don't have yet; we'll add them and go find their details

Each matched row carries a small label saying how sure we are of the match: exact, high or medium.

Uncheck and add

Everything that isn't already in your library starts checked, so the work is unchecking rather than picking — drop anything that isn't really a plugin. Then click Add, which shows how many you're adding. Names we don't have yet go in too, and we go and find their details for you — up to 25 on the first day you add new names and 5 a day after that on a free account. Any beyond that are still added straight away; their details are filled in over the following days.

How many screenshots you can import

Reading a screenshot costs us real money per image, so there's a daily allowance. Your first day is the generous one, because that's when you're setting up your library and one screenshot is rarely enough:

Your first day: 10 screenshots — enough to work through a plugin folder, a license manager, and your DAW menu in one sitting.
Every day after: 3 a day on a free account.
With Pro: 20 a day, every day.

The review screen tells you how many you have left. If you run out, the allowance resets the next day — and pasting plugin names as text doesn't use the screenshot allowance at all: up to 500 names per paste, as many pastes as you need. Either way, your first import always comes in whole, even past 50 plugins. After that, a free account holds 50 plugins and instruments, so once your library is past that, Pro is what lifts the cap for anything else you add.

Pasting a List Instead

Click Paste a list at the top of the Add Plugins dialog and paste your plugin names — one per line works, and so does a table copied from a spreadsheet or exported from a plugin scanner (OwlPlug, PlugPane, and similar tools all work). When your paste looks like a table, we read the column with the plugin names and ignore the rest.

License key exports aren't supported

If your paste has a serial number or license key next to each plugin, we refuse the whole paste instead of reading it — we don't want your license keys anywhere near us. Export or copy just the plugin names instead.

For example, this paste works — one name per line:

FabFilter Pro-Q 3 Serum Valhalla Room

Troubleshooting

Missing plugins?

If some plugins were missed, check that the names were fully visible in the screenshot. You can always add missing plugins manually using the search function.

False positives in results

Sometimes text that isn't a plugin name may be detected. Simply uncheck those items before importing. Common false positives include folder names, menu headers, and vendor names without specific plugins.

Matches labelled medium

A medium label means we matched on part of the name. This often happens with plugin bundles (e.g., "Waves SSL Bundle" vs individual SSL plugins) or variations in naming. If the row names the wrong plugin, uncheck it and add the right one by searching for it afterwards.

"Image too large"

Screenshots have to be under 10MB. A full-screen Retina grab of a long plugin list can go over that — crop it to the part with the names in it, or split it into two screenshots. Capturing one list at a time is the recommendation anyway.

"Too many plugins to read in one go"

A very long list may need to be split into a few screenshots — import them one at a time. That attempt doesn't count toward your daily imports.

Image quality issues

If you're getting poor results, try taking a new screenshot at a higher resolution. Retina/HiDPI screenshots work best. Avoid using compressed images from messaging apps or social media.

Multiple screenshots

You can import from multiple screenshots in sequence. Each import adds to your library without duplicates - we automatically detect if a plugin is already in your collection.

Adding Plugins to Your Library Quick Start Guide Using Search

Importing via Screenshot