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File a plugin in a category

Open Settings ▸ Plugins (⌘,) and pick Instruments, Effects or MIDI Effects at the top. Drag a plugin onto a category to move it there, or hold ⌥ while dropping to add it there as well. Or right-click the plugin and tick categories under Categories.

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Mark a favorite

Click the star in a plugin’s row, or drag the plugin onto Favorites. Favorites list first in Add Effect… (⌥E) and Load Sound… (⌥S). Click the star again to take it out.

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Order the categories and their plugins

Drag a category up or down to set the order of the categories. Drag a plugin within its category to set its place there. The plugin lists show categories and plugins in this order.

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Make, rename and delete categories

Click + under the table for a new category. Double-click a category to rename it. Right-click it for Rename…, Icon and Delete…, or select it and click −.

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Scan for new plugins

After installing a plugin, click Scan for New at the bottom of Settings ▸ Plugins. The line beside it counts your plugins and says when Gridshift last scanned.

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Good to know

  • A plugin can sit in several categories at once. A checkmark under Categories in its menu marks each one it belongs to.
  • Plugins in no category are listed under Other; a newly scanned plugin starts there. Dropping a plugin on Other, or Remove from in its menu, takes it out of that category.
  • Deleting a category frees its plugins. They stay installed and lose only that filing. Gridshift asks first, and it cannot be undone.
  • Categories are app-wide. The same layout applies to every project. With iCloud on, categories, filings, favorites and the order sync across your Macs.
  • Inserting a plugin is a palette job: Load Instruments and Effects.
  • Each kind has its own list, with Favorites on top and Other at the bottom. A category shows under a kind while it holds a plugin of that kind; a new, empty one shows under all three.
  • Search plugins narrows the table to plugins whose name or maker has every word you type.
  • Rescan All checks every installed Audio Unit again and takes longer than Scan for New.
  • The starter set is ordinary. Rename or delete those categories like any you create.
  • The palette and the assistant work on the same categories: New Plugin Category, Rename Plugin Category…, Set Plugin Category Icon… and Delete Plugin Category…, and Scan All Plugins and Scan for New Plugins.
Last modified on October 22, 2026