Frequently Asked Questions
- What is ReaBoot?
ReaBoot is a convenient all-in-one online installer for REAPER, ReaPack and arbitrary packages. It allows you to easily install a specific REAPER add-on at the press of a button or create full-fledged REAPER installations with user-selectable add-ons in no time.
You probably ended up here because someone wanted to give you an easy way to install REAPER scripts or extensions.
- Why does it exist?
One word: Convenience
In the REAPER ecosystem, users rarely stop at just installing REAPER itself. They often add scripts, extensions, JS effects, and more. These are commonly referred to as packages or add-ons. Many years ago, Christian Fillionintroduced the brilliant ReaPack, revolutionizing how users install and update these add-ons by making the process more organized and streamlined. However, ReaPack itself lacks an installer, leaving the setup process somewhat manual and requiring a bit of tinkering.
Enter ReaBoot — a solution designed to simplify this further. Think of it as the missing installer for ReaPack. ReaBoot not only helps you set up ReaPack but can also install REAPER itself and any ReaPack-compatible add-ons.It takes you from zero to fully set up with just a few clicks!
Initially, I created ReaBoot as a simple, user-friendly way to install Playtime 2. But it quickly became clear that ReaBoot could be much more — a universal installer for all kinds of ReaPack packages.
- I'm afraid that ReaBoot creates dirty installations. Is it safer to install REAPER and ReaPack by hand?
- It's ReaBoot's highest priority to create installations that are not different from what you would get by installing everything by hand. The result should be exactly the same. Nice and clean. If you discover an exception, please report it as a bug!
- Why do I have a folder ReaBoot in my REAPER resource path?
- This directory should either be empty or contain backups of files that ReaBoot changed during the installation process (INI files and ReaPack database). ReaBoot creates backups just in case. If you want, you can delete this directory, it is not necessary for correct operation.
- Can I use this to update existing REAPER installations?
- Absolutely. You can use it over and over again in order to add new packages or replace existing ones.
- Is ReaBoot a replacement for ReaPack?
- Not at all! ReaBoot embraces ReaPack and installs all packages in a way that's 100% compatible with it. The main idea is to use ReaBoot to make the initial installation easier. After that, you can use ReaPack to install new packages. Or you can continue using ReaBoot. The choice is yours! You can even use them interchangeably, it shouldn't make any difference.
- Why does ReaBoot always install the ReaPack extension?
- Technically, ReaBoot doesn't need ReaPack to install or replace packages. But ReaPack is important for you at a later stage, for example in order to:
- Browse and install packages directly from within REAPER
- Remove packages
- Automatically register installed ReaScripts
- Can I use ReaBoot while REAPER is running?
- Yes. But it might ask you to quit REAPER if it turns out to be an issue.
- Do I lock myself in by relying on ReaBoot installation links?
- No. All parts of ReaBoot are open-source (GPL-3) and will remain so, including the website you are currently seeing.
- I would like to share not just packages but also apply user settings. Is that supported by ReaBoot?
- No. Neither ReaPack nor ReaBoot touch user settings, because this would quickly lead to conflicts. Please consider creating, zipping and sharing a portable REAPER installation instead.