GIMP 3 Plugins Not Working or Missing

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Get a GIMP 3 version of the plug-in

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   1. Check the plug-in's page for GIMP 3 support; G'MIC and Resynthesizer have been ported
   2. Old gimpfu scripts need rewriting for Python 3 and the new API
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Put it in the GIMP 3.0 plug-ins folder

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   1. Open Edit > Preferences > Folders > Plug-ins to see the paths
   2. Each plug-in lives in its own folder with the same name as the script, e.g. plug-ins/myplugin/myplugin.py
   3. On Linux/macOS run chmod +x on the file
   4. Restart GIMP
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Avoid problem install types

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   1. If Python plug-ins do not appear on a Snap install, switch to the AppImage, Flatpak or distro package
   2. On Windows update to the latest installer; 3.0.0 to 3.0.2 had Python plug-in issues
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Check for errors

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   1. Run gimp-3 --verbose from a terminal and look for plug-in errors
   2. Open Filters > Development > Python-Fu console where available
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Plug-ins or scripts vanish from the Filters menu after upgrading, or a Python plug-in never appears.

Why it happens

• GIMP 2.10 plug-ins and gimpfu Python 2 scripts are not compatible with GIMP 3
• Plug-in placed in the old 2.10 folder or not in its own subfolder
• Python plug-in file not executable (macOS/Linux)
• Snap or some early 3.0.x Windows installs had Python plug-in problems

This guide also covers

• gimp 3 plugins not working
• gimp plugins not showing
• gimp python plugin not loading
• gimp 2.10 plugins gimp 3

The same problem in other apps

All missing or lost data guides →

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