Cubase accepts both VST2 and VST3 plugins, however, it will prioritize VST3 plugins and does not include an option to select VST2 plugins instead. The only way to ensure that Cubase will load the VST2 version of a library you own, is to delete your VST3 version from your plugin install folder, forcing Cubase to bypass VST3 and use VST2.
| Plugin Type | Mac | Windows |
| VST2 | /Library/Audio/Plug Ins/VST | C:\Program Files\VstPlugins |
| VST3 | /Library/Audio/Plug Ins/VST3 | C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 |
There are also additional VST2 install folders that can sometimes be found and used on older systems:
| Plugin Type | Windows |
| VST2 | C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTPlugins |
| C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST2 | |
| C:\Program Files\Common Files\Steinberg\VST2 |
If one of these folders is present and your plugins are found in there, this may be the correct install folder on your machine instead.
You can confirm which exact folderCubase is using by navigating to the following menu:
| Studio > VST Plugin Manager |
Once in the plugin manager, you should be able to click the cog icon towards the bottom left of the window to display all plugin install locations:
Once your plugins are in their correct install folder, they should appear in the plugin manager above.
If they appear in that plugin manager, they should then be able to be loaded in your DAW by selecting:
| Project > Add Track > Instrument |
More general information on library installation can be found in this article: Where is my library?