Where Does VapourSynth Store Plugins?
VapourSynth plugin folders and config file paths on Windows, Linux and macOS.
Last updated
VapourSynth separates core, system and user plugins. User folders are the safe target. Core folders belong to the install and should stay untouched.
Linux and macOS add a small conf file that names the user and system dirs. Windows uses fixed folder names instead. Portable Windows builds anchor to the DLL directory rather than Roaming.
Where VapourSynth stores this, by platform
%AppData%\VapourSynth\plugins64
User plugin folder, autoloaded. Use plugins32 for 32 bit builds. Global folders sit beside the install, core plugins separate and best left alone. Portable anchors to the DLL dir instead of Roaming.
~/.config/vapoursynth/vapoursynth.conf
Names UserPluginDir and SystemPluginDir. System default under lib dirs like /usr/lib/vapoursynth. Pip wheels autoload site-packages plugins. Extra paths via environment variable.
~/Library/Application Support/VapourSynth/vapoursynth.conf
Same semantics as Linux. Typical system dirs under /usr/local/lib or the framework lib. Pip wheels autoload the same way.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a plugin?
Drop the plugin into the user folder for your OS and restart the host app. Linux and macOS read the conf to find UserPluginDir. Windows autoloads the user plugins folder. Keep 32 and 64 bit builds apart on Windows.
Why does a plugin load with no system folder present?
Pip wheels autoload their bundled plugins folder recursively. That folder lives under site-packages and survives conf edits. Check there when a plugin loads despite missing system folders.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.