All software developers like us, will include on the product page of the instrument, the variant of Kontakt which is compatible with that specific instrument. You should check for each instrument before you purchase, even if it’s from the same company as sometimes it may change.
You’ll need to look out for wording like “Kontakt Player compatible” or “Kontakt Full only”. You will also need to check the version number that the instrument is compatible with too.
You can check our product compatibility overview in our article here.
Your version of Kontakt software has to be the same or higher than the Kontakt instrument you’re using.
Each instrument will be developed in a specific version of Kontakt (e.g. 5.6.8), and you will need to use a version of Kontakt that’s the same or higher than that to use it. It simply won’t open if your version of Kontakt is lower than the instrument’s.
You have Kontakt 6.0.4 and the instrument is 5.6.6 – This IS compatible.
You have Kontakt 5.7.1 and the instrument is 5.8.1 – This IS NOT compatible.
This happens because as Native Instruments updates Kontakt with new features, an instrument built in a newer version might have functionality that an older version of Kontakt can’t support.
If you're unsure which version of Kontakt you have, see our article here.