Guides

Serum 2 presets folder: where it is and how to fix “not found”

Updated 2 November 2026

Serum 2 keeps its presets in a folder of its own, separate from Serum 1. Here is where it is on Windows and macOS, how to add new presets, and what to check when Serum 2 cannot find them.

Looking for something to put in it? Start with our 5 free Serum 2 presets, or hear all 71 EDM Serum presets.

The quickest way

Open Serum 2 in your DAW, click the main menu at the top right, and choose the option that opens the presets folder. Your computer opens the folder Serum 2 is actually using, wherever it is.

Where Serum 2 presets are on Windows

C:\Users\(your name)\Documents\Xfer\Serum 2 Presets

If OneDrive is turned on, Windows often moves Documents into OneDrive. Then the folder is here:

C:\Users\(your name)\OneDrive\Documents\Xfer\Serum 2 Presets

Where Serum 2 presets are on a Mac

/Library/Audio/Presets/Xfer Records/

This is the Library at the top of your hard drive, not the one inside your user folder (~/Library). In Finder, press Cmd-Shift-G, paste the path and press Return.

Paths from Xfer’s Serum 2 manual.

How to install Serum 2 presets

  1. Unzip the pack. Serum 2 presets are files ending in .SerumPreset.
  2. Open the Serum 2 Presets folder (see above), then Presets, then User.
  3. Copy the pack’s folder into User. Keeping each pack in its own folder makes it easy to find in the preset browser.
  4. In Serum 2, open the menu and rescan folders on disk, or close and reopen Serum. The pack now shows up in the preset menu and browser.

Nothing to test with yet? Get 5 free Serum 2 presets

Thick House 808, 303 Distorted, French Touch, Retro Pad and Trance Classic: .SerumPreset files to drop into User and check that everything works. What is in them.

Your download now, then two short emails: how to use the sounds, and a 25% code for any of the full packs, valid for a week. Unsubscribe any time.

VISIONS OF TOMORROW71 Serum 2 presets for house and techno: 26 basses plus leads, pads, plucks, keys, stabs and FX. Royalty-free, ready to drop into the folder above.

A .SerumPack file is a different thing: a packed bundle. Drag it onto Serum 2 or import it from the menu, and Serum unpacks it for you.

Serum 2 presets folder not found or missing

  1. Run the full installer. If you only ran the Serum 2 updater, the presets may never have been installed. Download the full installer from your Xfer account and run it.
  2. Check OneDrive. On Windows, look in both Documents\Xfer and OneDrive\Documents\Xfer. The folder may be in the one you did not expect.
  3. Check the right Library on a Mac. The presets are in /Library, not ~/Library. Use Cmd-Shift-G as above.
  4. Look for empty folders. If the folders exist but are empty, security software may have stopped the installer from writing to Documents. Allow the installer and run it again.
  5. Restart your DAW after reinstalling, and rescan plug-ins if Serum 2 does not show up.

If none of this helps, Xfer answers support tickets from your account page.

Presets do not show up in the browser

  • Wrong folder. Presets copied into the Serum 1 folder (Serum Presets) do not appear in Serum 2. Use the Serum 2 Presets folder above.
  • Not rescanned. Rescan folders on disk from the Serum menu, or close and reopen Serum 2 after copying files.
  • Still zipped. A .zip file in the folder does nothing; unzip it first. A .SerumPack file is imported from the menu or dragged onto Serum 2.
  • A folder too deep. Some downloads have a folder inside a folder. Serum 2 still finds them, but the pack is easier to find in the browser when its presets sit one level inside User.

Where to keep your own presets

Keep the presets you make and the packs you buy in the User folder inside Presets, each pack in its own subfolder. The factory presets live next to it, and keeping your own sounds apart means an update or a reinstall never touches them.

Back up or move to a new computer

Copy the whole Serum 2 Presets folder: it holds your presets, wavetables and other user files. On the new computer, install Serum 2 with the full installer, copy the folder back to the same place, and rescan folders on disk.

Serum 1 or Serum 2?

The two versions have separate preset folders. Presets made for Serum 2 end in .SerumPreset and will not open in Serum 1. Serum 2 can open presets made for Serum 1, so older packs still work. Using Serum 1? See where Serum 1 keeps its presets, and how to import your own wavetables.

5 free Serum 2 presets to test your install →Thick House 808, 303 Distorted, French Touch, Retro Pad and Trance Classic, in our free pack with drums and guitar loops.EDM Serum presets: 71 for Serum 2 →VISIONS OF TOMORROW: 26 basses plus leads, pads, plucks, keys, stabs and FX. $29.

More Serum guides

Questions

Where are Serum 2 presets stored on Windows?

In C:\Users\(your name)\Documents\Xfer\Serum 2 Presets. If OneDrive is turned on, Documents may live in OneDrive, and the folder is then in C:\Users\(your name)\OneDrive\Documents\Xfer\Serum 2 Presets.

Where are Serum 2 presets stored on a Mac?

In /Library/Audio/Presets/Xfer Records/. That is the Library at the top of your hard drive, not the Library inside your user folder. In Finder, press Cmd-Shift-G and paste the path.

Where do I put new Serum 2 presets?

In the User folder inside the Presets folder of Serum 2 Presets, ideally in a subfolder named after the pack. Then rescan folders on disk from the Serum menu, or restart Serum.

Can Serum 1 open Serum 2 presets?

No. Serum 2 presets end in .SerumPreset and need Serum 2. Serum 2 can open presets made for Serum 1.

Why does Serum 2 say the presets folder is missing?

Most often because only the updater was installed and not the full installer, because Documents has moved to OneDrive, or because security software stopped the installer from writing to Documents. The steps above cover each case.