Rescan a DAW without turning troubleshooting into chaos
Rescan after the file and path check, not before it. A scan cannot discover a plug-in where the host does not look.
Diagnosis
- Close duplicate DAW instances.
- Confirm the intended VST3 path once.
- Use the DAW manager's rescan or reset action, then inspect the result.
Decision
- Prefer a targeted rescan to deleting every cache.
- If a plug-in is blocklisted, capture the reason before resetting.
- Record host version and plug-in build when escalating.
Measurement boundary
A repeated scan failure is evidence to inspect logs or compatibility, not a reason to rescan forever.
Common failure: Deleting settings blindly can destroy useful evidence and unrelated preferences.