How to add samples to FL Studio

There are two ways to get a sample pack into the FL Studio browser: drag the folder in, or add it as an extra search folder. Both take less than a minute, and the samples stay where they are on your drive.

The quickest way: drag and drop

  1. Unzip the pack. FL Studio cannot browse inside a .zip file.
  2. Move the unzipped folder to where you keep your samples, for example a folder called Samples on your fastest drive.
  3. Drag the folder from Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) onto the browser on the left side of FL Studio.
  4. The folder now shows up in the browser. Click a sample to preview it, and drag it onto the Channel rack or into the Playlist.

Image-Line's own manual calls drag and drop the simplest way to add folders to the browser.

RAW POWER179 royalty-free house and tech house drums and loops, sorted into folders that drop straight into the FL Studio browser.

The permanent way: extra search folders

  1. Click the small menu arrow at the top left of the browser.
  2. Go to Content and choose Configure extra folders. This opens File settings (F10).
  3. Click an empty slot under Browser extra search folders and pick your sample folder.

FL Studio has room for up to 30 extra search folders, and they show up in green in the browser. Searches include subfolders, so add one parent folder (Samples) rather than every pack on its own. Drop new packs into that folder and they appear in FL Studio automatically.

Tips that save time later

  • Never add a whole drive (like C:\ or your external drive) as a search folder. FL Studio warns that it makes searches and project loading very slow.
  • Keep one Samples folder with one subfolder per pack. Moving packs around later breaks the links in older projects.
  • Use a fast drive. Samples load from disk every time you open a project.
  • Right-click a folder in the browser to add it to your favorites, so the packs you use most sit at the top.

Where FL Studio keeps your own files

Your projects, recordings and downloaded content live in the FL Studio user data folder, which by default is inside Documents:

Documents\Image-Line\FL Studio

Projects are in the Projects folder inside it. You can change the user data folder in File settings.

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Free sounds for your next track

16 house drums, three guitar loops and five Serum 2 presets from our packs. Royalty-free, yours to use in music you release.

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Questions

How do I add a sample folder to FL Studio?

Drag the folder from Explorer or Finder onto the FL Studio browser, or add it under Browser extra search folders in File settings (F10).

Why do my samples not show up in FL Studio?

Most often the pack is still zipped, or the folder was never added to the browser. Unzip it and drag the folder onto the browser.

How many sample folders can FL Studio have?

Up to 30 extra search folders. Since searches include subfolders, one parent folder for all your packs is usually enough.

Where is the FL Studio user data folder?

By default in Documents\Image-Line\FL Studio. You can move it in File settings.

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