Hey everyone, I've disabled the auto-tags in Ableton Live 12 Suite and created my own custom tags. I've tagged all my VSTs with these and set up my own organization system. This is absolutely essential for my workflow, but what's been on my mind is this: if I ever need to reformat my computer or reinstall Ableton, having to redo all this would be a total nightmare! How can I back these up so I can restore them easily in those situations? Or do you have any other tips? Thanks in advance, guys!

 

Copy the complete folder " User Library " from
C:\Users\[Your Username]\Documents\Ableton\User Library
and save it to an external storage medium.

The User Library https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209774085-The-User-Library

 

Ty mate, also should I keep C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live [version]\Preferences\ ?

 

I'm not entirely sure, but as soon as I figure that out, you should save the preferences as well.

The Library.cfg file, which contains Collection labels (the names and colors of tags), is located in the Preferences folder at:
C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live [version]\Preferences\Library.cfg

EDIT: Yes, please secure it too!

 

Last edited: Aug 12, 2025

I made a backup of that too, just in case. Thank you very much. I hope this method is successful for backup. I don't even want to think about the opposite situation, where it's not backed up at all

 

Just a reminder: Be sure to back up your current version of Ableton, i.e., the setup from the manufacturer's website.
This is the only way to be sure everything will work if you need to reinstall.

 

Last edited: Aug 12, 2025