How to update Photism

2026-11-01

Photism ships new scenes and fixes often, and every one of them is free. There is no update button and nothing to buy. The link in your purchase email always serves the newest build, so updating means opening that link again and installing over what you have.

The short version

Open the download link from your purchase email. Lost it? Use the redownload page and it is sent again.
Download the format you use. The page remembers whether you are on Mac or Windows.
Install it over the old copy. Nothing needs uninstalling first.
Restart your DAW, or reopen the standalone app. The new scenes are in the scene list.

Mac

Quit your DAW and the standalone app, then run the new installer. It replaces the VST3, the AU, and the standalone app in one pass. Rescan plugins in your DAW if it does not pick the new build up on launch. Since version 0.3.3 the standalone app lives in the main Applications folder, the one in the Finder sidebar, and the plugins in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins. The installer clears away the copies older versions put in your home folder.

Windows

VST3: extract the new zip and copy the whole Photism.vst3 folder into C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3, replacing the old one. Rescan in your DAW.

Standalone: right-click the new zip, choose Extract All, and open Photism.exe from the extracted folder. Keep the Resources folder beside it. You can delete the old folder once the new one runs. If you made a desktop shortcut or pinned Photism to the taskbar, point it at the new Photism.exe, or it keeps opening the old build.

Photism Online

Nothing to do. The browser version is always current. Reload the page.

Checking the version

In the standalone app, click audio in: the version and build run along the bottom of the Audio Settings window. On a Mac, About Photism in the Photism menu shows them too. Update the plugin and the app together from the same download page and the app’s version is the plugin’s too.

What stays the same

Your recordings are ordinary video files in your Downloads folder, and an update does not touch them. Presets are stored in your user data rather than in the app files, so they survive a reinstall. Your download link never changes either, which is why the one email is worth keeping.

Questions

Do updates cost anything?

No. One purchase covers every version. New scenes, new modes, and fixes all arrive as free updates.

Is there an update button inside the plugin?

No. Photism does not check for updates on its own. You update by opening your download link again and installing the newest build over the one you have.

How do I know if I am on the newest build?

In the standalone app, click audio in. The version and build run along the bottom of the Audio Settings window, and on a Mac, About Photism in the Photism menu shows them too. Update the plugin and the app together from the same download page and the app's version is the plugin's too. A scene from a recent announcement missing from your scene list also means an older build.

Will I lose my presets or recordings?

No. Recordings are video files in your Downloads folder, and an update does not touch them. Presets live in your user data, not in the app files, so reinstalling does not clear them.

I lost my download email. How do I update?

Go to photism.app/redownload, enter the email you bought with, and the link is sent again. The same link always serves the newest build.

Does Photism Online need updating?

No. The browser version at photism.app/online is always the newest build. Reload the page and you have it.