In this article, we explain how to download and install the various types of NI product updates.
Note: There's a distinct difference between these free product updates (e.g. updating MASSIVE 1.0 to 1.5) and paid major updates (e.g. updating KONTAKT 6 to KONTAKT 7). Please see this article for more info about paid updates.
The article is divided into three chapters:
- Downloading NI Software Updates
- Downloading NI Hardware Updates
- Compatibility of Updates with Your Operating System
1. Downloading NI Software Updates
Software updates for our current line of products are downloaded from Native Access.
- Start Native Access and click the Updates tab on the left:
- Select the product update you wish to download by clicking Update on the right.
- Once the update is complete, you can close Native Access to use the new version of your product.
2. Downloading NI Hardware Updates
Updates for hardware products can be found on our website as driver or firmware installers.
Driver Updates
A driver is a special program installed on your computer that allows the computer to recognize and operate a hardware device.
While a driver is required for all hardware products on Windows, current NI hardware devices do not require a driver on macOS systems. Please see this article for more information.
Firmware Updates
Firmware updates are only available for certain NI device models (e.g. KOMPLETE AUDIO interfaces or MASCHINE controllers).
Firmware updates are not installed on the computer. Instead, your device's firmware is installed on the chipset of your hardware device. Therefore, it's necessary to connect your device to the system in order to install the device's firmware.
See this article to learn more about updating your NI hardware device's firmware.
Downloading and Installation of Driver and Firmware Updates
You can download hardware drivers and firmware directly from the NI Downloads page.
Note: Please disconnect your device if you're installing a driver update. For firmware updates, your device must remain connected.
- Open our Downloads page.
- Find your NI device in the list. In the example below, we've located the downloads available for the TRAKTOR KONTROL S8.
- Click on the name of the entry for your operating system and confirm with OK to begin the download.
- Once downloaded, go to your Downloads folder to run the installer.
- Once updated, you can operate your NI hardware device.
3. Compatibility of Updates with Your Operating System
Depending on the version of your operating system, a product update may no longer be compatible or supported. You can check the supported operating systems under Specifications on the corresponding NI product page.
For older product updates, see the compatibility charts linked under Related Articles at the bottom of this page.