Customize Live to your preference!

As the title suggests, this is a list of all the features that can be set in Ableton LIve 11’s Option.txt file.
Whether you are newbie or are already a heavy user, it might help you live more comfortable producer life!

About Options.txt

What is Options.txt? It is a text file that allows you to add experimental, unsupported features to Live.
For example, one of the most commonly used line (and I use it myself) is:

-ShowDeviceSlots=1

This enables you to see what plugin you are inserting to what channel, and its on/off status in Session View (explained in below).

Here is how to do it:

Using a text editor, create a new plain text file and name it “Options.txt”. In the file, put the above line. It should look like this.

Move the created file to the folder “Preferences” in the following location (where “x.x.x” in the following path is the version number of Live you are currently using. e.g., “11.1”

Windows

\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live x.x.x\Preferences\

macOS

/Users/[username]/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live x.x.x/

Place the text file you created in the location and open Live, you will be able to see plugins’ status (on/off) for each channel in Session View. Like this.

Where I got the full list

I was curious about other features, so I got the list from Github.

However, this does not explain the function and value settings, so I asked questions on ChatGPT to find out the function and value settings (being honest, it is impossible to search everything one by one). The results are summarized in the list below.

*Note) The list might contain incorrect values. The sheer volume of the data makes it impossible for me to check everything. Some of the lines are new to me and the AI is not perfect at this stage. If you actually implement, please be sure to check the value settings by yourself and use at your own risk (these are unsupported features).
If you find any mistakes in this list, please let me know in the comments section or contact form.

There are 102 in total. Use them if you think some of them are useful! Have a wicked producer life!

All Lists and their Functions and Value Ranges and Default Values

-AcceptanceTestsIgnoreAssertions: When enabled, this option disables certain assertions in Ableton Live’s acceptance tests, which can help when debugging issues. The default value is false.

-AcceptanceTestsPort: This option sets the port number used by Ableton Live’s acceptance tests. The default value is 16720, and the value range is 1-65535.

-AdditionalLatencyForPlaythrough: This option adds a specified amount of additional latency to Ableton Live’s playthrough channel. The default value is 0, and the value range is -1000-1000.

-AnimatedScrollBarAlphaDelta: This option sets the speed of the alpha transition for animated scroll bars in Ableton Live. The default value is 0.08, and the value range is 0.0-1.0.

-AnimatedScrollBarVisibleTime: This option sets the time in seconds that animated scroll bars are visible in Ableton Live. The default value is 1.5, and the value range is 0.0-10.0.

-AsioDisableMultiClient: When enabled, this option disables multiple clients in ASIO drivers in Ableton Live, which can improve stability. The default value is false.

-AsioNoClockSource: When enabled, this option disables the clock source selection in ASIO drivers in Ableton Live. The default value is false.

-AsioNoSampleRateCheck: When enabled, this option disables the sample rate check in ASIO drivers in Ableton Live. The default value is false.

-AsioNoSetSampleRate: When enabled, this option disables the sample rate setting in ASIO drivers in Ableton Live. The default value is false.

-AsioSupportProcessNow: When enabled, this option enables “Process Now” mode for ASIO drivers in Ableton Live, which can improve performance. The default value is false.

-AudioQuantizeFixedWarpMarker: When enabled, this option allows you to quantize an audio clip to a specific warp marker, rather than the nearest transient. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-AutoAdjustMacroMappingRange: When enabled, this option automatically adjusts the range of macro knobs in Ableton Live based on the currently selected device, so that the full range of the knob is used for the device’s parameter. The default value is true, and the value range is true or false.

-AutoShowPythonShellOnError: When enabled, this option automatically opens the Python shell in Ableton Live if an error occurs in a Python script. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-BuiltinLessons: When enabled, this option adds a set of built-in lessons to Ableton Live. The default value is true, and the value range is true or false.

-ChallengeMethod: This option specifies the method used to challenge an Ableton Live user’s authorization. The default value is 1, and the value range is 0-2.

-CheckAllLanguageFiles: When enabled, this option causes Ableton Live to check all language files for errors. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-ClipFireWillContinueSong: When enabled, this option allows clips to continue playing even after they are launched using the “fire” button in Ableton Live. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-ControlSurfaceDisplayUpdateRate: This option sets the update rate of control surface displays in Ableton Live, in milliseconds. The default value is 45, and the value range is 1-100.

-DebugKeys: When enabled, this option enables various debugging features in Ableton Live, such as displaying MIDI messages and control surface events. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-DecodeDirectShowMediaFiles: When enabled, this option allows Ableton Live to decode DirectShow media files, such as AVI and WMV files. The default value is true, and the value range is true or false.

-DevicesLegacyLive5: When enabled, this option enables compatibility mode for Ableton Live 5 devices. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-DisableAutoBugReporting: When enabled, this option disables automatic bug reporting in Ableton Live. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-DisableFileRefMapping: When enabled, this option disables file reference mapping in Ableton Live. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-DontAskForAdminRights: When enabled, this option prevents Ableton Live from prompting the user for admin rights. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-DontRetriggerSessionClips: When enabled, this option prevents session clips from retriggering when they are stopped and then started again. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-DontStoreCompoundPaths: When enabled, this option prevents Ableton Live from storing compound paths. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-DrawRandomBackground: When enabled, this option causes Ableton Live to draw a random background on startup. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-DriveEngineTiming: When enabled, this option allows Ableton Live’s engine to use the timing information from the audio interface driver. The default value is true, and the value range is true or false.

-DrumPadSelectionDelay: When set, this option adds a delay in milliseconds to the selection of a Drum Pad in Ableton Live. The default value is 0, and the value range is 0 to 1000.

-DumpUsfLibOutput: When enabled, this option enables output dumping from UsfLib. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-EditorDontSnapOnMarkers: When enabled, this option disables the snapping of notes and clips to markers in the Arrangement View of Ableton Live. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-EditorMagneticWidth: This option sets the width of the magnetic area around notes in the editor. When the cursor is within this area, the notes will snap to the grid. The default value is 4, and the value range is 0 to 100.

-EditorNoteResizeSnapsOnGridOnly: When enabled, this option restricts the resizing of notes in Ableton Live’s MIDI Editor to the grid lines, and not anywhere in between. The default value is true, and the value range is true or false.

-EditorResnapRangeFactor: This option controls the range of notes and clips affected by the resnap feature in Ableton Live’s Arrangement View. The default value is 1.25, and the value range is between 1.0 and 2.0.

-EditorResnapTimeoutOnMouseUp: This option sets the duration in milliseconds that the editor waits after the mouse button is released before resnapping the notes. The default value is 200, and the value range is 0 to 1000.

-EditorSnapTimeout: This option sets the duration in milliseconds that the editor waits after a snap operation before allowing the next snap operation. The default value is 50, and the value range is 0 to 500.

-EnableArmOnSelection: When enabled, this option automatically arms a track for recording when it is selected in Ableton Live’s Arrangement View. The default value is true, and the value range is true or false.

-EnableHotSwapOnSelection: When enabled, this option allows devices to be swapped in the middle of playback. The default value is true, and the value range is true or false.

-EventRecorderTempDir: This option sets the directory used for storing temporary files generated by the Event Recorder. The default value is the system’s temporary directory, and the value range is any valid directory path.

-Halion3BugWorkaround: When enabled, this option applies a workaround for a known bug in Halion 3. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-HotKeyForCaptureAndInsertScene: This option sets the keyboard shortcut used to capture and insert a scene in the Arrangement View. The default value is Shift+Ctrl+C, and the value range is any valid keyboard shortcut.

-HotKeyForKitPad: This option sets the keyboard shortcut used to open the Kit Pad in the Drum Rack. The default value is Shift+Ctrl+K, and the value range is any valid keyboard shortcut.

-IgnoreTemplateSet: When enabled, this option prevents Live from automatically loading the template set when a new Live Set is created. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-ImpulseIgnoreOmega: When enabled, this option prevents Impulse from responding to note-offs for the Omega preset. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-KeepUnresolvedRelativeRoutings: When enabled, this option prevents Live from resolving relative paths for routing. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-LayoutCheckFrequency: This option sets the frequency in milliseconds at which Live checks for changes to the layout of the computer screen. The default value is 1000, and the value range is 100 to 10000.

-LogFolderConfigErrors: When enabled, this option logs configuration errors related to folder locations. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-LogPseudoMidiOutDataSizeSent: When enabled, this option logs the size of the data sent through MIDI output. The default value is false, and the value range is true or false.

-LogRemoteScriptCapabilityInfo: This option logs information about the capabilities of remote scripts. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-LogTimeConversionVariation: This option logs information about time conversion variations in Live. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-LoopJumpContinuationActivationWindowSizeMs: This option sets the size of the activation window for the loop jump continuation feature in milliseconds. Default value: 500. Value range: Any positive integer.

-LoopJumpContinuationWindowSizeMs: This option sets the size of the window for the loop jump continuation feature in milliseconds. Default value: 1000. Value range: Any positive integer.

-MaxAudioThreads: This option sets the maximum number of audio processing threads. Default value: -1 (system dependent). Value range: -1 or any positive integer.

-MaxChainViewsToCache: This option sets the maximum number of chain views to cache. Default value: 16. Value range: Any positive integer.

-MemoryBasedUndo: This option sets whether to use memory-based undo. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-MemoryLeaksFile: This option sets the file path for memory leak information. Default value: None. Value range: Any valid file path.

-MidiClockSlave: This option sets whether to slave Live to external MIDI clock. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-MidiEventThinning: This option sets the amount of thinning applied to incoming MIDI events. Default value: 0. Value range: 0-4.

-NoMidiEventFiltering: This option disables MIDI event filtering. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-NoMidiFromReWire: This option disables MIDI input from ReWire clients. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-NoMidiMonitorLatencyCompensation: This option disables latency compensation for MIDI monitoring. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-NoMidiServer: This option disables the MIDI server. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-NoSCurves: This option disables S-curve crossfades. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-NoVstGesturesRequired: This option disables VST gestures. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-NoVstStartupScan: This option disables VST startup scan. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-RemoveFolderWithSingleClick: This option sets whether to remove a folder with a single click. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-ReWireChannels: This option sets the number of ReWire channels. Default value: 64. Value range: Any positive integer.

-ReWireLogic: This option sets the ReWire logic type. Default value: 0. Value range: 0-3.

-ReWireSonar: This option sets whether to enable ReWire for Sonar. Default value: False. Value range: True/False.

-SafetyAreaAroundMarkers: This option sets the size of the safety area around markers. Default value: 10. Value range: Any positive integer.

-SampleTimeOverflowScale: This option sets the scaling factor used to calculate the overflow of sample time. Default value: 1.0. Value range: Any positive decimal number.

-SelectNoAudioAsDefault: This option determines whether or not the “No Audio” option is selected by default when creating a new audio track. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-SendSPPInArrangerLoops: This option enables or disables the sending of SPP (Song Position Pointer) messages when looping in the Arrangement View. Default value: True. Value range: True or False.

-SetAssertMode: This option determines how the program handles assertion failures. Default value: “default”. Value range: “default”, “ignore”, “debug”, or “release”.

-SharedMemStoragePath: This option sets the path to the shared memory file used for inter-process communication. Default value: “default”. Value range: A valid file path.

-ShowBackToArrangementOnMasterTrack: This option determines whether the “Back to Arrangement” button is shown on the Master track. Default value: True. Value range: True or False.

-ShowChunkLoadTime: This option determines whether the time it takes to load a Live Set is displayed in the Info View. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-ShowDeviceSlots: This option determines whether the device slots in Live’s mixer are shown. Default value: True. Value range: True or False.

-ShowFullVersionInTitle: This option determines whether the full version number is displayed in the title bar. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-StackTraces: This option determines whether stack traces are printed to the console when an error occurs. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-SuppressCheckSynchronousInvariant: This option disables the synchronous check for certain operations. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-TempoFineControlRange: This option sets the fine control range for tempo adjustment. Default value: 0.02. Value range: Any positive decimal number.

-Trace: This option enables or disables tracing of events in the application. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-UnitTestsAssertOnFailure: This option determines whether the program will assert on a failed unit test. Default value: True. Value range: True or False.

-UnitTestsDontCleanup: This option determines whether the program will clean up after running unit tests. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-UnitTestsLetDummyTestPass: This option determines whether the program will pass dummy unit tests. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-UnitTestsQuitAfter: This option determines whether the program will quit after running unit tests. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-UnitTestsReportFormat: This option sets the format of the unit test report. Default value: “plain”. Value range: “plain”, “xml”, or “json”.

-UnitTestsRunDefaultOff: This option determines whether the program will run unit tests that are set to default off. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-UnitTestsTraces: This option determines whether unit test traces will be printed to the console. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-UpdateTest: This option determines whether to update the test files or not. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-UseDebugPrefs: This option determines whether to use the debug preferences or not. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-UseFileSystemCacheForReading: This option enables or disables the use of a file system cache for reading files. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-UseFileSystemCacheForWriting: This option enables or disables the use of a file system cache for writing files. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-UseOwnGeneratedMidiTimeStamps: This option determines whether to use own-generated MIDI time stamps. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-VstNoLocalDir: This option disables the use of a local directory for VST plugins. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-VstNoScanSkip: This option disables the skipping of already scanned VST plugins. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-WipeoutProtectionAccidentWindowSizeMs: This option sets the accident window size for Wipeout Protection. Default value: 1000. Value range: Any positive integer.

-WipeoutProtectionActivationWindowSizeMs: This option sets the activation window size for Wipeout Protection. Default value: 2000. Value range: Any positive integer.

-WipeoutProtectionDecisionWindowSizeMs: This option sets the decision window size for Wipeout Protection. Default value: 3000. Value range: Any positive integer.

-WriteLanguageCommentFile: This option enables or disables the writing of a comment file for languages. Default value: False. Value range: True or False.

-_PluginAutoPopulateThreshold: This option sets the threshold for automatic population of plugin lists. Default value: 50. Value range: Any positive integer.