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How to Run Waves Plugins on macOS El Capitan 10.11

May 28, 2023

To install Waves plugins on macOS El Capitan (10.11), please follow the steps below:

Step #1 – Activate licenses to a USB Flash Drive using a supported system

On a computer running an operating system that supports the current version of Waves Central (Windows 10 and up / macOS 10.13 and up), follow these steps:

  1. Download and install Waves Central for Mac | Windows
    If you already have Waves Central installed, skip to the next step.
  2. Launch Waves Central:
    On Windows: via the desktop shortcut or via Start Menu > All Programs > Waves Central.
    On Mac: Applications > Waves Central.
  3. Select the Licenses page.
  4. Select Not Activated at the top of the page.
  5. Choose the license/s you wish to activate. Selected licenses will appear in the list on the right.
  6. On the right panel, choose your connected USB flash drive as the target device for license activation.
  7. Click the Activate button.

Step #2 – Install Waves plugins on the macOS 10.11 system

    1. On the Mac that is running macOS 10.11, uninstall Waves Central by dragging it from the Applications folder to Trash.
    2. Download the V10 Offline Installation Folder for Mac.
    3. Once done, disconnect your computer from the internet.
    4. Extract the downloaded zip file and run Install_Waves_Central.dmg.
    5. Drag Waves Central to the Applications folder as instructed.
    6. In Finder, browse to the Waves V10 Plugins folder (which you just extracted) and double-click on the file named “install.cen”.
      Waves Central will open on the Offline Installer page.
    7. Select the products you wish to install and click on Install.
    8. Once done, connect the USB flash drive you have prepared in Step #1 to this computer, in order to activate the plugins.

    Important Notes:

    • For V10 products to work, you will need to have corresponding licenses that are V10 or higher.
    • If you own V9 licenses, please follow the steps listed here to install V9 plugins.
    • Products released after October 27, 2019 will not be available in the V10 Offline Installer.
    • To see a list of the plugins available in the V10 installer, scroll down to the bottom of this page.
    • When installing using the offline installer, sample libraries for Waves instruments must be installed manually.
    1. On the Mac that is running macOS 10.11, uninstall Waves Central by dragging it from the Applications folder to Trash.
    2. Download the V10 Waves Creative Access Installation Folder for Mac.
    3. Once done, disconnect your computer from the internet.
    4. Extract the downloaded zip file and run Install_Waves_Central.dmg.
    5. Drag Waves Central to the Applications folder as instructed.
    6. In Finder, browse to the Waves V10 Plugins folder (which you just extracted) and double-click on the file named “install.cen”.
      Waves Central will open on the Offline Installer page.
    7. Select All Waves Plugins and click on Install.
    8. Once done, connect the USB flash drive you have prepared in Step #1 to this computer, in order to activate the plugins.

    Important Notes:

    • Only plugins that are part of your Waves Creative Access subscription will show up in your DAW.
    • Products released after October 27, 2019 will not be available in the V10 Offline Installer.
    • To see a list of the plugins available in the V10 installer, scroll down to the bottom of this page.
    • When installing using the offline installer, sample libraries for Waves instruments must be installed manually.

Your products are now ready to use.

Please note: If you launch Waves Central when online, it will auto-update to the latest version which is not supported on macOS El Capitan. Make sure to only run Waves Central when you’re offline.

If you need any further assistance, please Contact Technical Support.