Remove Cakewalk as Default Plugin Folder

How do I edit the registry so Cakewalk is no longer the default folder where plugins get installed?

Thank you! I've been looking for this for years. Too bad about Sonar. At least they enjoyed the whole ride. 

That sets the Windows default vst location, When you install SONAR it hijacks it, then more often then not when you go to install a plug it will come up with the Cakewalk path by default. Some plugins/developers have it built into them another path, like the Steinberg(sure you have seen it). You could set it to where you install plugs, then most of the time it will come up with that directory by default, just saves you changing it if on install if you use a certain directory.

That reg setting only effects plugins that look for it.
 
Many plugins will still default to C:\Program Files\VST or other locations because they're hard coded to.
NI plugins are installed to the locations set in Native Access preferences.
If a plugin or group of plugins has an installation manager chances are that manager will have a setting the defines where its plugins get stored - it may default to the registry setting, or other location for example C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VST.
With Sonar it's the CC preferences will set were most of it's plugins will be installed to regardless of the registry setting - though from what I recall there are a couple that still use the registry setting instead or end up someplace like C\Program Files\Cakewalk\Vstplugins.

No, they will still work, you can have your plugins in any location and as many locations you like. The regedit will just change the Windows default location, and for future plugin installs of plugins that take that info in, that will show as the default path, which of course you can change during install.
 
I just always hated that SONAR hijacked it, and that the majority of plugins you install default to the Cakewalk path, requiring you to change it during install, and if I skipped through quickly I would end up with plugins in the Cakewalk directory, I hated that, I want my plugins where I want them.
 
It's no biggie, it's just a default Windows location, doesn't mean much.

Matron Landslide

TheSteven
 
That reg setting only effects plugins that look for it.
 

Well dur, I already said that.

Maybe you just thought you did, or meant to, or thought that in making a different point it was implied.
But actually... you didn't.
So you can keep your dur.  No need to be rude. 
 
The Windows registry location isn't actually specified in the VST spec which is why you see the variances in the way different devs handle it. 
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VST
is not the Windows default setting for the the VST Path it's just one of the most commonly used locations for storing it.