Every time I launch Pro Tools, I get "This version of (plug-in name) requires authorization for you to use it. Please press the Authorize button to begin the authorization process." The only options are to Authorize/Buy or Quit. How do I remove expired (trial) plug-ins?



Pop-up Authorization Messages



All Digidesign plug-ins and software that require an additional purchase (and many from third-party developers) require an iLok license for authorization.*

When the Pro Tools application is launched, a message will appear for each plug-in or software option that requires iLok authorization if the license for that sofware is not found on an iLok connected to your computer.

Pro Tools installers and installation disks include various installers for optional plug-ins and software in order to allow existing owners of these options to install or update software for which they have licenses.

If you have installed optional plug-ins or software that you did not purchase, and you do not have an iLok license to use these items, you can remove the software using the instructions below. Once you do, the pop-up authorization message will no longer appear during Pro Tools startup. The procedure for removing the expired (demo) software is different depending on the software type and platform. Information on trial licenses is at the bottom of this page.

*With the exception of MP3 Option:

What Plug-Ins Are Included With My System?
  • To find out what plug-ins are included with your Pro Tools system purchase*, see the Products Section of the website.
  • Choose your Pro Tools system, then click on the "Bundled Plug-Ins" tab.

*While the DigiRack plug-ins are included with all Pro Tools software upgrades, promotional bundles such as the Ignition Pack software are included with the purchase of new Pro Tools HD and LE hardware systems only. The Ignition Pack bundle is not included with Pro Tools software upgrades. DigiRack Plug-ins, original Ignition Pack, and Ignition Pack 2 software do not use iLok authorization (only the Ignition Pack 2 Pro includes extra softare that is iLok-authorized). DigiRack plug-ins require no authorization for use in Pro Tools, while the Ignition Pack software includes instructions for authorization on the printed cards for each Ignition Pack 3rd party product.

See also:

Removing Plug-Ins



Windows
Use Add/Remove programs to remove any plug-ins that you do not want on your system.
To manually remove:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Digidesign\DAE|Plug-Ins

Mac OS X:
Go to Mac HD/Library/Application Support/Digidesign/Plug-ins and delete the relevant plug-in(s), then empty the Trash.

In some cases, there may be multiple plug-in files for one plug-in installation. For instance, D-Fi consists of these 4 plug-ins, which you would remove from your plug-ins folder:
  • LoFi
  • RectiFi
  • SciFi
  • VariFi

Optional Software & Bundles


DigiTranslator, DV Toolkit, DV Toolkit 2, and the Music Production Toolkit are optional software purchases that are not included with the regular purchase of Pro Tools software or hardware systems. Some of these software components are installed in the Pro Tools folder instead of the Plug-ins folder:

The Pro Tools folder can be found in C/Programs/Digidesign/ on Windows, and Hard Drive/Applications/Digidesign/ on Mac OS X.

DigiTranslator


DigiTranslator may be removed by deleting the OMF.dll or OMF.bundle file from the Pro Tools folder.

Music Production Toolkit


Music Production Toolkit can be removed by deleting the MusicProductionToolkit.bundle (Mac) or MusicProductionToolkit.dll (Windows) from the Pro Tools folder. In addition to the Music Production Toolkit file, Music Production Toolkit also includes these 5 plug-ins:
  • TL Space Native
  • DINR LE (plug-in is named "Broadband Noise Reduction LE", iLok license is named "BNR LE")
  • Hybrid
  • Smack! LE
  • SoundReplacer

DV Toolkit 2


DV ToolKit 2 can be removed by deleting the OMF.bundle (Mac) or OMF.dll (Windows) AND the DVToolkit2.bundle (Mac) or DVToolkit2.dll (Windows) files from the Pro Tools folder. In addition to the DV Toolkit 2 and DigiTranslator files, DV Toolkit 2 also includes these 3 plug-ins:
  • TL Space Native
  • DINR LE< (plug-in is named "Broadband Noise Reduction LE", iLok license is named "BNR LE")
  • Synchro Arts VocALign Project LE (plug-in is named "VocALignLEX", iLok license is named "VocALign Project LE"

DV Toolkit


DV ToolKit can be removed by deleting the OMF.dll or OMF.bundle file and the timecode.dll or timecode.bundle from the Pro Tools folder. In addition to the DV Toolkit and DigiTranslator files, the original DV Toolkit also includes these 2 plug-ins:
  • DINR LE (plug-in is named "Broadband Noise Reduction LE", iLok license is named "BNR LE")
  • Synchro Arts VocALign Project LE (plug-in is named "VocALignLEX", iLok license is named "VocALign Project LE"

Additional Notes



iLok Information
For more about iLok licenses, see the following page:
iLok & iLok.com Information & Assistance

Pro Tools 7 Plug-ins Trial Licenses
A system to obtain trial licenses for many Digidesign plug-ins for Pro Tools 7 is now available on the website. Trial mode lets you try this software on your system before purchasing it. To activate a time-limited trial license for this software, you must have an iLok and a valid iLok.com User ID. Please Note: Trial licenses are not available for every plug-in, most non-plug-in software options, or the Pro Tools application.

To obtain your trial license using the online activation process:
  • Go to the Pro Tools Plug-Ins product section
  • Select the page for the Digidesign, Digidesign/Bomb Factory, Digidesign/Trillium Lane Labs, or other Digi-distributed plug-ins you are interested in trying.
  • Go to the download section for each plug-in
  • Click the link that says [Activate Now]
  • Enter your iLok.com User ID
  • If you have not previously tried the plug-in, the time-limited trial license will be deposited to your iLok account

Challenge/Response Authorization
Digidesign and Digi-distributed plug-ins and software that require an iLok authorization do not use the challenge/response authorization method. Although you may see a screen giving a challenge code, that is a random message generated by the PACE license software, and cannot be used with iLok-authorized plug-ins.
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