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Everything via Steinberg Download Assistant

Steinberg installation.

Steinberg products are installed and unlocked through Steinberg Download Assistant. Set aside about ten minutes. You will need the activation code from your licence email.

Official brand help

helpcenter.steinberg.de/hc/en-us ↗

How to install and activate

Redeem your code

  1. 1

    Install the Steinberg Download Assistant

    Steinberg's products are downloaded and activated through one small free program, the Steinberg Download Assistant. Download the Mac or Windows version, open the file and install it. It also installs Steinberg Activation Manager, which you will meet in step 5.

    Open ↗
    TIPAlready have it from an earlier Steinberg product? Just open it — it updates itself on start.
  2. 2

    Open it and sign in to MySteinberg

    When it starts, the Download Assistant asks you to log in with a MySteinberg account. If you have never had one, choose to register — it is free and takes a minute. Your licence will be stored in this account, so use an email address you will keep.

    TIPAlready own Cubase, Dorico or another Steinberg product? Sign in with that same account so everything sits together.

    CHECKPOINT

    The Download Assistant window shows your name at the top right and a list of products on the left.

  3. 3

    Click "Redeem Code" and enter your Download Access Code

    In the top-left corner of the Download Assistant, click the button labelled "Redeem Code". A box pops up asking for your Download Access Code — that is the code in your licence email, 25 letters and numbers in five groups of five. Type or paste it in and click OK.

    TIPA Download Access Code can only be redeemed once. If the redemption is interrupted by a connection problem you can enter it again, but once the licence is created the code is spent — it has become a licence in your account.

    Your activation code

    It is in your licence email, in the purple panel. Signed in? It is in your account too.

    Sign in to view it

    CHECKPOINT

    The box now shows the name of the product you bought — your licence has been created. Close the box.

Install and activate

  1. 4

    Download and install from "My Products"

    Your new product now appears under "My Products", the top category on the left. Select it, and the download choices appear on the right. Click "Install" (or "Install All") — the Download Assistant downloads and installs it for you. For a product with sound content, be patient: the libraries are large.

    TIPA blue bar means downloading or installing; a green bar with a white tick means installed. If "Install" is not offered, click "Download", then "Open" and double-click the installer in the folder that opens.
  2. 5

    Let Steinberg Activation Manager activate your licence

    Redeeming the code also activated your licence and stored it in Steinberg Activation Manager, which the Download Assistant installed alongside itself. You normally do not need to do anything here. If a program later says it cannot find a licence, open Steinberg Activation Manager from your Applications folder (Mac) or Start menu (Windows), sign in with the same MySteinberg account, and activate the product from its list.

    TIPAlways make sure you are signed in to the right MySteinberg account — the licence belongs to the account that redeemed the code.

    CHECKPOINT

    Activation Manager shows your product as "Activated" on this computer.

  3. 6

    Open your new software

    Cubase, Nuendo, WaveLab, Dorico and SpectraLayers open as programs in their own right. Groove Agent, Absolute and the other instruments open as plug-ins inside the music program you use — Cubase, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Pro Tools and so on — and also as stand-alone apps. Nothing to type in: the licence is already active.

    TIPThe first start of a Cubase or Nuendo may take a few minutes while it scans its sounds — that is normal.

    CHECKPOINT

    The program opens with no licence or trial message. Enjoy.

Upgrades and crossgrades (for example Cubase Artist from Cubase AI or LE, Nuendo from Cubase, Dorico from Sibelius or Finale): redeem the code in exactly the same way, but be signed in to the MySteinberg account that already holds the licence you are upgrading from — the Download Assistant checks for it and asks you to confirm the upgrade. If your old licence is on a USB-eLicenser, register that eLicenser in your MySteinberg account first. Education editions: we check your proof of eligibility when you buy; the code then redeems like any other and the software is the same. Bundles such as Absolute: everything the code covers appears under "My Products" — install the parts one by one or with "Install All" where offered. SpectraLayers 365 is a time-limited licence: it redeems the same way, and when its period ends the licence stops working and stays listed in your MySteinberg account.

If something goes wrong

My code is not accepted

Codes are entered exactly as sent — paste rather than retype, and keep or drop dashes exactly as the steps say. Still stuck? Contact us with your order number and we will sort it, usually the same day.

The plug-in does not show up in my music program

Check you installed the format your program uses and rescan its plug-in folders. The Steinberg help pages cover each program's scan settings.

I bought this but have no email

Check spam first — licence emails arrive within minutes of payment. Nothing there? Contact us and we will resend it.

Do I need the Steinberg app?

Yes — Steinberg installs and licenses everything through its own app; the guide above starts there.